Greetings Beading Friends!

It is a magnificent sunny day here in Ottawa as we look ahead to the month of March. It really does feel like spring is on the horizon! Certainly this weather encourages creativity. And here is an idea to keep in mind: Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is key to unlocking our potential. Every time we do something, we get ideas how to make things better. It's when we don't try that we feel stagnated.

Several times last month we noticed articles mentioning the contribution our creative endeavours contribute to our overall sense of well-being. Beading was identified along with knitting, embroidery and wood working among other activities. We frequently hear our in-store customers say how they got carried away with a project and completely forgot about the time! We hope you have similar occasions as it is amazing the impact on our mental outlook.

Spring gives us a burst of joy as we look forward to upcoming gem and mineral shows. It is good to be on the road and see people in other parts of our wonderful country. We enjoy the visits and always welcome your observations about what we might do to improve our usefulness to you.

March is National Craft month with International Day of Happiness on March 20th! We hope that you have time to explore wonderful new ideas!

Very best wishes for the rest of the month!

Meredith, Brent and Carrie