No Maps.

Basic.

hello. it has been a busy, rough, long, and exciting month. life has been completely unpredictable and non-stop – nothing new. from doing back to back markets, finding new retailers, managing school, and learning a new trade, i think it’s safe to say i have had a lot of down time (ha!).  although the feeling of tiredness hits me every morning when i wake, i keep going. why? because life is short and is not gaurenteed. each day is a gift and a time to share, create, make, and simply keep with the doing. tomorrow marks a special day – the day that abbie drue designs became an established business in the state of Texas and it all started with an idea and a whopping $16 (deep pockets). i am very grateful for this year and all of the blessings and trials it has brought. i am also very thankful to all of the individuals who have supported, influenced, rejected, inspired, and help bring ADD to where it is today. we would not be where we are today without your help and support. thank you.

 

 

photos: 1. shots for an upcoming promotion on LA based fashion site/shop/blog 365 Hangers 2. outside painting necklace cards this sunny afternoon after the rain passed

mint

all good things come to an end. whether its a small fling, job, good book, song (unless you compulsively hit replay, which i tend to do), a party, etc… you get the point. eventually there is an finish line, a bottom to a pit, a dead end road sign. one of my most recent employments, before i started ADD, was at Mint Clothing & Accessories. this job taught me sooo much. i can’t even begin to say how grateful i am for the experience/adventure. they have recently closed for good but i just want to express my feelings about that store. i learned more in the 1.5 + years of working there than i have in any of my past working experiences which include, being a legal clerk (2 years), a “girl friday” (1 year), and a jewelry repair chick (1+ years). i learned things i had never known and i learned things that i have always known. i learned things about myself, people, and about running a business. i was always used to working behind the scenes and in positions where i wasn’t challenged until this job came along. it pushed me and people actually believed in me. it made me believe in myself and in my unseen/unused abilities. Mint gave me an attitude that i can actually do anything and most importantly gave me a lifelong friend.

i think the hardest part for us all is actually going out and doing things; putting ideas to work and testing our abilities. yes, we will fail. we will fail more times than we succeed – but this is if we’re lucky. you see, its all apart of growing, learning, and rolling with the “hard knocks” of life.

yet to come

today i received news that a scheduled march FAB feature is no longer. yes, its bothersome and hurts but there will most likely be so many of these kinds of disappointments further down the road. this means only one thing. 1.keep going south. when the going gets tough and things happen that you do not understand – keep pushing on. one of my favorite authors is Ralph Parlette. i found one of his well known books “The University of Hard Knocks” at August Antiques some time ago and gave it to a friend to read. it was one of the most insightful books i have ever red. so naturally, i had to track down another copy + some. today, one of his books that i ordered came in the mail and it couldn’t have been timed any perfectly. the best is yet to come.

 

“We do not need to figure how far we have to go to some goal, nor how many supplies we will need along the way. Just make the right start and Go On South. We will find the resources all along the way. We grow as we flow, like the railway locomotive that makes steam faster running than standing at the station. And if we do not know the right way, if we follow the highest calls of our being and learn the lessons of our bumps we are sure to get in the right channel sooner or later. Success is not tomorrow nor next year. Success is going the right direction, not arriving some-where. Success is not at the end of the journey, for there is no end. The Mississippi is just as successful in Minnesota as in Louisiana.”

so, so good.

breakin’ in the new workshop

handmade jewelry. handpainted cards. handwritten notes.

check out our events coming up + come visit our pop up shop >>POP-UP

into the wild

spent the morning researching internships in Paris, France for the summer of 2013. i’m ready to travel, be inspired, and emerge myself into other cultures. one of my goals for abbie drue designs create something like a destination design/collection from each traveled spot – using materials bought at each + also a creating a design inspired by their culture/life. the photos below are from my two week european excursion through the english channel. my favorite spot was St. Michaels Mount. a small tidal island off the coast of Cornwall. during high tide, you had to take a small boat to get to the island and during low tide you could simply walk in the middle of the ocean on a cobblestone path. it was amazing.

anything can happen!

new dawn, new day

schools out for….. december. YES. this semester has been a struggle but it has finally come to an end, and i made it through! after my last final yesterday, my good friend and I hit the streets of Houston. first, we went to the courthouse so he could obtain his DBA for his first business (yay, so proud) and then, we went to the Houston museum district to recollect ourselves and rejuvenate our minds. as for jewelry, ADD has so many events coming up. heres the lineup:december 20th – langford market: rice village 5pm-8pm + december 22nd – the texas lone star bazaar in montrose 10am-5pm

we have 2 events scheduled for January but lets just try and get through december. a new year is upon us! are you ready? we are! abbie drue designs is off into a new year – ready or not, here we come!