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Wednesday, March 26, 2008

somethin' up my sleeve...

I've been dropping hints lately about a catalog of Troll-style Beads I'm working on for my website. It's a big project that will actually save me a lot of time once it's all finished. The plan is to have a nice group of Bracelet Beads that will be available all the time. I'll try to keep a few of each in stock, and make more as they're sold. I'll also have some one-of-a-kind beads, as well as the bigger focal beads that will also be one-and-only's. The beauty of the catalog is that I'll only need to photograph and describe these beads once. That will save me buckets of time from week to week, which pleases me quite a lot. And it should please some of you too, because it also means I can reduce the prices a bit. Always lookin' for that win/win situation!

So I'm spending most of my time right now making the inventory for the starter catalog. I'll add to it as I go along, but I want a nice bunch of beads to choose from when I launch it. I think I can have things ready to go by early next week, and if you're on my mailing list, of course I'll keep you posted! Till then, here's a picture of some of the beads I have so far. I have to say, it's a lot of fun to have this many beads at one time to play with. You'd think I'd get tired of looking at them, but I don't. I can sit here for the longest time, picking up bead after bead, and seeing things I never noticed before.



Now here's a question for you. It's your chance to have a say in things around here. Two or three of you have asked me to make beads that fit on Pandora bracelets. They have a larger hole than the Troll beads. I personally prefer the look of the Troll bracelets, and like the fact that Pandora and other bead brands will all fit on them. But maybe that's just me. Two or three of you aren't enough to get me to add the larger hole size to my line, but 20 or 30 of you might get me to consider it! So now's the time to speak up. You want Pandora-size beads? Then leave a comment here, so we all know how many of you want these!

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Here goes! My daughter has a pandora bracelet and she likes a few of the glass beads on it. I've bought four for her so far; however, she is running out of space and I can only buy one more for her. I have a Troll bracelet and have purchased several beads from you (all of which are beautiful); however, the bracelet makes me crazy, so I never wear it! The shorter version is that I think you'd do well with the Pandoras, but I think they need to be a bit smaller to work with the silver beads. I don't fit any of the identities shown below, so my e-mail is ruthredfern@verizon.net

Anonymous said...

I have anpandoranbracelet and a troll bead bracelet. I like the Pandora much more.It's true the glass pandora beads Have a bigger hole,but they are also slimmer....look very elegant. If you want I can email you apicture so you can see what I mean.
Sue K

Anonymous said...

I would like beads that fit a pandora bracelet - I have some chain mail bracelets (byzantine pattern) I have made and I think these beads would fit on it.

Anonymous said...

I like the troll beads better than Pandora...don't change a thing.

Anonymous said...

Love Troll more but I also have Pandora bracelets that would look nice with your beautiful beads on them.
Suzie

Anonymous said...

Love both, but have a Pandora too and would like to have the choice!! Agree with others that you may need to adjust bead size to make them coordinate better with a Pandora. Is it too much to want both. Too much of a good thing is a good thing! P.S. Got my Troll beads today. Love 'em.
Linda in Michigan

Anonymous said...

I don't have a pandora bracelet, but it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to make your beads to fit one. I have some pandora beads on my troll bracelet. When I look at the Pandora website I sometimes want to order one of theirs also. I love your beads Kim. I only have a memorial bead right now, but I wear it every day.
Marilyn from Wisconsin

winipoo jewelry said...

I don't have either. I'm a fan of the donuts :-)

Anonymous said...

I'd do both. I bought a Pandora bracelet when you came out with the beads, so I have a blank one ready to go!

Michelle in ABQ

Anonymous said...

You know how I feel. Love everything you create, but the larger hole beads would be wonderful. You need to give Michelle J. some competion.

afk

Kim Miles said...

Thanks for your input so far! I want to pop in here and mention that in order to get the kind of detail in a Pandora-size bead that I get in Troll-size bead they'd have to be bigger. Take a close look at both "real" Pandora and Troll beads... they're relatively simple, which is why they can be so small. So at this point, it looks like I'd be wasting my time on Pandora, since I hear you saying you like the smallness of them... A larger hole takes up space, and automatically makes for a bigger bead. Does this make sense? I'll clarify later if I need to!

And hey, all you anonymous people? I know some of you have to sign in that way, but would you mind signing at least your first name? :0) I like to know who I'm talking to!

Margaret Schindel said...

I'd love to see a catalog of regular-size-hole beads, too, for those of us who string our own bracelets!

Thanks for asking.

:)

Anonymous said...

I've been wishing for a while that you would make beads to fit Pandora bracelets. Pandora doesn't have a big enough variety of glass beads.
Love your beads!
Carrie

Anonymous said...

I don't have either bracelet, but lots of the beads. I like to wear them on a chain for a necklace. My wrist is a bit small to use them for a bracelet. Sue

Anonymous said...

Hi Kim, I have a Pandora Bracelet and a Kim Miles Bracelet Bead, you guessed it, I can't wear your fantastic bead on eith my Bracelet or ankle bracelet, I an still brainstorming to figure out a way to wear the bead except on my neck. It would be great to offer both sizes. April dB (AdB Silver Spring, MD)

Unknown said...

Hi Kim,
Love your beads.
This is a tough question.
Make an artist conform to the mass market or get the mass market to buy more from true artists.
Being an artist myself I'll go for the latter.
Maybe you could post on your side bar artist that make jewelry with YOUR beads. Then they would have more sales, which means they would need more of your beads, which means more sales for you!
Ok, I'm a dreamer. But doesn't it all start with a dream!
Also I realize times are hard right now, so if you need to pay the bills you might just have to bite the bullet and make the pandora beads.
But I must ask is anyone asking the Pandora company to make smaller bracelet to fit your beads?
I heart you Kim,
Patricia

p.s. I'm a beadweaver just so you know, I'm not saying this to try and get more sales for me.

Anonymous said...

Hi Kim !
I love my Troll bracelet but can't buy the beads here in the UK, their are a few stockists, but not many, but it doesn't matter to me any more, BECUASE I LOVE YOUR BEADS FOR THE TROLL BRACELET SO MUCH BETTER !!!! Please, please keep making the Troll size !!!
Thanks !!

Carlene said...

Hi Kim,
I'd like to vote with Maggie-I string my own bracelets and would love to have some of your beads with regular sized holes. And I always try to incorporate artist beads in my work.
Keep beading:)

Kim Miles said...

Thanks everyone for your input here. Several of you answered questions I didn't even ask, which is fine. I like it when you talk to me. Here's where I am on the Pandora Issue today... IF it's easy to find the right size tubing, and to make the right size holes in the end caps, and to make the beads beautiful without being larger, then MAYBE I'll do a few. I don't want to buy a Pandora bracelet (I really don't like the look of them), so I'll be asking two or three of you to test a bead for me on your own bracelet. Please don't volunteer! I have it covered! I actually own a Troll Bead and a Pandora Bead. The hole size is only a smidge different, but those silly threads in Pandoras cause all kinds of trouble.

Patricia! Thank you for your ideas! I love to promote designers who use my beads, and the Beadist Designer Blog is not getting enough action to keep it going. The sidebar links would be a good new way of doing it. And thank you for suggesting that Pandora make bracelets to accommodate my beads! Maybe they'd even like to contract a Designer Line from me. About time things starting busting loose in the beads world! Of course, I'd rather work with Troll Beads, if anyone's got an "in"...

Sue said...

Yes! Please make some with the larger holes...! I have a "Cherie Dorie" bracelet, and I know the larger holed beads would fit it. I've looked at the Troll brand bracelets, but I just don't want to spend that much money on a new bracelet and clasp - just so I can put your beads on it... I really like your bracelet beads, but (at this time) I can only string them on a chain or leather as a necklace.