Trollbeads information that can inspire your creativity with your own Trollbeads collection. Share your thoughts, be involved and please leave comments!

    Here is one side of the Trollbeads Gallery/Rogers Gallery free standing museum. The museum has a total of 4 sides. We display it at Trollbeads Fest each year and many attendees love studying the older beads and learn a lot about the Trollbeads line this way!  Each year we add more of the very old and hard to find beads.

The museum is comprised of only Retired Trollbeads and in the next few weeks there will be a large retirement of Trollbeads so we need to add an addition to our museum!  Every couple of years or so Trollbeads decides which beads they will retire.  With many new beads introduced through out the year and where it is the aim of Trollbeads to keep the line to around 400 beads the retirements are essential.  Trollbeads has had a history of retiring beads every 2 years or so.

We all have opinions on which beads we love and which we will be sorry to lose but many factors go into deciding which beads will earn their "gold watch" and be retired.  Obviously the beads that sell the less or the beads that have ended up difficult for collectors to work into a design. With this retirement we will see that there are many "Glass 1" Trollbeads going as well as silver beads and gold beads. 

                Sometimes is may be the size or weight of a bead that determines a retirement as many of the larger beads use a lot of gold or silver and where the raw precious metals market continues to increase it makes the large beads expensive so they sell less.  With this retirement the "Snowman" is a good example of that.  I have always sold this bead well during the holiday time and I am very sad to see it go. Another bead I will miss is the "Jellyfish" bead and I sell this one very well but my store is on the coast so this may be why but I know it is a heavier bead also.  "Mouse With Cheese" as heavy is going to.  Other heavy silver Trollbeads to be retired include "Find Your Pet", "Magician" and "Circus Elephant".  As far as slow selling beads go I think maybe 95% of you will admit we won't miss the "Twister".  Funky though it was it was also scary for many!

             In the gold beads I will be very sorry to see the 18K Jugend leave the line.  It was a slow seller due to it's size and price but I for one have set aside for myself.  Both of the 18K  "Transformation Man" and "Transformaiton Woman" are being retired as is the 18K Unity bead.  With today's high gold prices selling any of the gold beads have become more rare then when I started selling 6 years ago.  The 18K Pearl Lock is going and I know many who love that lock but perhaps they will introduce another gold lock to replace it!

               The Glass 1 beads list heading into retirement is the longest list.  It has over 15 items and while it has a lot I've never used it also includes beads I adore.  Make sure you pick up "Black Squirrel", (Shown on left) "Deep Bubbles", "Wild Cat", "Brown Desert", "Red Feather", "Blue-Green Feather" and some of the others that are on the list.  I will have a complete list on Trollbeads Gallery.

 Click To view the list of beads set to retire on January 26, 2012

Below are some of the older Trollbeads we added to the Trollbeads Gallery museum in 2011.

As the year comes to a close and as the holidays are upon us I find myself thinking about what Trollbeads will create for us in 2012.  I just received an email from Trollbeads United States outlining the new approaches and new ideas and this has definitely got my mind going and my imagination wandering.

Just imagine what great things are coming our way! Each year we can look forward to new beads, new limited edition releases and new surprises through out the year.  Just think of the surprises we got this year! I think my favorite release this year had to have been the Silver Whorl and second most favorite the Anniversary Coin!

No definite plans except for the National Trunk Show events.  I know many of you have been discussing the pros and cons on discussion panels and when the holiday is over I will go and read all about them.  There will be a total of 3 during 2012.  You may be missing the opportunity to go to more trunk shows but on the flip side of that Trollbeads is giving retailers the choice of offering other specials through out the year. 

No more serious business today because I am actually writing to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays for whatever days you want to celebrate. Below are some new holidays that you might want to add to your list of days to celebrate.

1.December 26th is national "Play With Your New Trollbeads Day".

2.December 27th is "Buy New Trollbeads With Your Christmas Money Day".

3.December 28th is "Return all that other jewelry you got and buy a lot of Trollbeads Day." 

OK, you get the idea. How can you not celebrate being a part of a line of jewelry that brings people together from all over the world, gives back in many charitable venues and is simply the most exquisite line of beads ever created.

I have just added a page to Trollbeads Gallery about the company and it's philosophies. If you are want to read or see the page and you aren't near this blog you can find it on the site's home page on the top row of features on the far right. I hope you will go and read it, here is the link.  About the Company.

(The photo above show the holiday decorations inside the food concession at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen where I shared glogg with my favorite Trollbeads designer, Soren.)

  Copenhagen, Denmark 12/2011

  What do they say about mixing business with pleasure?  I say it’s a perfect way to spend a week. Hunting shops in Copenhagen for special Trollbeads for myself and of course my customers. There were many highlights and I would like to share with you just a few I personally enjoyed the most and I am sure it will take more than one blog to complete them.

  1.On Monday we on a Trollbeads artist’s studio tour where we visited Soren (the original Trollbeads designer), Mette Saabye and Kim Buck.  Each artist works within an environment that is reflected by their creations and the correlation was so fascinating to see. Soren works within a very textural and tribal space where he works with his wax and unending ideas. Between visits we warmed up in a café and we got to try Glogg, a hot mulled red wine with raisins and nuts, it was delicious.  Mette’s studio is open to the public and feels like the interior of a Faberge Egg with its delicate tininess, gold leaf walls and jewels with filigree and whimsy.  We had lunch at a classic Danish café where you point to the plate of food you want and unknowingly I had chosen tongue. I dug in and enjoyed it! Below is Isabel and Lise Aagaard with Soren at Soren's studio and the right hand picture is Mette's studio.

  2. Meeting our Trollbeads Gallery Forum friends at Café Nyhavn 17.  Having been on the Forum for a couple of years it seemed like we were immediate friends and seeing all of their Trollbeads bracelets in real life was a visual treat.  After our lunch we grabbed taxis to the Trollbeads Tivoli shop. The very special interior was created by Soren and Soren joined us so I got to hear about  his creative process in designing the space.  He took in the magical history of Trollbeads and made it an environment perfect for the Tivoli magical amusement park location. The shop in managed by Lene and I was so happy to meet her and she was very helpful showing us all the special beads. Below is Trollbeads Gallery Forum Ladies with Soren and me with Soren in Tivoli Trollbeads store.

3.After our visit with Lene at the Trollbeads shop Soren took me through the winter wonderland of Tivoli with lights, music and so many fairyland scenes of reindeer, elves and I think I even saw a Troll.  We went into a large open building with dancing life size elves and bears with long tables and benches filled with many children of all generations all eating treats and getting warm.  While I found us a place to sit Soren ordered up some traditional Danish treats and glogg, my new favorite drink.  I sat and enjoyed the sounds, sites and tastes while Soren described how every year his parents would bring the family to Tivoli to enjoy the season with the rides, the sweets and the excitement of the Christmas lights. I wondered how much of the magic I felt around me contributed to his lifelong fountain of imaginings and ideas from which his bead are born.

The band was playing above us and the Glogg was hot and spicy as was the yummy Danish pastries below!  Thank you my dear Soren!

 What an amazing time the last few months have been for Trollbeads!!  Starting with the Anniversary Coin, on to the remarkable Autumn release and now to the brand new just released Christmas 2011 Trollbeads.  Phew it has been a busy time for Trollbeads and forTrollbeads Gallery/Rogers Gallery.  While all of these releases were occurring we managed to host the second Trollbeads Fest! (which although on paper it is only a two day affair... but with people coming early and leaving late it ended up a whole week long!) and just this past weekend we had a very busy Special Event at Rogers Gallery.  It’s true Trollbeads is more professionally advertised by the marketing team at Trollbeads-United States but also by the retailers who have received a lot of support from the graphic design team at Trollbeads-United States.  While the newest beads were just released and while the stats have only given them 4 days to perform but we have one of them already showing up on our top 10!! I have included links to each bead so you can quickly check them out if you don't know about them!

1. Anniversary Coin –hands down this bead is the biggest selling bead we have ever had in 6+ years!!
2. Rolling Waves    (2011 People's Bead Winner)
3. Organic Bubbles
4. Silver Whorl
5. Purple Armadillo
6. Lake Eye
7. The Diamond Bead, Blue   (shown at left)
8. Coral Flowers
9. Autumn Splendor
10. Purple Wave

 
The New Christmas release has been very well received and the two limited edition kits have been exciting a lot of collectors.  The solid red and blue beads with the gold on them are outselling the other beads and I think that the other beads in the kit are being overlooked because everyone is so head over heels in love with the glitter. So if you haven't focused in on the other beads go do it now as you're missing out. 

The green flower on red looks like it is literally floating in water! It's sensational.  The bead from the blue set that you need to focus on is the one that looks like stained glass.

The Red Tiger Eye is another winning Precious Stone bead to add to the other great stones.  I adore it as did many that we had at our special event this past weekend!

Of course the new silver Mistletoe is already a favorite but I expected that knowing how sentimental Trollbeads collectors are! 

The Amber and ANniversay Coin photo was taken by Ginger from Trollbeads Gallery Forum.

All the Forums are buzzing about the upcoming Trollbeads release and the excitement is buzzing around the globe. When this time comes it's always a race to try to find out before anyone else does what the beads will be and hoping you get to see the images BR (before release). It seems to be the quest of collectors as so many try to get the images or descriptions out before the release, which is before Trollbeads, the company, according to a well conceived schedule,wants them out.

I wonder if the people who have this drive to discover what the beads are BR, when young, were the kind of kid who peeked under their parents bed to see what they were getting for Christmas because the suspence was killing them.
Or were they the kind of kid that got home on Halloween night and ate all the candy in one sitting.

Come to think of it we are all like anxious children wanting to know what beads are coming out and it's this excitement that makes us want to share our discovery with the world. How frustrating they don't want us to see the beads befor they come out, but I get it. The time is required so all retailers are on an equal playing field and can all start selling close to the same time.  It takes time to create marketing materials and ship the product to all of the retailers around the world...or maybe it's some kind of ploy to get us all so worked up waiting for the release...we can't think of anything else! I doubt it but it sure helps in upping the excitement.  As a retailer I am required not to show any images before the release but it's hard not to talk about it and here I find myself talking about it for a few paragraphs without giving anything away. Sorry about that.

For anyone planning to be near S.E. Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Cape Cod*

Rogers Gallery is hosting a Trollbeads Special Event on 11-11-11. 

For you our planning has worked out well.  On the day of the release you will be able to include the new Trollbeads in your special purchases.

Besides the deals we will be offering dozens and dozens of new Unique Trollbeads, both Universal and Classic Unique! 

Purchase 3 Trollbeads, receive one of equal (or less) value free.

Receive $100.00 off any Gold Trollbeads* not including the Mini Heart Drop.

Receive $50.00 off any Silver and Gold Trollbeads.

Receive $50.00 off any Fantasy Chain when you purchase any Fantasy Pendant.

*This will include out very specially made Gold "Trefoil Knot" and "Two Sides to Everything" by Kim Buck in honor of his visit to Trollbeads Fest! 2011 last month.

*We are within an hour ride from many parts of Mass, including the Cape and Rhode Island.

Rogers Gallery/Trollbeads Gallery

Event Hours 9:30-5:00 Friday and Saturday 11-11-11 & 11-12-11

Route 6 (Next to the South Coast Diner)  Mattapoisett, Ma 02739 

508-758-3641 or 888-758-3641 For information and directions.

 As a U.S. retailer for Trollbeads my head is spinning and I feel like I'm on a rail climbing the highest peak of a roller coaster and I only hope I can keep up with the gaining momentum. I'm holding on with both hands, knuckles white while struggling to keep my head on straight. Sounds dramatic doesn't it? Well that is exactly how selling Trollbeads right now seems to me. It's exciting to be a part of the new regime by way of being a retailer but I must say the specials that are in effect and the future specials will keep all of us retailers jumping just to keep up and to keep you all "in the know". Beyond the product specials being offered the company is also working on furthering its brand recognition.  The planning and hard work set in motion by worldwide CEO Peter Aagaard and now by the new United States CEO Michael Belleveau is coming to the surface and every day brings new events, new media exposure and new recognition daily.

Just to mention a couple of the recent public events:

Trollbeads  announced their partnership with Oprah Magazine to be a sponsor of O You! Trollbeads U.S. is proud to partner with this fine company which will bring heightened awareness to the Trollbeads brand.  This year's O You! event was at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia on October 15, 2011. As a sponsor of the event, Trollbeads personally met many of the 5000+ attendees.

Trollbeads attended, as an exhibitor, the Teen Vogue Fashion University on October 22, 2011. Trollbeads was a sponsor to this event and was recognized as "the" bead brand among some of the nations most influential young women, Teen Vogue readers. The 500 fashion savvy students learned about style-education through seminars and were exposed to the current branding trends.  The parent publication Vogue Magazine is the leading consumer publication for the fashion industry.

A couple current Trollbeads product specials:

Trollbeads Ring promotion: If you purchase a Trollbeads ring you will receive a free $31.00 glass Trollbead. If you haven't familiarized yourself with the rings...do it!  They are quite remarkable and remarkably affordable.

Free Bead Promotion: When you purchase a chain and an upgraded lock you will receive a free $31.00 glass Trollbead.  What better way to start collecting or start your Autumn bracelet or even your Holiday themed bracelet!

I will continue to relay information on the activity of this climbing momentum and suffice to say there are some very exciting events lined up for the new year.  To our collectors who enjoy wearing what they consider a quiet and exclusive brand fear not, the powers at be understand why you collect Trollbeads and will always keep quality as the number one priority, as you can see by the quality of the events it parnered with.  Trollbeads will never follow in the steps of the other brand of beads as it over-sold itself, always running our of product and by turning to huge jewelry "box" stores, shutting out the smaller retailers. From what I gather from their basic philosophy, Trollbeads will not go down this road.  They understand the close communication the smaller retailers can achieve and Trollbeads understands the importance this is to the brand. Yes there will be greater recognition but won't you be happier when someone looks at your wrist and asks "Oh, are those Trollbeads?" instead of what you have been asked in the past?

You may have noticed various discussions about the negative side of Ebay. A lot has been discussed on Trollbeads Gallery Forum or on this blog. Usually it is warning about the fake beads being sold on Ebay by unscrupulous sellers who are making a killing on the brand’s name. We’ve had many collectors reporting the sellers who continually sell counterfeit beads closing down one selling I.D while opening another. But this discussion isn’t about erroneous beads it’s about erroneous listings. I spent some time cruising around the Ebay site and saw a definite change from when I last looked around about 6 months ago.

I was so aghast at what I saw I thought it was wise to bring it to your attention. As I read each listing it appeared every other one had something untrue about it. How did this happen so quickly? But then I considered the huge upswing in Trollbeads awareness and I think this is one of the natural steps a product takes as it matures in the marketplace. First you have your “counterfeiters” who closely follow the market and try to recreate a product before it hits its tipping point and this we have seen over and over again. Now the curve has widened and the people who are next in line, we’ll call them the “taking advantage” group has now joined the fray. These people are listing beads on Ebay but by twisting words and the truth and they catch people’s eyes and these people want the product to be what it is so badly they don’t recognize the warning signs. I took a quick and brief snapshot of the listings that disturbed me and I have listed them below. These are Ebay listings that to a trained eye would stick out as wrong but to a new collector they seem like everyone’s dream bead. If you are a “newbie” before you go on Ebay remember there is more than just counterfeit beads to worry about, it’s counterfeit listings also. Please just remember you need to do your homework.

1. Retired Eye Bead. The truth: The Eye Bead is not retired.

2. Authentic Grey Prism Trollbead. The Truth: The Grey Prism is not retired

3. Authentic Sterling Penguin Trollbead-Retired.: The Truth: The Penguin has never been a Trollbead so hence it is not a retired Trollbead.

4. Retired Troll Baby. The truth: This has not been retired at this time.

5. Original Authentic Retired Red-Green Dot OOAK. The Truth: This bead is an OOAK, not retired. 6. Authentic Trollbeads “Orange Bubbles” Rare, Retired. The Truth: There has never been an orange bubbles in the line.

7. You’ll find sellers like “collect a troll” selling a retired Rooster for $225.00. The product is real but the price is unreal. Check around at the authorized dealers and you’ll find it for half the price. Trollbeads Gallery has it at $79.00

8.The retired Clown, on this site, is $169.00. Again look around. Other prices are half this amount.

9. The retired “Striped Bud” is $129.00 with the same dealer. Other prices with authorized dealers are always lower. Trollbeads Gallery has it at $45.00. But people must be buying from these dealers and my question is why?

In closing I want to remind you of one basic tenant in the marketplace, Ebay destroys the brands it proliferates. History shows it’s true. Ebay doesn’t mean to but their platform for selling offers the counterfeiters and the “take advantage” people the chance to strut their wares to those people who are unaware. Again, do your homework or better yet, buy from Authorized dealers .

*Not all Ebay dealers are unscrupulous.

It seems that there are many collectors who have decided that the Pink Prism in the Breast Cancer Awareness set is new. Even after I explain the discussions I've had with Trollbeads explaining the history of the bead, I have been told I am wrong. I have heard that some collectors feel I am misleading people. For the honest people of Trollbeads and for me this is disappointing. How did this feeling of superiority develop with collectors and how did they come to distrust the truth? This irks me more when this is a fund raising event for Breast Cancer Awareness. When you consider the history Trollbeads has had with all of their humanitarian efforts worldwide, it's shameful.

Last year Trollbeads asked me for an opinion on what they should do with a box of old Pink Prisms uncovered when they were moving their offices. As you know Trollbeads does not get involved in the retired bead market however were sensitive enough to know by just releasing 2000 OLD Pink Prisms into the marketplace would hurt the value of this bead in the secondary market. Imagine Trollbeads collectors doubting the provenance of this bead when it was released in this manner to protect the value of their collections...

Knowing it needed to be in a limited edition format Trollbeads United States decided to use it in the Breast Cancer Awareness set. It would be win-win situation.  Newer collectors could have the old Prism and money would go to what I consider to be one the most important causes. There were also a number that went to Australia, as you all know, because the company likes to offer special beads to different countries.

After explaining the history to one collestor I was told that I was wrong that these were lighter and stamped so they were new. Having been a part of this decision process for little awhile I was obviously insulted and realized to what extent the damage by the ones feeling this way had gone. When I was confronted with this train of thought I knew I had to go to the source to ask Lise and Peter Aagaard to share with you what the story is. I explained that many collectors had decided, all on their own, to tell each other these Pink Prisms were not old. I am so disturbed that this uninformed way of thinking would hurt the Breast Cancer Awareness fund raising effort I am posting the personal response to my email from Peter Aagaard.

"Pink Prism is the real deal and from one of the original shipments. It is a type of glass which varies a lot (and why it was retired) – that is probably why it is different from other Pink Prism that they have seen. We found the beads unstamped when we moved – that is why the stamp is new – but the glass is old and I believe from one of the first shipments. Glass comes out different in different batches so one can be more translucent than another and also have variation in colors. The specific glass is not produced anymore so I can guarantee you that the beads are not new!"

This past July saw the introduction of the Universal Unique Trollbeads.  I was fortunate to be at the Las Vegas Jewelry Show where they were debuted in the U.S. and where I saw the Universal Unique beads for the first time.The Universal Uniques or U.U.'s are created with a larger core enabling them to be used on Pandora and Chamilia chains.  At the show I was able to hand chose the bead kits while keeping my customers and my Trollbeads Fest, which at this point was still in the future, in mind. 

This new introduction from Trollbeads was  monumental and even more so than perhaps expected.  After this exquisite release it was to my surprise many forums the world over had the buzz going and there were many long time collectors that were not happy with this new introduction. One collector said Trollbeads had sold out. Sold out? WHAT is that supposed to mean? Honestly I couldn't understand that opinion. Yes they were altering one part of the line but they would be still be making the standard classic size core Uniques.  Why should they not change or alter something to allow other chain brand collectors to wear Trollbeads? How is that selling out? What they did was undo what Pandora and Chamilia had done to keep Trollbeads off their chains. Trollbeads has created a larger core to fit over the larger element that Pandora had implemented to keep the Trollbeads from being used on their chains and then Chamilia copied Pandora. Remember Trollbeads was the first on the market and Pandora created the same add-a-bead concept but with an end element was designed so it was too large for Trollbeads to fit over.  The change that occured within Trollbeads isn't selling out, it is exactly as Lise Aagaard made the decision for, it is simply to share the beauty.

As you are reading a Trollbeads blog you may not have ever seen the Pandora glass beads. They are limited in number, are not creative, they don't vary and they certainly don't have uniques. Plus they have a huge flange of silver with "Pandora" stamped around it which design wise is too obviously a commercial branding effort. Is this necessary on personal jewelry? The reason is Pandora is not managed or owned by artists as Trollbeads is so the outcome of product is a direct result and always has been.  What Lise saw and what she understood is something so sensitive and so practical no one in the Pandora frame of mind could comprehend it.

Lise understood that Pandora chains are often given to a woman as a gift from her husband or from her children and she knows many woman don't want to replace what was a special gift.  Lise also understood the financial aspect. Even if Pandora wearers love the Trollbeads glass beads it could be a financial issue for them to decide to start all over.  So the decision was made to offer the most beautiful glass beads on the market to everyone so all can enjoy them. It was a generous move.

Do you know that many of the Unique Trollbeads are made by Tibetans living in India in diaspora?  The Aagaard's have been instumental in training these people and paying fairly for 6 years and stay in close contact with new training and techniques. This is just one community the Aargaard's have been aiding in making self reliance through housing, training and by building them the state of the art, well vented studios for them to use to create the unique beads.

Trollbeads has recreated a win-win situation and I don't, for one, understand the controversy over the Universal Beads especially now when we have all seen how beautiful each one is and everyone has seen this too from new collectors to the old collectors.  Come to think of it I think whatever created the buzz has dissolved and the buzz has turned into a purr.

The Green Armadillo shown here is a beauty of a Universal Unique bead and a great example of the quality coming from Trollbeads.

(Below photo:New Bedford's Mayor Scott Lang,Louise and Trollbeads CEO Peter Aagaard.)

Sometimes when you are so close to something you can’t see it clearly until enough time goes by. Last weekend we hosted Trollbeads Fest! 2011, our second Fest. If you have planned a large event or a wedding you know what I am talking about. Months before the event the planning begins and hotel rooms are blocked off and the various caterers are scheduled. Then you start ordering the favors. The closer you get the more consumed you become by the event and you begin hearing from the guests frequently and the excitement grows. By a week or two before the event you start to lose sleep and the lists in your head that you check off from 2AM to 4AM drift off into a haze of pre-dawn dreams. During the event you notice something is not in place... but you know you had it on “the list” or did I? I must have dreamt that. There may not have been many things that were missed or things that anyone else noticed were missing but I noticed and that’s the important thing. So you go through the motions hoping everyone is enjoying themselves, learning and meeting new people all around Trollbeads and hoping no one is noticing that the list of your dreams was never been checked off. I am still coming down to earth so I will use the post-Fest comments made by the attendees. It's these comments that have convinced me everything went well after all. The first commentary is from Sandra McCann, a great collector who also came to last year’s fest. Thank you Sandra.

"I thought Louise and her crew did an exceptional job again this year! I enjoyed every moment of it and it's probably because I went out to dinner on Friday night after the Gallery Reception. Catching up with old friends and making new friends was definitely one of the highlights for me!!! I agree with Mary Anna about an appointed time for the famous "WRIST SHOT" photo! They seem to me a MUST when any Trollies get together and at FEST, the more the merrier!!! Also, Laura's suggestion of NAME TAGS. Most of us "know" each other from our avatar, not our name. A NAME TAG with our avatar on it would be GREAT!!! I absolutely LOVED the Aarggard's involvement in this years FEST! Having Peter there REALLY made it a BIG DEAL!!! It just shows how involved the family is in the whole business and as collectors, we can actually MEET them... truly a MUST!!! Having Kim Buck there was FANTASTIC! His passion for design really shows in all that he creates!!! The slide presentation by him was just AMAZING! Now I completely understand why my DOUBLE HEART bead comes apart when I take it off my bracelet.... makes me love it and HIM even more!!! And of course there was Eske Storm!!! I don't think I have ever met a more charming man who truly was such a GOOD SPORT! He was such a delight, really. Having the designers involved in FEST, in my opinion, was one of the highlights for me as a collector. To be able to talk to them really makes the beads come to LIFE!!! Having Sarah there to make the glass beads was great too!!! The idea that I think was the BEST was the LE Trollbeads Fest Bead!!! That idea, Louise was just OUTSTANDING!!! Not only was it a BEAUTIFUL bead but the fact that all who attended got the same bead and can remember what a fabulous time they had at FEST.... amazing!!! So I would suggest the same thing again for next year..... this really brings us all together in a very unique way. The dinner was just outstanding!!! I didn't go to the dinner last year and I've been kicking myself ever since because of that decision! So this year I decided I HAVE TO GO! It brings the whole FEST to a conclusion. Mary Anna's singing was just GREAT! I loved her fun songs and that she had printed out the words so we could all sing along... that really, for me, was one of the highlights of the dinner.I loved the GIFT BAG!!! I think I told you but in my house we actually FIGHT over the different mugs you've given me over the years! First the beautiful engraved TROLLBEADS GALLERY glass mug, then the engraved TBG tall mug and then last years Travel Coffee Mug.... truly we fight over it because it doesn't leak! LOL When I saw the reusable COLD TRAVEL CUP, I was in complete heaven!!! But seriously, soooooo very generous with the Gift Bag!!! Thank you!!! I loved every moment of it and would love for you to do another one next year, Louise. I know that there is a tremendous amount of work that goes into such an event but if you truly knew how happy you've made all of us by creating an event that we can get together IRL and talk about what has brought us all together (TROLLBEADS!) and laugh (boy did we do A LOT of that!!!)..... you should be soooooo very proud! THANK YOU!!!!! xo