Love Is in the Air

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Suzanne

We love holidays. And one that ranks highest on our list of most-loved is Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day isn’t just about spouses, significant others, sweethearts, or lovers, as most people immediately think. Sure there are cupids involved for some, at one time or another perhaps, but first and foremost, this special day is about love. Giving love, sharing love, and feeling love. It’s more than just a holiday, it’s a mindset, and one that should and could last year long.

small initial charm necklace - side a — Chicklet XO Necklace – Side A

In the spirit of love, and just in time for St. Valentine’s Day, we’re introducing our exclusive XO Necklaces! This “ready to wear” piece features two of our Art Charm Initials—an “X” and an “O”—as well as a 20” ball chain necklace. Just open your package, don your purchase, and you are ready to spread love. This hugs-and-kisses concept is available in four styles: Candy Initials, Chicklet Initials, Dot Initials, and Monogram Initials.

small initial charm necklace - side b — Chicklet XO Necklace – Side B

We love our Art Charm Initials so much (and we know you do, too), we thought, let’s use them for more than a first-name initial or spelling words (of course they are awesome for that as well). We’re giving them center stage for sharing the most beautiful thing of all: LOVE.

And guess what? Because all of our Art Charms are reversible, with unique images on each side, depending on which way you arrange your “X’s” and “O’s,” you can have multiple looks with one necklace. How cool is that?

So, express your creativity and spread the love this Valentine’s Day season to not only friends and family, but also to the world at large, which is what love is all about.

View our XO Necklaces here.

View our entire Valentine’s Holiday Collection here.

Building a Better [Easter] Basket

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Suzanne

Easter baskets aren’t just for kids, you know. Grownups can enjoy a visit from old Peter Cottontail as well. “What!?” you say. “The last thing I need to do is sabotage my good eating habits and weight loss goals by munching down on marshmallow chicks and chocolate bunnies.” “Rest easy,” we reply. “This Easter basket is Pick Up Sticks Jewelry style.”

Easter Baskets for Grownups!

Easter Baskets for Grownups are a growing trend and a fun DIY gift for a friend, mom, sis, a grownup daughter…anyone who has said goodbye to jellybeans and trips to the local mall to sit on Peter Rabbit’s giant furry lap.

Ideas in Bloom

When creating an Easter basket for a grownup, first pick a theme, next personalize the basket with useful relevant items, and finally match your theme to Pick Up Sticks Jewelry charms! For our example, we will explore creating an Easter basket for an avid gardener, or anyone in your life who has a green thumb, and then we’ll follow up with a few additional theme ideas with matching jewelry charms.

Easter Basket for Grownups Pick Up Sticks Jewelry Style

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Susan Butcher Day and Charms to Celebrate Four-Legged Friends

Posted on March 2, 2019March 2, 2019 by Suzanne

March is Women’s History Month. In celebration, Pick Up Sticks Jewelry Company is featuring prominent women throughout the month and highlighting the impact they had on the world. And to add a little more fun to the history lesson, we are selecting jewelry charms that embody each woman’s unique personality and accomplishments. Today we are celebrating Susan Butcher.

Love, Sweat, and Paws

Susan Howlet Butcher was an American dog musher, and the second woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. She was also the first musher to win four out of five sequential years. Granite, her lead dog, was with her for each win. Once a little pup who nobody believed in, because of Susan’s faith in Granite, and hard work by both, he eventually became one of the greatest lead dogs in Iditarod history.
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Pick Up Sticks Jewelry Celebrates Women’s History Month

Posted on March 1, 2019March 1, 2019 by Suzanne

Amelia Earhart: Born to Fly

Amelia Earhart (A.E. to family and friends) knew she had to become an aviator during her first airplane ride with Frank Hawks, a well-known World War I pilot, on December 28, 1920. She later recounted, “By the time I got two or three hundred feet off the ground, I knew I had to fly.” She began flight lessons in 1921 with Neta Snook, the first female aviator to own an aviation business, and the first woman to run a commercial airfield. Six months later, A.E. purchased her first airplane, a bright yellow Kinner Airster biplane, appropriately nicknamed, “The Canary.” It was in this airplane that she broke the women’s altitude record by flying to 14,000 feet.
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12 Days of Holiday Cheer

Posted on December 6, 2018December 14, 2018 by Suzanne

You don’t have to look very far to know that the holidays are here…in spades. Not only is every store, everywhere, Chrisma-fied wall to wall, they are practically sold out of decorations. I drove (in heavy traffic, of course) to 5 stores to find a simple 4-foot Christmas tree to adorn the studio… with no luck. You too might be finding that the gifts you were hoping to give or the decorations you were still hoping to purchase are already off the shelves as well!

I was musing with a friend of mine about my impossible-to-find tree, and how the Christmas season seems to start earlier every year, and she said something wonderful: “I think the reason people start decorating and purchasing gifts for loved ones so early is to capture the feel-goodness, happy memories, and sisterly love that the holidays bring, as soon as possible.” I love that.

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Brand New! Pick Up Sticks Recycled Charms

Posted on June 3, 2014December 6, 2018 by pickupsticksjewelry

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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Charm Bracelets – History on Your Wrist

Posted on December 4, 2012December 28, 2018 by pickupsticksjewelry

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

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Pick Up Sticks Magical Charm Clips!

Posted on May 5, 2011January 3, 2019 by pickupsticksjewelry

Wow! Sometimes we even amaze ourselves… after searching for ways to make all our lives easier, we came up with what we’re calling our Magical Clip! If you’re tired of trying to get your jump rings on charms and trinkets to act right (close tightly without a gap, attach to a link bracelet or necklace…), we now have the answer.

And the best news? Every single Pick Up Sticks photo charm and trinket will now come with this clip attached. They’re the easiest thing in the world to operate (no advanced engineering degree or tools needed) and will make your link necklaces and bracelets easy to build. These clips are magically spring-loaded. Promise…

Yep, we’re pretty excited. We think this new development is going to be life-changing for Pick Up Sticks retailers and collectors. Okay, maybe not life-changing, but it will make selling and collecting even more fun! Leave your comments below if you have questions.

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Sylvie from On a Limb – Our Testimonial Contest Winner

Posted on January 26, 2011February 4, 2019 by pickupsticksjewelry

We’ve heard lots of great stories from Pick Up Sticks retailers and customers, but never one like this. So we had no choice but to choose Sylvie, the adorable, smart, hard-working 13-year-old from Summerville, South Carolina, who WORKS FOR PICK UP STICKS CHARMS.

Yep, we said that right. Sylvie works for the sole purpose of adding to her Pick Up Sticks collection. When her employer, Heidi from On A Limb (onalimbflorals.com), e-mailed us with her story, we had to know more. So we called Heidi to get the low down on Sylvie.

“Not your typical 13 year-old,” Heidi says, “in fact, like no other 13 year-old you’ve ever met.” Evidently Sylvie came into Heidi’s shop last spring, wanting to buy an expensive Mother’s Day gift for her Mom. When she saw the price tag, Sylvie asked if she could work to pay it off.

Heidi put her to work scrubbing floral buckets, sweeping and taking out the trash. Heidi was leery of hiring someone so young, but Sylvie proved to be an amazing employee. And once the Mother’s Day gift was paid for, Sylvie asked to stay. Seems she’d had her eye on the Pick Up Sticks display.

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