Well, I pulled it off. The trunk show that I hosted at my home on March 19-21 is finally history. All of the planning and preparations have been completed, the house is (almost) back to normal and I can get on with real life.Don't get me wrong... I love opening up my home to show friends and customers my latest designs and offering a fun, relaxed way to shop. However, there is a ton of work that goes on behind the scene. I spent a lot of time doing production, promotion, cleaning and cook... Read Full Story

For all of you who haven't heard, Mama Mayborne Designs has recently turned five years old!! I cannot believe that I am still making jewelry and how much my product line has grown during a half decade.During the past five years I have made hundreds of items, shown at several places (including the Milwaukee Art Museum) and created an online presence. I'll never forget how it all began with the desire to make a few Christmas presents and my mama's relentless sales pitches. Now I a... Read Full Story

Ok, this isn't even funny. It feels like I merely blinked my eyes and a whole month flew by. What happened to February 2009?!? Today is March 1st and I am frantically trying to determine what exactly I did during the shortest month of the year. I hope that I didn't waste too much time on seeking heat and watching Days of our Lives!!There is only one way to figure out what I did... and that is to make a list of my major accomplishments (obviously posting to my blog was not one of th... Read Full Story

I was pretty productive this past weekend. Partly because it was too cold to go anywhere. Partly because I woke up from a dream about making a ring!! Well, I made the ring of my dreams and a few other pieces to go along with it. I'm calling the trio Bold and Beautiful because that is what they are. All the pieces are made of sterling silver and are guaranteed to make a statement of their own. The ring I made is a size 8, has a domed shape and is slightly hammered on the surface to reflec... Read Full Story

Just a quick post today for those who have ever been puzzled with hang tags for jewelry or other small items.I have tried everything from the fold-over sticky tags (aka shark tags), the cheepies from the office supply store (you know, the ones with that loooong flimsy string), ones that had done by the local printer (only to have the ink run off) and business cards which look way too big on jewelry.Well, last year before a show, I decided to pull my look together in a more professional manner... Read Full Story

What do you do when you are in the middle of making something only to find out that you are missing an important component? That's what happened to me the other day when I got fired up about making some earrings for Valentine's Day. However, after I finished making the charms, I realized that I did not have any manufactured earwires on hand!! Since I have a big problem with patience and didn't want to wait for the next supply order, I decided to make my own earwires. I usually don... Read Full Story

Hello everyone, how's it going?? If you have a minute, I'd like to tell you about something that's been going on in my little corner of the world.As some of you know, I'm on Facebook now and LOVE it. I've connected with so many old friends that I haven't seen in years... some even go back to grade school!! It's great seeing everyone all grown up and having the chance to catch up on life.I've even had the chance to reunite with several of my Phi Sigma Sigma soro... Read Full Story

After my last post about my messy studio, I felt that a change was needed. Just seeing the photos of my space and knowing that they were in cyberspace for all to see gave me the motivation that I've needed for so long. Changes have been taking place in the studio and I promise to report back when I'm finished. I will tell you now that I put a display case in my studio. I've been wanting to do this for years, but have never found the right case for the right price. Yesterday, my mo... Read Full Story

Welcome to the very messy studio of Mama Mayborne Designs. Actually, I am posting this blog, complete with very honest photos, to show you all the current state of my work space. I have no idea how it got this bad... but it's bad! Just so you know, I'm not quite a neat-freak but I am pretty close. But when it comes to my studio, i like a little bit of disorder because it makes me think that I've been soooo busy making money (yeah right!!) that I have no time to clean. But thin... Read Full Story

As you may know by now, I have a passion for making jewelry that women can feel special wearing. But about four years ago, I acted on several customer requests for something for little girls. I came up with the Little Mama Bracelet, which is the smaller version of the Grand Mama Bracelet.The Little Mama gives little girls the chance to start their jewelry collection off with quality and style. It features her name in sterling silver letter beads, Swarovski crystals in choice of colors, sterli... Read Full Story