Recap of Our Town Square Store Opening!

This past weekend was an incredible experience for us, we opened our second store location in Las Vegas! We are expanding at a rapid pace and Town Square is the second stop on our growing list of Winky Designs locations. To celebrate we threw an opening weekend shindig the only way we know how, with cupcakes and champagne! A huge thank you goes out to all of our friends and fans who came out to support us! With out you guys there would be no us :) Take a peep at the video we made to commemorate the moment and some awesome photos our resident photographer, Jasmine, was able to capture.

If you're in the Vegas area, come and visit us at our newest Town Square location!

6659 Las Vegas Blvd S, #108,

Las Vegas NV 89119.

Catching Up With Lead in the Window Owner and Artist, Mya Daily

This week we're stoked to introduce you guys to Lead in the Window owner Mya Daily. Like an awesome superhero, she's a nurse by day helping to save lives and a stained glass artist by night saving homes from unadorned spaces! *BANG* *POW* *WHIZZZZ* We sat down with her to get some insight on the art of stained glass, her new store at The Container Park in downtown Las Vegas, and how she manages to juggle it all. Someone get us 3cc's of popcorn STAT!

Winky Designs: Your pieces are beautiful and quite unique! How did you get into the stained glass craft?
Mya Daily: I learned the craft of stained glass 15 years ago. I attended a 4 year bachelor of nursing program and at the time our curriculum didn't allow for “extra” classes such as stained glass that was offered through the school of art at the university I attended. I begged the instructor to let me audit the course and she kept turning me down stating, “You are in the nursing program. Your schedule doesn't allow it in your classes.” The summer I graduated I kept asking this master stained glass maker to still allow me to audit her course now that I didn't have to do it in the middle of a nursing program. She still kept turning me down. Then one afternoon I got a phone call and it was her telling me that I could audit the class. The rest is history.

W.D.: How do you juggle your nursing career with your craft and running a small business?
M.D..: I am a full time nurse. I have been a nurse for 15 years and have done a variety of things in the nursing profession. I started in labor and delivery. Then some spent some time in neonatal intensive care and burn unit. Most recently started an emergency medical transport program for high risk obstetric patients before relocating to Las Vegas and now working in a local emergency room. I am only able to keep my nursing career and run the business with my partner Ellisha by my side. We have been together for 7 years and I taught her the craft from home and luckily we both have lots of leadership and management skills from past experiences. She is able to be in the store full time for us so that is what helps us day in and day out.

W.D.: What is the craziest/coolest/weirdest custom design you've made for a client?

M.D.: It’s interesting that you ask this. I am currently working on the coolest piece I've ever had the opportunity to do for someone. It is actually a collaboration with a large company and I’m not allowed to share with who until it is accepted by this company but if you happen to stop by the shop in the next couple days you can then see the work in progress. We will be so excited to share it once it’s completed! Keep your eyes open for news from us.

Wait, this looks familiar...

W.D.: As a small business owner opening up her first store, what was the most unexpected obstacle you've had to overcome?
M.D.: The biggest obstacle to date was our initial opening date changing. We were given an initial opening date and then it was pushed back by over a month. At that point we had invested so much by putting capital into our supply, products, and employee training that the delay of having an open door for our store was a huge impact financially and emotionally.

W.D.:  Why did you choose downtown Las Vegas and Container Park specifically, to open your store?

M.D.: I have always been a fan of downtown. I like old Vegas and what it was. I have an old soul at heart and the history of downtown is always intriguing to me. Once I came to the Container Park for the first time I was hooked. I liked what it was doing for Downtown and from the first visit wanted to be apart of it.

W.D.: What’s next for you and Lead in the Window?

M.D.: Lead In The Window would love to look at opening a second location that would focus more on the supplies for the craft of Stained Glass. Offering hundreds of varieties of glass, lead, and other items needed for doing the craft. We would also like to spend more time offering courses to teach others this dying art.

Thanks Mya for sharing with us the crazy cool art of stained glass! We love the detailed pieces...and your awesome hair! You can expect us to be taking some classes once that rolls out. I wonder how many pieces we'd need to make a glass replica of our doggy's face?...

You can stay updated on the goings on at Lead in the Window by following their Facebook page, visiting their Etsy store, or simply going down to The Downtown Container Park in Las Vegas if you're in town and snagging some beautiful pieces!

Lead in the Window

707 Fremont Street Suite 2250

 Las Vegas, Nevada

A Mother's Day Shout-Out From the Winky Team

This Mother’s Day, we want to give a huge shout-out to the women in our lives that helped make us the awesome guys and gals we are today. Without them we wouldn't be here following our dreams, serving our fans, and having tons of fun in the process. So we raise our glasses to them and with a resounding shout, we exclaim, “WE LOVE YOU, MOM!”

Winky: “My mother is one of the bluntest and no BS people I know! When she sets her mind to something, she does it, and I have her to thank for some of these traits that I find in myself because I think they're necessary to make it as a tough female entrepreneur! Love you mom, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!”

Vanessa: “I realize I’m more like my mom as I get older, and that’s a great thing! She’s a fighter (she's beat cancer!), an incredibly hard worker, insanely silly (really, you're going to dance in public to embarrass me, lol?!) and the list goes on and on. But the overwhelming quality she possesses is the love for her family. I can only hope to show a fraction of the love she has shown me over the years to my family one day…thanks mom for raising me surrounded with love! It saved me some serious therapy bills!”

Robyn: As time has passed and I have gotten a little wiser, I've realized the saying is true that "Mother's are the glue that holds families together." My mom is patient, kind, survived cancer, runs my dad's business, takes care of my grandma's needs, helps take the burden off my sister by picking up the kids, cooking dinner, household chores, and being the ear that listens to her 3 children everyday. I am thankful and blessed to have a mother who sacrifices and shows us the true meaning of a mother's love.”

Silvya: “My mother is my biggest inspiration and my biggest motivator. She's been both my mom and dad and with a mom like her who needs a dad! I love her so much that words can't describe! I'm so proud of her and I feel very blessed to have her as my mom! Love you mamacita!”

Jesus: “My mom has always been my number one supporter in all of my decisions. She brings me joy and happiness that no one could ever give me. When I feel down she is always there to pull me back up. There is no other way to express my gratitude but to say "I love you mom".”

Gedalya: A little Mother's Day poem for your enjoyment:

My mother, My mother 

She works harder then any other.

She took care of us kids from morning 'til night, making sure we grow up learning wrong from right. 

The years have past and my childhood days were not meant to last. 

As I grew older I moved away and started a life of my own.

But I'll never forget the important lessons I've learned in my mother's home.

Jasmine: “My mom is the weirdest, funniest, and coolest mom I know. She's always been more of my friend than my mom. She's the reason I love the 80's and the only person who will tell me "Yes, that outfit makes you look fat." Haha. Love you, mom! Thanks for everything you've done for me!”

Ife: "My mom, a former flower child from the 60's and 70's, is still a pretty groovy chick! Love you mom!"

This is YOUR day moms! Kick your feet up and enjoy it!