We’re Open for Business!

It’s been a long two months since we last reached out to you about the transfer of ownership of Pick Up Sticks Jewelry. Here’s a little of what happened behind the scenes while waiting for inventory to arrive. We got all our systems in place, set up physical offices, and procured boxes, bags, tags, and labels, all to get ready for this day. That’s right! Pick Up Sticks Jewelry Company has re-opened for business. We were shooting for December 1 for our grand re-opening, but we beat our schedule by three days, thanks to an awesome team and great guidance from past company owners, Glena and Sabrina.

It goes without saying, we couldn’t be happier. Check out our redesigned website, poke around the categories and products, enjoy and be inspired. The holiday season is just around the corner, so start checking off your list! We have something for everyone: moms, sisters, daughters, BFFs, and, don’t forget, beautiful, unique, wonderful you! Whether you’re looking for something heartfelt, inspiring, amusing, or edgy…we’ve got a charm for that. Collect them and wear what speaks to you on any given day.

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We Have Wonderful News!

Yes, Glena and Sabrina are still retiring, but Pick Up Sticks Jewelry will continue! By a wonderful turn of fate, a new owner is at the helm, and anxious to continue our vision by keeping our wonderful product available. The best part is that Suzanne and her team are just as passionate as we are about Pick Up Sticks Jewelry and maintaining our high level of quality and customer service.

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Brand New! Pick Up Sticks Recycled Charms

What if you had the chance to buy Pick Up Sticks charms that were a completely new concept, but vintage in the truest sense of the word? One of a kind? So gorgeous they make your eyes water? And still as affordable as all our other charms?

We heard you when you said you wanted cooler than cool sustainable jewelry. We answered your desire in a “typical to Pick Up Sticks” way by using something old and intriguing to create it.

Recycled paper photo charms. Created from actual antique and vintage paper, embellished by the Pick Up Sticks crew, these charms are green works of original art unlike anything we’ve ever created before.

Close Up of Recycled Jewelry Photo Charms

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Pick Up Sticks Retailers – Find Your Favorite

We’re always telling you how much we love our Pick Up Sticks retailers, and we try to feature one of them in a blog post on a regular basis. Have you found one near you?

If you’re really going to go green and support your hometown economy, there’s nothing like shopping and buying locally. Pick Up Sticks retailers already know how fabulous the line is, and have their bestsellers on display. They can also tell you what’s new in the jewelry catalog.

One of the greatest advantages to buying from one of our retailers is that they’re happy to help you assemble your necklace and bracelets once you. Gather up the perfect combination of charms and trinkets and let them help you make the best arrangement! As you already know, getting your hands on Pick Up Sticks is a satisfying shopping experience – they’re even better in person than in the pictures!

Find a Pick Up Sticks Jewelry Retailer Near You
One example of the Pick Up Sticks Jewelry charms you can combine into a necklace after locating your favorite retailer.

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Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

We’re exactly a month out from Valentine’s Day, and if you’re like most of our retailers, you know that this holiday is a sales opportunity you don’t want to miss. According to a 2012 study by the National Retail Federation, “Love may not cost a thing, but consumers this year are set to spoil their friends, family and loved ones this Valentine’s Day in a very big way. According to NRF’s 2012 Valentine’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions survey, conducted by BIGinsight, the average person celebrating the holiday will shell out $126.03.”

To help you steer you in the right direction, we’ve put together collections of great ideas for anyone on your Valentine gift list.

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Charm Bracelets – History on Your Wrist

We’ve written about charm bracelets before, back in the early days of the blog. At Pick Up Sticks, we learned quickly that women of all ages love unique jewelry that tells a story, with pieces that commemorate special occasions and milestones in one’s life. For centuries, charm bracelets have been the perfect way to tell one’s story. They are truly the original timeless classic.

Is it the universal appeal of the sound a charm bracelet makes, that feminine jingle jangle as you move your hands in an expressive moment? Is it the fact that folks have to get up close and personal to check out your charms and hear the tale of how important each is to you? How many of us have a charm bracelet that belonged to our mothers or grandmothers, and how intriguing are the stories conveyed by those heirlooms?

Pick Up Sticks charms on a charm bracelet
Pick Up Sticks charms on a charm bracelet

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Making Our Skeleton Dance, Part 2: Where We Came From

You’ve probably seen this picture before. It’s a picture of two of the strong women who inspired Pick Up Sticks Jewelry and it’s the inspiration for the “My Mother, My Friend” Pick Up Sticks charm. We called them Mother and Ruth, but these two women were Glena and Sabrina’s grandmother and great-grandmother. Creative, persevering, strong women. Unorthodox for their times. Always proud. Good at making their own skeletons dance…

A couple of weeks ago we started this series with the tale of how Glena and Sabrina’s forebears made their way to New Mexico. There were some missteps, some extremely hard times. By the time we ended that part of the tale, Mother (great-grandmother Ade Johnston) had divorced her husband and become a single mother, something unheard of in the 30’s. She was sticking it out in Logan, NM, running a cafe and raising little Ruth to be as tough and hard-working as Ade was herself. But, of course, the story doesn’t end there.

Ruth and Mother
Mother with her daughter Ruth (Glena and Sabrina’s grandmother) – the photo that inspired the “My Mother My Friend” Pick Up Sticks charm

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Making Our Skeleton Dance: Where We Came From…

George Bernard Shaw said, “If you can’t get rid of the family skeleton, at least make it dance.” That’s one of our favorite quotes. In fact, Sabrina once designed a charm with that written on the back. We love it because it tells part of the story of who we are and where we came from.

Homesteaders. Hardscrabble. Hungry. Tough. Tenacious. Those are all words that describe Glena and Sabrina’s great-great-grandparents. The Osborns and Johnstons traveled to New Mexico from Missouri in 1906 in a wagon train with several other families, headed west with a promise of prosperity in their steamer trunks and saddlebags.

Logan, New Mexico (circa 1907)
Logan, New Mexico (circa 1907)

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Pick Up Sticks – More Display Ideas

The entries for our jewelry display contest are pouring in. Here are a few of the entries we have received. We are always amazed at the multitude of incredibly creative (and effective) ways retailers find to display Pick Up Sticks jewelry charms. Share your display ideas with us by email (marketing@pickupsticks.net) and we’ll add them to our Pinterest inspiration board and include them in a future blog post.
Pick Up Sticks jewelry charm display

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Pick Up Sticks for Hip Moms!

You know them – the incredibly hip moms who make being a mother look totally fashionable. These women aren’t showing up at the grocery store with rollers in their hair like our moms did in the 60’s, these moms know how to put a look together and make it work.

We created our dot initials with Hip Moms in mind – by combining the charms with spacers, proud moms everywhere can display their children’s names. Give your inner Hip Mom the ultimate personal and unique gift this summer!

Jewelry Charms to Spell Son's Name
Hip Pick Up Sticks Mom Raynee with Mason

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