Volume 1 ~ Issue 3                                                                                     July, 2008

Well, as I live and breathe, we finally got a little rain (thanks to Hurricane Dolly in the Gulf) yesterday, and I feel refreshed! I'd have been happy if it had rained today too, but I can't complain too much since we haven't had any measureable precipitation here in months.  A little rain goes a long way to replenish life when the ground is as hot and dry as it was out my front door.

Let me take a moment to clear up any misunderstanding any of you may have had about the whole membership thing. Everyone who joined the Pattern of the Month Club (POMC) from the start up until now (and anyone who joins from now until August 1) has guaranteed him/herself the "coveted" title of Charter Member in the POMC. What that means is that you are guaranteed your $10/year membership fee for as long as you want to be in the Club. Those who join AFTER August 1, 2008, will still have the full benefits for the entire year of 2008 for the same low price of $10, BUT they will have to pay $25 to renew their annual membership, come January, 2009--and every year thereafter.

It isn't that I think MY patterns are so much better than anyone else's or that the POMC is the only game in town (though I DO think it's a great value, even at $25 a year). No, it's simply a matter of sound business judgment. It'll be GREAT to have all those $10 renewal fees in January, but that won't be enough to take me very far into the year. Since my sole means of support at this point comes through my writing and my beading, I need to do what I can to make sure I have enough money to pay those bills so I can continue to do what I love. Increasing the membership dues for those late arrivals will help me do that. So if you know anyone who is asking any questions about the increase and hasn't taken the plunge, now you know what to tell them. I'd love to see them lock in their $10 a year fee right along side the rest of you smart, early birds! If they don't, I figure $25 is probably the NEW $10 of 2009.

Some of you have already paid for multiple years in advance, and I sincerely appreciate the vote of confidence. I'm no novice to beading, but I'm not that well known in the industry, since I've been very much a shrinking violet most of my life. In fact, it wasn't until I started looking for avenues to promote my books that I discovered I could actually push my other favorite pastime and make some advances. I've made a lot of progress with both in the last year, and I am very happy to say I have increased my monthly income substantially, though I'm nowhere close to getting rich and retiring to Tahiti. Now, if the gasoline prices would stop skyrocketing, I might even be able to buy some new beads! (grin)

BEADS! I have recently managed to get approval to buy from one of the big wholesale bead houses and I am looking at: 1) starting to buy quantities of beads each month and making kits, and 2) getting together co-op orders from the POMC members so I can make bigger orders and we can all save a little on our "habit". This is strictly in the planning stages at this point, but I would welcome any feedback you may have on either venture so I know your level of interest. The wholesaler requires each order to be at least $400, with a minimum of $2000 a year, so that means buying a lot of beads (at least a lot to me). If there is an interest, I believe we as a group could easily fill that quota. Those of you who have bead businesses yourself stand to benefit from this kind of arrangement, too!

SHOPPING CART! If you've looked at the website this evening, you'll probably have noticed I've started setting up the long talked-about and promised shopping cart through PayPal. I'm very excited about this and hope over the next couple of months to get every item on my site listed with the shopping cart. This isn't hard to do, but it does take a lot of time to complete, so I hope you'll bear with me. The problem is, I am strictly setting it up for the non-member visitors to the site at this point because I fear if I set it up with separate buttons for POMC members to order at the member discount, it will create more confusion than it will help. So for the time being, any time you want to order anything, you will need to continue to email me and let me present your total through PayPal by hand. Maybe someday I will be able to get it fixed where members can enter a code and be able to purchase items at a discount, but for now, please bear with me!

BONUS BIRTHDAY PATTERNS! Many of you still haven't let me know when your birthday is so I can send you a bonus happy birthday gift. Now this isn't mandatory, of course. If you DON'T want a bonus pattern, that's your business and I'm not going to push you. BUT if you want to get your bonus pattern, please fill out our database at the group site. It only takes a few minutes of agony on your part and saves hours on mine! Please note that I don't care what year you were born, so don't not fill it out on that account. Also note that even if you've already celebrated your birthday this year that doesn't mean you won't still get the bonus pattern. It only means the bonus will arrive as a belated birthday gift, so please make your birthday known!

SAVE MORE MONEY! Now for my pitch for money . . . This is the part where I always feel inadequate, so bear with me. Since you are my elite, I have a special offer for you. Not trying to make you let go of your hard-earned money, but if you like the POMC and you're going to renew in January anyway, why not do it now? This DOES NOT apply to those who have already signed up for multiple years, BUT . . . From now until September 15, if you will renew for two more years at $10 per year, I'll throw in the third year at half price. That's THREE years of guaranteed membership in the POMC for $25. Think about it . . . no rush, but I hope you'll feel this offer makes a great deal even better.