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A few years ago I gave my husband a semi-nice battery powered watch for Christmas.  He loves the watch and receives compliments every time he wears it.  However for the past year it has been sitting on the night stand collecting dust. 

Why?

The watch needs a new battery – a simple easy fix if 1. One could remember to buy one and 2. If we could find the dang type of battery it needs. If I had bought him an Eco-Drive watch from Citizen, I wouldn’t have this problem.  I wouldn’t be harassing the employees at Batteries Plus for the silly watch battery.  Eco-Drive is truly amazing in that it takes light (natural or artificial) and turns it into the energy needed to run the watch.  It also stores energy so that the watch keeps working even if we are in a dark theater. 
Needless to say this year for Christmas I have his gift picked out already, a brand new Eco-Drive watch from Citizens.  Now if only I can get him to buy me one as well.

Have a great day and be sure to like us on Facebook!

 

Last Thursday Project Runway aired an episode where the designers were challenged to make a cocktail dress for Miss Piggy from the Muppets.  It was an interesting episode to say the least with each of the designers discussing how much they loved Miss Piggy and her fashion sense.  I began seeing "regular" clothes and accessories and thinking  "Is this something Miss Piggy would wear?"

Thus a list of 5 items that I belive Miss Piggy would wear on vacation somewhere glamorous with Kermit.

1. The Manitobah Full Wrap Mukluk -

Picture Miss Piggy and Kermit snuggling next to a fire in a ski lodge sipping hot chocolate.

2. Fight Like A Girl Hot Pink Polka Dot PJ Bottoms - 

Slumber party - need I say more? 

3. Halia Charm Bracelet -

Miss Piggy is fierce in her love of fashion and Kermit, so of course she would like to tell her story in a personalized charm bracelet. 

4. Dooney & Bourke Letter Carrier Bag -

Useful and small, perfect for the stylish woman on the go

5. Boulder Turquoise Cross Necklace -  

For this I picture her in this cowboy / western apparel complete with a cowboy hat.  

This list was created for fun and is not meant to suggest that Miss Piggy is in anyway endorsing these items, I just feel that she would love them.
Agree? Disagree?

If you are like me, you love a good bracelet.  I have no problem finding a bracelet that I like, but I never wear them, well, infrequently wear them.  I had chalked it up to being too careless because I would always hit the bracelet when I wore one, nicking it.  Recently, I attended a jewelry training and the person speaking brought up a good idea (a bit obvious in hindsight).  The idea was to wear bracelets on my less dominate wrist.  

Some of you might be thinking "well, of course!" but I hadn't considered it! I have been wearing bracelets on my right (dominate) wrist which is of course going to be more active and more liable to get nicked.  I also thought - I just might not be the only one doing this!  So if you find that you are similar to me, you might want to check out our jewelry care page for other tips on caring for your sparkle. 

I have listed below the different styles of bracelets that we generally carry to help determine which bracelet might be best for you. 

CUFF BRACELETS
Cuff bracelets are typically wider than a standard bangle and fit snugly to the wrist, fastening with buttons, snaps or a clasp.
These can be made of metal or a more flexible material like cloth or leather.  A cuff bracelet is a stiff and relatively wide bracelet, with round or oval clasp and hinge.

BANGLE BRACELETS
Bangle bracelets are solid circular bracelets that slip over the hand. They fit loosely on the wrist and can be narrow or chunky. Very thin bangles may be worn in large groupings, but wider ones should be limited to just a few.  Materials are typically fairly sturdy and can include precious and less expensive metals, natural materials and even plastic.

LINK or TENNIS BRACELETS
Bracelets made from connecting or linking various or similar components or jewelry findings. Link bracelets can be made of a variety of materials including metals and gemstones.
A tennis bracelet is typically made of precious stones and metals. This is an investment piece when it comes to jewelry because of the high cost of the diamonds or other stones. The tennis bracelet is thin and flexible and quite comfortable to wear.

Comming soon: A little bit of a review on Native movies. 

Yesterday I sat down with Heather Bennett, the Corporate Buyer for Native Direct and the four gift shops located within the Soaring Eagle & Ziibiwing buildings. 

Native Direct (ND): How long have you worked a buyer?  
Heather Bennett (HB): I’ve been here since January of 2009 – before that I was an Advanced Purchasing Cost Estimator at Delphi for four years.  

ND: What does your job entail?  
HB: Researching new products, ordering, entering, tagging products, maintaining inventory levels, pretty much everything.

ND: What is your favorite aspect of your job?  
HB: Getting in awesome new lines.  

ND: Are there things that you look for in particular when you meet with vendors?
HB: Quality & price.  The quality of the product and do I think that our customers will be interested in it at the price that I would have to set for that product.

ND: What is your favorite item(s) you have purchase / What is your favorite item(s) to purchase? 
HB: I would have to say the Western themed items are a favorite personally.  My favorite to purchase is the outdoorsy items, Headlamps baby! (laughs)

ND: What is the hardest aspect of your job?
HB: To manage inventory levels based on trying to guess what the sales are going to be for that month. 

ND: What are your hobbies / What do you do outside of work?
HB: Ride my horses, spend time with my children and husband, quad, I like to go camping and just enjoy being a hillbilly (Note: Heather’s nickname around the office is Hillbilly because of her initials and affinity to anything Country)

ND: How many kids to do you have?
HB: We have two kids, Kadin is 7, Zuri is 3, and Hank, my horse, he’s 5

ND: What is the best thing about your day?
HB: I would have to say the best part of my day is, honestly, tucking my kids in at night.  We have little rituals that we do.  We read a book together, say our prayers, have tickle time, and then tuck them in as snug as a bug in a rug.

Coming soon: Jewelry care tips & tricks

Yesterday, I sat down with Elizabeth Ballew, the Anishinabe Merchandise Buyer for Native Direct and the four gift shops located within the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort and the Ziibiwing Cultural Society building.

Native Direct (ND): How long have you worked as the buyer?
Elizabeth Ballew (EB): Since June of 2009

ND: What does your job entail?
EB: I buy, enter, and track merchandise purchased for retail sale for ZCS (Ziibiwing Commercial Services)

ND: What is your favorite aspect of your job?
EB: It would have to be having a positive impact on my tribe's revenue

ND: Are there things that you look for in particular when you meet with vendors?
EB: Quality, consistency, quantity, production time, price, etc. Basically are the items quality, is that quality consistent through all of the products, if we sell out - can they make more and in what time frame

ND: What is your favorite item(s) you have purchase / What is your favorite item(s) to purchase?
EB: Native made jewelry, I don't like entering it, but I like purchasing it

ND: What is the hardest aspect of your job?
EB: Predicting what's going to sell next week, next month. How busy are we going to be? Making sure that we have the right amount of the right product in the stores.

ND: What are your hobbies / What do you do outside of work?
EB: I participate in my rich heritage and culture through song, dance, art & crafts. We love to travel through the summer months.

ND: How many kids to do you have?
EB: My husband of 20 years and I have three kids

ND: What is the best thing about your day?
EB: Hmm, leaving for work, haha I know that sounds bad but I sigh and think "At least I didn't have to be there at 8!" By the time I leave for work, the sun is up and the birds are chirping, there is something about 8 a.m. and getting to work in the dark.

If you are a Native artist or a craftsman, and would like to set up a meeting with Elizabeth, please contact her at: eballew@sagchip.org. Please include contact information, photos, information regarding the product(s), and a brief biography telling us about yourself.

Coming soon: An Interview with our Corporate Buyer, Heather Bennett