We’ve been Busy…

Tags

best sellers, Costume jewelry, Design, John WInd, USAMade

Can you believe January is almost over? We can’t! We’ve been working non stop, and are sorry to say we’ve been neglecting our blog a bit. Here’s a roundup of what we’ve been doing this month:

1. Our NEON PEARLS were featured in the February issue of O Magazine. We love how they styled this cheerful outfit…and can’t wait to get a similar look once it’s a little warmer.

2. Our Multi Face Watches are going to be in stock ANY DAY NOW! Social Media is a buzz with excitement over this product- one of John’s first designs in the 1980’s!

3. Our New Spring Look Book arrived YESTERDAY! It is one of our best yet (if we do say so ourselves)…Here’s a sneak peek from the catalog~ and for our retailers, be on the lookout for the bright green cover dropping at your door any day!

Atlanta Here We Come…(& Dallas & New York & California!)

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atlanta gift show, confections, Costume jewelry, dallas gift market, New York Now!, Shopping

Another trade show season is upon us…and the studio is buzzing with excitement and last minute preparations!

We are so excited to show all of our buyers our new spring collections…it truly looks, feels and wears like a breath of fresh air!

Over the next few weeks we’ll be giving all of our readers more sneak peeks- but check out the amazing earring Cassandra is wearing above!

This group is called Sweet Confections…for its bright candy-like colors.

The cabochons are very special—Most are opalescent glass made by hand in the Czech republic from 100 year old color recipes…They start out as rods and are then heated and pressed into metal molds.Then tumble polished, and a metallic foil is hand-applied to the back of each one! The collection also uses semi-precious cabs (turquoise-dyed howlite, and hematite), pearlized glass cabochons, and strands of Austrian crystals that we hand-wrap around each cab in our studio. So from beginning to end, the line is hand-made with tradition (like a Parisian Confection) and attention to detail.

 

 

I resolve….

Tags

Continuous Improvement, Health, New Year's, Resolutions

The phones are quiet this cloudy Monday morning, and the peacefulness of the studio has allowed me a moment (for the first time since the holiday season hustle began) to think about goals for the approaching year. Tell us, do you make New Year’s resolutions?

We’re big on resolutions here at Maximal Art. As we wind down another holiday season, we always like to meet to discuss our goals for next year (both personal and professional). One of our core values is continuous improvement. Even if something is working well, who’s to say it can’t work better? Even if you are good at something, who’s to say you can’t improve on that skill?

Here are just a few ways that we will work to reach our goals in 2014

1. Continued Education. We attend seminars and read books about various subjects of interest. Project Management, Lean Manufacturing, Management Skills~ all of these skills help us to become better at our jobs of delivering you the best jewelry we can, exactly when you want it.
2. Innovation. We call John our “Chief Innovator” because he is a treasure trove of new ideas and he is never afraid to test them out. Our design studio is packed full of designs that we can’t wait to share with you.
3. Pay Attention to YOU. None of this would be possible without you, our customers. We strive to create jewelry that you want to wear- at prices that you can afford. Learning more about you is a huge part of our growth. We love hearing from our customers. We love getting your ideas. We love becoming your friend.

 

Styling your Gifts

Tags

Alternative Gift Wrapping, Hester & Cook, Holiday Crafts, John Wind Charms

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is getting to wrap all of the presents that I have for friends …

Continue reading →

Snowy Days + Holidays!

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David Venable, In the Kitchen with David, mulled wine recipe, QVC, snow day, Vanilla Kifli Cookies

It’s a quiet and peaceful day for those of us on the East Coast- working away while we wait out this snow storm! Days like today are the perfect time to get into the holiday spirit.

Do you watch In the Kitchen with David on QVC? I’m a newbie~ but he’s totally fabulous and entertaining, and he has really good recipes to boot!

This past week David featured a delicious Hungarian Specialty, the Vanilla Kifli, as part of his Around the World series.

Our Marketing Manager, Lauren was interviewed about Hungarian customs and traditions throughout the holiday season. (She spent a year in Hungary teaching English before joining us at Maximal Art).

Lauren also shared her favorite wintertime recipe for Forralt Bor (or Boiled Wine or Mulled Wine), which I’ve included below…it’s perfect for a snowy day like today!

• Create a mixture of spices wrapped in cheesecloth. I use a mixture of cloves, cinnamon sticks, ginger, all spice, anise, orange and lemon zest…any combination seems to work).

• Pour dry red wine into a large pot (the best actual Hungarian wine to use is from the Egri region, but any will do)– and drop the spices in. Add a tablespoon or two of brown sugar or honey.

• Be sure to heat the wine slowly (it actually should not boil).

• Top off the wine with about 2 ounces of Brandy (or whiskey if that’s what you have).

•  Once it’s warm and ready, garnish with an orange wedge and a cinnamon stick and enjoy!

Click through here to read the entire article on David’s Blog (and try out the cookie recipe).

Friday Giveaway~ All that Sparkles!

Tags

Holiday, Jewelry, John WInd, sparkle

The Holiday season is just around the corner~ and now’s your chance to win some of your very own John Wind Sparkle!

This beautiful sparkle necklace is the perfect touch for that holiday party. Pair it with a LBD and add a JW gemstone enhancer to really up the volume of this look!

To enter for this week’s giveaway:

1. COMMENT below this post & tell us why you’d love to receive this necklace! (Please make sure to also give us your email address so we can notify you if you win!)

2. FOLLOW our blog~ the link is on the left!

One winner will be chosen at random next week~ Good luck!

In John’s Word~ The new (old) Philadelphia!

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John WInd, Philadelphia

The other week I went to the spectacular opening of the American Street Showroom! ~John

It is a collaboration between three incredibly talented companies who all make new products~ furniture, lighting, decorative accessories, store fixture (using old parts and vintage inspiration), and you all know how I feel about that!

It’s housed in an enormous old industrial space that was once an electric company substation!

Amazingly, it is a block away from Maximal Art’s first home on North American Street. Back then we were urban pioneers, and the neighborhood was hardly a hipster destination.  Of course, that was 25 years ago!

To spice up the display there were countless flea market finds, big, rustic pieces of furniture, even a vintage car (a Nash Metropolitan).

Plus a decadent, bountiful spread of antipasti, pizzas fresh from the outdoor pizza oven, and lots of wine.

I saw so many friends old and new, and we all were in heaven!

“It feels like we’re in Berlin,” my friend Michaela said.  Berlin, or Brooklyn, or London, or Milan…but no, it was our very own Philly!

Congratulations to everyone involved!

Check it Out!

For more information on the American Street Showroom, check out their Facebook page right here!

What are you thankful for?

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give thanks, Maximal Art, Thanksgiving

We can’t believe Thanksgiving is this Thursday!

And to get in the giving spirit~ we’ve asked our Maximal employees what they are thankful for.

Check it out!

Give Thanks

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joh, Thanksgiving

We, as a company, are thankful that we get to work in an industry where making women feel good and look good is part of our everyday lives. We get to have fun, work hard and give back to our community.

This time of year is especially important to us (we are all working long hours to get every package delivered in time) and it is inspiring to hear the stories of our customers and how we can add *sparkle* to their lives.

Recently we gave away a necklace during one of our Friday giveaways to a truly deserving fan. Her sister and brother-in-law lost all of their belongings in a tragic house fire and our winner Eilleen decided to generously donate her necklace to her sister to cheer her up.

The necklace lifted my sisters spirits so high.  It had been quite a while since I had heard any excitement in her voice but this necklace did it. She got compliments all day and she felt really special.  For that, I thank you.

We love hearing uplifting and inspirational stories like this from our customers~ and this Thanksgiving, we are truly thankful to our fans who make what we do possible.

Tell Us:

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Friday Giveaway~ Sparkle Cuffs!

We just love the look of a sparkly layered wrist~ especially during the Holiday season! And for today’s giveaway, one lucky winner will receive this beautiful set of John Wind Holiday cuffs!

To enter this week’s giveaway:

1. COMMENT below this post & tell us why you want to win these classic Holiday cuffs!

2. FOLLOW our blog~ The link is on the left!

One winner will be chosen at random next week- Good luck!