Debbie Stoller of Bust Does Naughty Secretary Club

If you have a copy of The Naughty Secretary Club and have read the acknowledgements in the very front of the book you will know why I am so happy to have my book reviewed in the new issue of Bust Magazine. Between thanking my husband, friends and family I say “To Bust Magazine for giving me the feature that let me quit my day job”. Maybe the review that Debbie Stoller just wrote of my new book will be the feature I need to get a deal for a second book. She is after all not only the editor of Bust but the author of Stitch-n-Bitch the best selling craft book of all time. The editors already poo-pooed a marketing/business book so perhaps after this review they will be begging me for another jewelry book!

Threadbanger Does Resin Jewelry

I know some of you may have seen this video of me making a resin bracelet already, but Threadbanger re-released it this week with a snazzy new border and intro. Remember if you missed something in the video about how to make the Secretary's Delight Bracelet, be sure to pick up a copy of The Naughty Secretary Club for all the detais.

5 Year Wedding Anniversary Pictures

I’m doing a time travel post. I’m writing this on Monday Sept 29th and posting it on my blog Sept 27th. Why? Because Saturday was my 5 year wedding anniversary and since I was in the midst of ACL madness I didn’t have time to do a proper blog about it. Not that I am going to do a big long mushy one about it now, but I did think I would share some fun pictures of Chris and I over the last 10 years. Yup we have been married for 5 years, but this November we will have been together for 10 years. Dang that is a third of my life I have spent with this dude. Here are some pictures of us through the years sharing hot dogs and phone booths, at other people's weddings and in foreign countries.

Austin City Limits - My Home Away From Home

If your in Austin for the Austin City Limits Music Festival might I suggest you stop by the Austin Craft Mafia booth. The walls are lined with jewelry by Naughty Secretary Club and purses by Sweet Tooth. Friday, Saturday and Sunday we will be there in the artists market wheeling and dealing. There are some fun new jewelry designs that have not even made it onto the website yet!

Oh and the bands are pretty good too! Only got to sneak off to see N.E.R.D. yesterday and had to stand so far away Pharrel looked like an ant on stage, thank God for video monitors. I’m hoping to catch The Fleet Foxes, Stars, Beck and Robert Plant today. If you look in the right column of the blog you can read my Twitter feed where I will be posting updates from the festival all weekend!

Wanna Watch An Interview on Threadbanger?

Sure ya do right? I have a little chat with Rob at Threadbanger about Naughty Secretary Club and there is a contest to win a copy of the Naughty Secretary Club Book. Later this week on Threadbanger look for clips from my how-to-make a resin bracelet video!

Etsy - Lot's More Than Just a Place to Shop

Etsy is a lot more than just a place to shop. There are informative articles, advice from lawyers, how-to guides and lots more. Sure the shopping is beyond awesome, but the entire website could keep you entertained for hours on end without ever busting out your credit card. In the last several days Naughty Secretary Club has made not one, but two appearances on Etsy. Sure I have an Etsy store like every other crafter in the world, but I also love writing for Etsy. On Friday Etsy posted a how-to project called the Hanky Panky Button Bracelet from my book The Naughty Secretary Club. Step by step instructions to make your very own button-liscious bauble. Today an Etsy Finds article I wrote went live. The finds are all goodies that you will need to make the fun projects in the book like gnome cupcake toppers for necklaces and men’s watch faces for headbands. I'm curious besides the shopping what is your favorite part of Etsy? Do you find yourself perusing The Storque looking for something good to read?

So Much Tack-aliscious Goodness It Brings A Tear To Your Eye

My class in Dallas was so much super fun! I saw a bunch of old friends, got to play with my nieces, met the entire Dallas Craft Mafia, hung out with Dallas craft celebs and more. We had 17 ladies in my class at the fabulous Make Studio and everyone made an awesome necklace and matching pair of earrings. I brought a huge suitcase full of goodies and the class took full advantage and were not afraid to let their inner naughty secretaries shimmer and shine. There was so much tack-aliscious goodness going on in that room it about brought a tear to my eye. Maybe I’ll start touring Texas teaching – Houston – San Antonio how do you feel about that! First Texas, next the whole country! Anywhoodle here are some pictures of the class. Thank you tons to everyone who came out I hope you had tons of fun. Don’t forget my October classes at Craft-o-Rama if you live in Austin and I’ll also be doing some jewelry demos at Maker Faire later in October for free!

September Newsletter & Dallas (The city not the TV show)

If you live in Dallas I hope I see you tomorrow at the Make Studio either in class or at the party. Speaking of Dallas two other hot bits of Big D gossip...

1) I am soon to have jewelry for sale at The House of Dang, which I am dang excited about. I will keep you posted on when you can find the goodies.

2) My favorite Dallas website Funky Finds is having themselves a contest giving away a signed copy of The Naughty Secretary Club - all you have to do is leave a comment on the Funky Finds blog letting Jessica know what your favorite piece of NSC bling is!

Ok onto the September Naughty Secretary Club Newsletter....

Happy Birthday Chris-e-Poo!

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Chris
Happy birthday to you!

Yup today is my hubbies berfday, I’m married to an older man now -at least for the next two weeks until I turn the exact same age. We are celebrating with dinner at the Austin Land and Cattle Company with his mom and grandma. We know how to party like rock stars. Ya his mom is a minister and his grandma is 86 so it is probably going to get pretty wild at dinner, I’m suspecting body shots of tequila and stuff. Other than that my day will be spent at the doctors office, continuing to furiously make jewelry for Austin City Limits and hopefully watching my taped episodes of Project Runway and Top Design before I read or see something that spoils it for me. Damn did I really just blog before 8 in the morning? When did this start happening to me?

Chola Girls and Carmen Mirandeers

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, my sister Hope Perkins is a badass. This week in Austin you can see her art hanging in 3 different locations around town, The Longbranch, Women and Their Work & End of an Ear!

WEDNESDAY SEPT 17th Stop by the Longbranch Inn tonight between 5-8pm for a happy hour celebrating Hope’s new collection of Chola Girls and Carmen Mirandeers. The black and white Cholas are painted on vintage Hawiian Muu-Muu dresses and framed in fun black baroque style frames. In-between the ladies are an array of taxidermy deer heads all with adorned antlers and Carmen Miranda like head dresses.

THURSDAY SEPT 18th Hope will have one of her Chola Girl Paintings at Women and Their Work for their annual Red Hot Dot Sale, proceeds go to charity!

THROUGH OCTOBER 1st If you want to do some record shopping and look at art hit End of an Ear on South First. Hope has adorned the walls with her dead rapper series.

I am so smitten on Hope’s new Chola Girls I want to make them into big necklaces for Naughty Secretary Club. Would you wear them? I love the black and white against the bright colors. Remember Hope has purses, necklaces and sometimes earrings for sale on my website not to mention her own website Hot Pink Pistol and Etsy store. Oh and here is a little known fact…if you have a copy of The Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girls Guide to Handmade Jewelry Hope is the artist behind all the sassy secretary illustrations with fun ice cream cone tattoos.

Purse Shopping on Etsy

A quick update to let you know that if you are looking for a beaded bag from the 1940’s, the perfect patriotic purse to carry to the polls this November or a Handmade faux Enid Collins Purse you might want to check out my Etsy store. I am editing my collection of vintage purses (and shoes and clothing eventually) and selling it on Etsy. Yesterday we added 10 new bags!

I know we have not had new jewelry on the website for awhile, but that is because we have been slammed making jewelry for the Austin Craft Mafia booth at the Austin City Limits festival next week. Tons and tons of new necklaces, earrings and bracelets. It's gonna be good.

What's a Pirates Favorite Letter?

What’s a pirates favorite letter? To figure out the answer to my bad joke you have to watch the No Sew Boys Costumes Webisode on HGTV. That’s right all the episodes I filmed in August are online as I type. I have not watched them yet, just got far enough to see myself in an eye patch and I hit the pause button. I have to ease myself into watching these things. If you are looking for fun costumes, party ideas, pumpkin carving techniques and more you should take a sneakie peakie. There may not be new episodes of Craft Lab, but at least this fall we have Halloween websidoes. Lemme know whatcha think and if any of the ideas sound like something you might try!

Door Prize Winners and Dallas Classes & Parties

Today is the big day we are revealing the winners of our Win a Door Prize Without Even Walking Through a Door Contest! Brace yourself for the excitement. Thanks tons to everyone who entered, left nice comments on Amazon, reviews on your blog and more! If you see your name below please send me an email at info@naughtysecretaryclub.com with your prize as the subject line and your mailing address so I can get your goodies sent out! If you didn't mention what prize you wanted here on the blog with your comment let me know your top 3 choices from the list!

Emily of Dance to the Song of Life won herself the Metallic Plus Set of Permapaque Markers!

Amy my favorite Pepto Girl will be snagging some Hambly Rub-Ons thanks to her wondermous review of The Naughty Secretary Club on Amazon and her blog!

Mistress of Pulp Sushi Marilyn is the winner of the ETI Resin Measuring Cups and Resin Dye thanks to her fabulous book review on Venus Zine!

Anh of My Closet Diary will be snagging herself a little some something for her fun customer gallery entry!

All you had to do was buy a copy of the book like Laura Stewart and you win a door prize!

Local Austinites David and Tina of Craftiness will be the proud owners of a door prize soon!

Sunshine I'd love to send you some rub ons or pens for your Amazon review!

Thank you Nicci of Brushed with Magic for mentioning the book on your blog I'd love to send you some stuff to use in your new journal.

Thanks to Melissa of Creating from the Heart for her review on Amazon.

Tina of My Family Rocks will be the proud owner of some Hambly Rub-Ons thanks to her Amazon review.

Gina of Scrapping for Less will be recieving some Tim Holtz Distress Inks thanks to her review on Scrapping for Less.

Michelle of The Artsy Gringa left a nice review at Amazon and mentioned she wanted the Crafty Chica shrine, but after this amazing tutorial on her blog I'm not sure she needs one :)


So you might be thinking that is not all the prizes that were listed. Well you would be right and we even have some left over from the party, what that means is we will be taking them to Dallas with us next weekend for our Revamped Vintage Necklace Class and Book Signing Party at The Make Studio on Sept 20th! I'm from McKinney which is north of Dallas so I'm super pumped to party and teach on my home turf. Maybe I will see some old friends from High School, maybe I will meet the Dallas Craft Mafia, maybe it will just be me plus my parents. I guess I will find out soon enough!

Come join me at The Make Studio in the Historic Bishop Arts District of Dallas for a fun jewelry class and a book signing on Sept 20th. After class from 3-5pm the party gets started! I will be there signing copies of my new book The Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girls Guide to Handmade Jewelry. There will be yummy cupcakes and drinkies not to mention tons of fun crafty door prizes!

From 1-3pm I will be teaching a class on making your own Revamped Vintage Necklace. Each student will be able to make their own necklace and matching pair of earrings learning how to use jewelry tools, string beads, basic wire wrapping and more. I am going to bring a suitcase full of vintage jewelry supplies for you to play with, but feel free to bring your own goodies as well. The class is $50 per student which includes all the supplies you will need and your own beading board. Feel free to bring your own set of pliers (flat, rounded and wire clippers) or I will have sets available for $10 each.

Interviews, Rocky Dennis and Pinecones

If your looking for something to read over your lunch break today I have a couple of suggestions. Mistress of Ceremonies at Felt Club in Los Angeles Jenny Ryan interviewed me for Craft Zine recently. We chat about The Naughty Secretary Club Book and running an online business. I especially like that Jenny opted to use the picture of me with a giant pine cone taken this summer in LA at a crafty BBQ!

Over at the Jewelry and Beading Blog you can find a new book review of The Naughty Secretary Club and also see Cyndi's version of the Office Hanky Panky Bracelet which I think turned out adorable.

Also thanks tons to the ladies of the Manchester Craft Mafia for mentioning the book on your blog.

Hope your Friday is going well and that you have fun plans for the weekend. I spent the entire day yesterday making jewelry for Austin City Limits, be sure to stop by the Austin Craft Mafia booth if you are coming to town for the festival. Wednesday I filmed a quickie interview for Threadbanger which will be in their upcoming jewelry episode where you can win copies of the book! Today I am doing a Pod Cast with Diane of Crafty Pod which should be fun. I just got through watching Mask for the umpteenth time and never realized that Rocky Dennis was a real person. I also never realized that Jens Lekman did a whole EP about him. I think I heart Jens even more now. Oh and don't forget to enter to win some of those door prizes, tomorrow is the final day for the contest!

The new issue of NEET is pretty dang neat.

Hip hop hooray the September edition of my favorite online magazine, NEET is out now. Electronically flip through the pages for tons of cute Indie finds, fabulous fashion layouts and on page 139 a how-to project from The Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girls Guide to Handmade Jewelry. Get all the deets on how to make your very own Office Hanky Panky Bracelet!

In other news is anyone else half as excited as I am about the new season of Top Design starting tonight. I’d give up all my other Bravo shows for this one. I curious about the host switch up, the new contenders and of course the designs. Bless HGTV’s heart, but Design Star just was not cutting it for me and I am so dang happy that Top Design is back. I missed Kelly’s outfits and Jonathan’s quips. I already have my DVR set!

Party Pictures and Recaps

Sure wish you could have been there Saturday for the Naughty Secretary Club book release party. We had ourselves one heck of a fun time and I have pictures to prove it. I made a little mosaic below, but check out pictures by lil ole me, Cory Ryan (who took the pictures of me in the book) and Jennifer Ramos.

Thanks tons and cinnabuns to everyone who made it out, I hope you had a swell time. If you live in Dallas look for me there teaching a jewelry class and having another book signing party at the Make Studio on September 20th.