A lively romp in the bluebonnets

Is there anything cuter than a child "let loose" in a field of flowers? Well, Kristen Roedner, of Faux Toes photography in Lakeway TX, captured the spirit of every child when she took this darling picture of Sloan. Then Sloan's Mom received a Phenominoes Memory Maker kit. That means that you can send us any photo and we can put it on a Phenomino for you. Look how adorable this is and she will treasure it now as a keepsake in another form -- a custom Phenomino!

Schools enjoy custom designs!

Thanks to the Oakridge School in Arlington who is enjoying our Spirit Phenominoes for their students, parents and teachers. We did several custom versions for them: one with team mascot -- The Oakridge Owls --

and one with the school seal for teachers and parents ... and a third that just says Oakridge Owls for spirit wear.

Our first CATALOG!

Potpourri is a catalog company and how they found us, we'll never know. You can imagine my surprise when I received our first order of 48 Phenominoes with the Driscoll Design Eiffel Tower image! Yeah.

Here's to many orders (we hope!) and a new level of sales for us.

We'll keep you posted.

Welcome our itty bitty MINI!

Look at

the

NEW

itty

bitty

"Mini".

We introduced it at the January market in Dallas and Minneapolis and people are saying "I haven't seen the little ones before." The "Mini" is the little domino (about the width of a dime) that carries the same beautiful art as the Classic Phenomino! Look at Kelly's art. Lovely, isn't it? And just as nice in either size. Welcome to our little sweet little itty bitty mini!

The color for 2010 is Turquoise

Just when I thought every girl had turquoise spilling over the jewelry drawer, I read today that "PANTONE® 15-5519 Turquoise, an inviting, luminous hue," is announced as THE COLOR of the year for 2010.

"Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing."

"In many cultures, Turquoise occupies a very special position in the world of color,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “It is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion and healing, and a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky. Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively. With both warm and cool undertones, Turquoise pairs nicely with any other color in the spectrum."

Having recently been challenged by my friend who has a recent thing with BURLAP, I bought some wheat colored burlap and soft white neutrals and I think I'll spice it up with TURQUOISE. Great timing, Pantone, thanks! To read more about this color, visit Pantone's site.

Well, it didn't work

“I’ll never forget the first day I went to Puremco to meet with the new owner from Canada and the new President from New Hampshire,” says Sandy Parker, creator and “mother hen” of Phenominoes. “My little baby business had grown and was interesting to the world’s best domino company. Bottomline, they liked my idea and saw the potential of Phenominoes. ” So we made an arrangement that we would share in building the brand of Phenominoes for a year and then evaluate the ownership interests after that.

BACK TO DUBLIN, TX
Well, it didn’t take much evaluating to find out that we are two very different products. While we are both domino related, Phenominoes is a boutique product for women. Dominoes are mass marketed as toys or bought mostly by men. Our efforts to help each other grow didn’t work. So we made a new decision. Effective November 1, Phenominoes came home again to downtown Dublin, Texas. We rented a much larger space downtown on Patrick Street (diagonally across from Dr. Pepper) and put our little “factory” back to work. “I’m thrilled to have them back home,” says Parker. I feel like they are right where they belong: in our care, under our roof, and shipped with love and care to our amazing clients.

So much good news!

The world's best domino company -- PUREMCO -- has seen fit to invest in my little "ART YOU WEAR" domino pendant company called Phenominoes. Phenominoes means "phenomenal art on dominoes." Under the guidance of Rick Malagodi, new President of Puremco and former "guru" of Bendos, and Sandy Parker, Art Director and GM of this division, Phenominoes is making a national branding approach in 2009. Among the benefits of merging with Puremco is the ability to reach farther into more of America and enable the ART to go further and touch more people!
If you haven't been to our site lately, visit http://www.phenominoes.com/ and enjoy all the artist work. Make sure you click on the catalog pages. We've grown quite a lot!

Amazing Display!

Wow Monica! You outdid yourself.

Monica with Naturally Unique really showcases the fun of Phenominoes! Look at this layout from a recent Holiday Show! I love the way she uses the game board. Perfect.

We can all learn from your merchandising!

The best part of Phenominoes is picking out the one you want and you have a nice array of them to enjoy.

If you are interested in visiting Naturally Unique, they are located in Treasure Hunters Gallery
302 Morton Street
Richmond, Texas 77469
treasurehuntersgallery.com
and a link about Naturally Unique.
281-239-0043

Hello, California!

Here's a neat story submitted to us:

On the 7th of July I was wandering the streets at Laguna Beach, CA and wandered into one of many shops along the way. After picking out a hat, and looking at a lot of other creations, I moved over to a cabinet with jewelry hanging and laying on it. As I looked down, I saw a whole round tray of Phenominoes. I was really excited and asked the clerk where they had gotten them. I told her I had a friend in who made them. I was very proud to say I know the creator of these particular dominoes. AND, I have had the honor and fun of making my own dominoes at a BPW Retreat. Yes, Sandy, I saw these at Laguna Beach – and recognized your designs right away. WAY TO GO GIRL!!!
Rosemary

Thanks Rosemary for passing the good word along!

Paula Loves Her Birthday Phenomino Necklace!

Paula is the successful owner of Bodacious Boutique -- a very cool Plus Size boutique in North Dallas -- and she has been wanting a Phenomino necklace for a while! Two of her friends made a necklace and put the Fresh Spring Flowers pendant on there for her. She loves it and wore it to market showing it off to potential showrooms for us.

Teachers Love Phenominoes too!

Bella Nova Day Spa and Retreat in Houston had this neat idea. They helped teachers in a local school have their own personal Phenominoes with different characteristics: Joy, Peace, Humor, etc. Pictured left, two teachers showing off their surprises.

Making New Friends at Shecky's in Houston

Here is Julie from Bella Nova Day Spa bringing our domino pendants to good customers in Houston. She is "sporting the style" of hanging your Phenominoes to the end of a Tiffany style toggle necklace.

Shecky's Dallas was a BLAST!

We had such a blast at this event! Wendy and I thought we were ready ... but little did we know thousands of "product hungry" women were on their way! It was a great night all around and people had fun picking out their favorites!

Bonnie creates the first necklace

I was at a show at the Parks and Rec Department and my neighboring booth was filled with the most beautiful jewelry. I would take a Phenomino and show them how great it looked on necklaces you might own (or could buy just next door.) Well, Bonnie took my Retro Pink Lady (one of my favorites) and returned the next day with an amazing necklace she was wearing. For Christmas, my sweet husband had another version of that same necklace made for me. Turns out, Bonnie is an amazing jewelry designer. Thanks, Bonnie!, for setting me on the right course.

SHOW and TELL!

We want to see what folks are creating with the Phenominoes! This will be a place for show and tell. This will also be a place to find items you like made with Phenominoes. We will have contests from time to time (for wonderful prizes!) ... but for the most part it's a place to celebrate ART YOU WEAR ... and ART YOU SHARE!