Happy New Year and It's Been a While!

Happy New Year, everyone and I hope you had a lovely holiday season!

I'm betting that you probably thought that I've fallen off the edge of the earth since I haven't written or updated since August!  This is the first year where I buckled down in the spring and applied for a lot (for me) of holiday festivals to showcase and sell my jewelry.  I did one or two a month from September to January and what I didn't realize is that if I sold a lot (a good thing!) I had to very quickly create more pieces for the next show which was usually a week or so from the one I had just done.  Because I have family obligations during the day and clients a few times a week, this makes it pretty difficult, so I found myself huddled in my studio after dinner for a few hours every night.  Now Mike knows how I feel when he's getting ready for an election and I feel like a single mom!

Some smaller stocking stuffer-type pieces take maybe 30 minutes, but most others take a few hours to create from start to finish, so I just didn't have time for anything but being able to bring a good amount of pretties to each holiday show.  All of the shows except for one were packed with people, so while it was a really busy few months for me, it was completely satisfying to see my jewelry being purchased, boxed up and customers walking away happy.  Yay!

My last show for a while was last weekend, so now I'm in 2018 planning mode trying to figure out what the heck I want to fill this year up with.  :D

For those of you who are interested in my jewelry, I have 12 new pieces in the shop left over from my shows.  Go check them out!  AND, as a FaceBook follower or blog follower of mine use this secret code at checkout to get 15% off all items (ready to ship).  SECRET18.

You can have a coupon code automatically added by just clicking this link:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/barbmallonjewelry?coupon=SECRET18‌

I will also be adding some textiles to my shop.  I used to macrame as a kid and now that it's really popular again, I've created some pretty wall hangings and plant hangers all in white cotton rope with pieces of driftwood.  This is a new big trend now, but it's so fun to get back into, so those will be in the shop hopefully tomorrow.

Click here to see.... enjoy!

Regarding mediumship sessions, I'm seriously thinking of adding a few days a month to do FaceTime sessions (not Skype).  I have a lot of clients who miss my phone sessions who live all around the country/world, so I may add this option very soon.  Please contact me if you'd be interested.  The backdrop to your sessions will not be pretty spiritual stuff, but rather my jewelry workbench and messy soldering station but if you're ok with that... :)  Please be sure to like my FaceBook page and/or follow this blog for updates!

I am still accepting clients in my Chantilly, VA office on Tuesday early evenings and Friday afternoons.  There is no wait list any longer and you can easily book yourself from my website under the Appointments tab.  Easy peasy!  

As far as classes go, as soon as I figure out my spring show schedule, I'll announce some classes for the spring and early summer.  Please let me know if you'd be interested in my Psychic Development Workshop or my Animal Communication Workshop.  Both are held in my Chantilly, VA office.

Personal/family stuff... everyone is good!  Maggie and Sammy are showing a little more grey in their muzzle but are just as silly and feisty as ever!  The Madam Bun is her same diva self and is currently shedding like crazy.  I couldn't figure out why this was until someone on a rabbit FB page said theirs did the same thing because it's warmer in the house than outside.  OH. Didn't even occur to me, so she's on something called Laxitone now to make sure her tummy doesn't get blocked up by her fur, which can be deadly for buns.  I could have already made a sweater from the amount of fur coming off of her!  She will NOT allow me to brush her or use any hair removal device, so I have to patiently and gently pluck all loose fur while making sure I do NOT stop petting her nose, otherwise she jumps right off me and... THUMPS.

The boys are good.  Two big birthdays this year... my youngest, Bren turned 18 in October and likes to bring up the fact that he doesn't need my permission for some things... um... you still live at home, dude.  :D  And Brady just turned 21 yesterday!  I can't believe all of my kids are grown, but at least I have a silly little Grandboo to FaceTime with weekly and go visit.  My daughter Sara and her husband Brad just bought a beautiful new home not too far from where they lived before.  Mike and I are looking forward to visiting soon and seeing it first-hand.  

I'm also very grateful that I recently had the very unexpected opportunity to reconnect with my family whom I hadn't been connected to in 12 years, I think.  A lot has changed, but it has been very calming and healing.  I think sometimes you just have to let the past go and try to grow and evolve in love as life is short.  It takes time, conversations and smiles, but at least that door is open now and that makes me happy.  :)  Plus, they like my jewelry so I have new models for marketing, hehe!  :D

Again, wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2018!  I'll be back in touch soon!

Barb xo

Summer Update and Bye Bye Waitlist!

Hello, everyone!

Happy summer!  I hope you're enjoying your summer so far!  It's been a rainy few days which I think helped keep people from setting off too many fireworks at bay.  Our dog, Sammy is deathly afraid of them, so he's been hiding in the basement on the couch.   On the fourth, I even had to sedate him slightly as he was so anxious he was constantly trembling.  Anyhoo, glad that's over!  :)

So, I finally finished up my 15-month wait list and am ready to start taking clients online again!  I found a wonderful booking website called Schedulicity and have added a button to my "appointments" page on my website.

I am still taking way fewer clients than I used to but did pick up every other Tuesday so there may be a wait, but not too bad of one as of now.

I still am not taking phone sessions and probably won't, but am thinking of doing FaceTime/Skype sessions sometime in the future.  If I do, I'll be sure to announce it on my FaceBook page and here as well as my website.

So, feel free to book yourself online!  If you have any trouble, just contact me!

As far as jewelry news, I've added a bunch of new pieces to my Etsy store and am gearing up for fall shows!  I'll be announcing where I'll be very soon so I hope you will come by and see me!  :)

Here's a little peek!

Hope you all have had a great SHORT week at work!  Tomorrow is Friday, yay!

OH, and I still have TWO seats left for me Animal Communication Class on Sunday from noon to 3pm if anyone is interested.  It's a fun class, for sure and helps you have a better relationship with your fur babies!  Click here if you'd like to register.

Enjoy your weekend!

Barb xx

YAY, Spring! Updates and News...

Well, hello!

I'm sorry it's been a little longer than planned to update my blog.  I always seem to remember to update it when I have to run to do something else!  I think that's always the way, though.

After the weirdest "winter" ever, we're back again in spring.  This is my favorite time of year.  Everything starts to turn from this dull green to bright green.  No, it's not fun for allergy sufferers, but the blooming trees are just beautiful.  I have another month before I get to hang my hummingbird feeders again, filling them with sugar water and cleaning them almost every other day.  It's arduous sometimes, but I love seeing those little buzzing beings flying around my front and back yard.  I've had the same three return each year, so I'm looking forward to seeing my rubies again!

The pups are happy to be able to go out on walks again.  The lack of walks was mostly due to Mike's knee needing to heal from his meniscus surgery (I would have walked both, but I cannot handle Sam... he's way too strong for me!).  He's slowly back at the gym and doing pretty well. The Madam was cleared for her spay with an xray showing no masses.  The vet said that he thought she was even a little younger than we thought... possibly 4.5 - 5 instead of 6?   Her spay was scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 23.  Brady and I visited her on Friday, and she truly looked traumatized.  I felt so badly, but with a uterine cancer risk of 85 - 90%, it had to be done.  We carefully brought her home on Saturday and she's healed perfectly.  We had to make some adjustments to her hutch, going from a two-story to a one story, which she was NOT happy about.  Speaking of bunnitudes, I read on many forums that sometimes a bun's attitude dramatically changes... or they don't speak to you for quite a while afterward.  I was so worried about this, but she's just as kissy as she was.  She has been different in some weird ways.  She's almost impossible to get out of her hutch for her free roam and even harder to put back in.  She doesn't like being picked up at all and just hops a foot in the air if you try to do so.  It's not that she's in pain, I think it's just that she was grabbed and moved a lot at the vet and she's wary of it now.  She doesn't get as excited about her hide a treat toy much, anymore, and she doesn't jump up in my lap like she used to.  It's only been a month, but hopefully, she'll be her old self again soon!

Sorry there was so much about the bun, but everyone always wants to know about her the most!

Ok, some updates!

MEDIUM STUFF:

I am still working through my wait list, so thank you for your patience!

Regarding my waitlist.  What I basically do is pull about 6 people for 6 spots and write them with dates, info, and prices and then ask for them to get back to me to book ASAP.  The pattern seems to be that about 1/2 get back to me within a few days and are booked, easy peasy.  The other 1/2 I just don't hear back from, even after a few reminder emails where I mark a "1, 2, 3" near their name.  I have a mail track system that shows me if someone opens my email, so I know it's been received. After the third email, I will cross the person off the list.  All this said, if you are on the list and want a session, it may come up a little sooner than I thought.  :)

If I send you an Appointment Availabilities email and you are no longer interested, would you please simply reply that you are, in fact, no longer interested?  Thank you so much... this way I can get to other clients faster.

CLASSES ARE BACK!

I am once again holding my Psychic Development and Animal Communication classes in my Chantilly, VA office.  I was holding out for a while trying to find another hotel or large conference room who wouldn't charge me an arm and a leg and just haven't been able to find one yet.  So, I just decided to hold smaller classes in the office suite I'm in now.

These are going to be a little different in that they will be very small, intimate classes with 4 - 6 students only.  The PD class will be 4 people and will take place in the office where I conduct sessions.  The AC class will be held in the conference room in my office suite.

Upcoming classes:
Psychic Development - Sunday, April 30 from 11 - 4 (SOLD OUT)
Animal Communication - Sunday, May 21 from 12 - 3:30 (5 spots left)
Psychic Development - Sunday, June 4 from 11 - 4 (4 spots left)

Interested?  Here's the link to my Events page! 

JEWELRY STUFF:

I'm currently looking for worthwhile fairs and shows to attend and will keep you updated when shows come up.

Also, if you don't already know, I've had a big sale going on for about a week in my Etsy shop and still have some really pretty pieces left!  Just a few more days and it'll be over!

YOU get 25% OFF any item in my shop (excluding custom orders) if you use COUPON CODE: YAYSPRING at checkout!  25% off!!  :)

Go take a peek!  As you can see, my pieces are already pretty reasonable.  Imagine 25% off!  :)

I think that's it for now!  Ms. Bun needs to go back into her hutch, so we'll see how long it takes me.  :/

Hope you all have a wonderful week and let me know if you have any questions about anything!

Barb xo

July Update - New PUPPY!

IT. IS. HOT.  I should just stop there, but I can't… I have more news!  :D


There are now TWO dogs in the Mallon household!  Yikes!  Last Sunday, one of my wonderful clients, Jackie, wrote me asking if we were interested in taking her new dog.  She's one of my Facebook friends, so I had been commenting on her cute three month old pup who looked SO much like our Maggie!  She works full time and had to crate Sam most of the day and wasn't able to spend enough time with him to train, etc.  She knew I was home often and he could be out all day.  It was a hard decision for her to make and we are honored that she asked us!  :)

The ironic thing is that Maggie seemed kind of depressed during the day and just laid around and slept.  She really needed a friend, but we wanted it to be the "right" friend at the right time.  We didn't want to force it, so we figured that when it was time, it'd happen.  Sammy was the name of our first lab who passed of epilepsy at five years old, so when Jackie said his name was Sam, that was it.  LOL.  She also said she'd send along his crate and take care of his next round of shots, so.... how could we refuse?  He's a handful, but we love him and he keeps Mags very, very, VERY busy all day!  I'll keep you up to date on his progress, training, etc.  :)

The horrid storm that blew through this area Friday evening was probably one of the scariest storms I've been through.  It lasted about 15 - 20 minutes but was INTENSE.  We were lucky to have only lost phone and some cell service and not our power, unlike our poor friends from Alexandria and up into Maryland who did... and for DAYS.  My prayers to all who were so horribly affected by the storm and to the families who lost loved ones.  And, thanks to my understanding clients who had to reschedule since I didn't have a phone to use for phone sessions!  We just got our service back last evening, so I'll be contacting you soon to reschedule.

Regarding my in-person sessions, I will be in the same office I am in now for another year.  I didn't want it to work out that way, but I missed the "automatic renewal" date and they had me locked in for another year, so I couldn't do anything about it.  So there's that.  LOL.

For those of you asking, my next mediumship demo is July 28 and I'll be donating a percentage of the proceeds to Jackie's favorite animal rescue or shelter, so sign up!  :)  Sounds like it'll be a Pit Bull rescue again because Sammy is part Pit as Maggie is.  We love our sweet pit bulls!  They are awesome!

Hope you had a safe and happy Forth of July!  Stay cool!


Barb

Holidays, a New Year and Changes :)

Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope this holiday season has been a beautiful one for you!

We had a really nice holiday; it wasn't really as stressful at all.  I saved up and just bought everything online, so the presents came to me, rather than me running out grabbing presents.  This year was almost weird… on Amazon you can create "wish lists" and everyone in my family created their own, so basically I just went through, clicked, bought, received and wrapped.  It felt a little cold and so I decided to find something I thought each person would like, just to put a little more thought into it!

My daughter, Sara came up with her fiance', Brad and brought her Christmas present with her - a Corgi pup.  I've never seen anything cuter in my life.  His name is Hayworth and he's 10 weeks old.  Looks just like a stuffed animal, truly!  Here's Hayworth:

I know, right?  And I can't leave out my first grand-dog, Sophie who came up with them, too.  Sophie did NOT like our Maggie and I was afraid Maggie would smoosh Hayworth, so Maggie had to sit in her crate for a bit.  Poor baby!

So, it was a lovely Christmas!

Now for the changes.

During my time off, I realized that I really need to change some things regarding my work as a medium and my other new love/work silversmithing/jewelry.  Last year felt so unorganized, draining and chaotic.  (Me thinks that's the case for many people, though).  I realized I needed to change things a bit when speaking with a close friend of mine telling her I had spent ALL day in my workshop making this one ring and it was labor intensive.  She asked me if I had enjoyed myself in doing so, and I immediately said, "every single minute of it!"  Soooo….

1. My services.
I've decided to take off "channeled guidance" from my services.  For one, guidance normally comes in anyway during sessions - both from my guides and also from your spirit people.  My sessions are usually a mix, but I'm finding more and more that clients who choose the channeled guidance option are expecting me to foretell their future, or tell them what IS going to happen, or IF they are GOING to get this job or that job, etc.   Basically, they want me to get ANSWERS from the guides and truthfully, it doesn't work that way.  It's incredibly draining to explain over and over and over that this isn't what they do or what I do.  I didn't feel guided into this work to be a "fortune teller" nor a counselor, which is what I feel like much of the time, now.  That said, I know it's been hard in the last few years for so many, and I've tried to help as much as I can, but I'd really like to get back to what I originally loved so much - pure mediumship - connecting to your wonderful people in spirit for evidence and any messages THEY wish to convey.

2. My hours.
I'm noticing the older I get, the more drained I am after sessions.  It may be because of the above scenario, but I also notice that I can only manage 2 full sessions a day, or 3 half hour sessions and not every day anymore.  I also want to work-in more workshop/studio time to learn and work on more silversmithing techniques, etc., so I'll be on a more limited schedule.  This being said, I'm always willing to work in a client according to their schedule if I can.

3. My in-person sessions.
I've decided (at least for now) not to renew my lease at my Manassas office in September, which means I won't be taking in person appointments, or at least not as often as I am now.  I may set up a Saturday once or twice a month at a local hotel to see clients in-person, but I'm not sure yet.  I may also change my mind, LOL, but as nice as it is, I'm not comfortable in my office space and really don't want to renew my lease with them again.  I also don't want to move again… gah… this is probably my 9th office in 14 years…. seriously.  LOL.  So, I will let you know!

4. My clients.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all of my clients, but I've realized that there are some that just don't need another reading from me… OR, I know too much about them/their people in spirit, etc.  So, if you call for a session and I say that I really don't think I'm the medium for you any longer, PLEASE don't be offended.  I have a few friends who are awesome mediums that I'd be happy to refer you to, but again, please don't feel like I don't want to read for you, not at all…. it's just time.  :)

So, overall, I'm cutting back, or should I say streamlining my work… and on that note, hopefully my waistline… haha.  Yep, you'll notice some changes, but I am not planning to quit my work as a medium any time soon, I just want to get back to my roots as I really do love helping people and spirit people!  I hope you understand!

Many Blessings to you for 2012,
With love,
Barb