Once, I was swamped with work and was feeling completely overwhelmed by list of things to do, so what did I do? I text Shelby and said, “Hey, let’s go out to lunch and then go look for Christmas ornaments at Tai Pan.”
Which, is the exact opposite of what I should have been doing, but sometimes that is how I cope with too much work and no time to do it. I shut down.

This is what is happening right now. I am looking at Facebook, taking cell phone pictures of my dog and writing this rather boring post on my blog. Don’t tell Kelly. He thinks I’m working. And, seriously, I should be.

Speaking of working.
Around Christmas time, I read this manifesto on Facebook. And, it really struck me for a variety of reasons, but most especially because of the fact that we are small, local business owners and there are so many challenges involved with being self-employed. At the time I read this, I was feeling the squeeze of the economy and our changing industry and basically I was just scared.
I have been trying to patronize small businesses around me since then. I know I’m only one person, but still.

So, now we have this little jewelry business going and I have many large orders to fill. I can’t do it all myself. In fact, I need to be removed from the equation altogether because I need to do the designing and dealing with the business side of this little monster we’ve created. (good monster!) We found a place in New Jersey that can produce my designs, but it’s expensive and slow. We could get it done overseas, but that is just not sitting right with me. (See above.)
One night as I was laying in bed, I had the thought that if we get enough work, I could pay local people to produce it. If I teach them how to do the simple techniques, then send them home with a box of supplies and a deadline, this little jewelry business could benefit me as well as someone else.

People have told me it’s just not cost effective to do it here in the states, especially locally, but I am going to try it anyway. I think it can work. The plan is to have a training session and make a few pieces together till people have the techniques down, and then they can take home the necessary supplies to make the jewelry on their own time schedule, as long as the deadline is met. I will do quality control and pay on a per piece basis.
If you or anyone you know is interested, leave a comment or email me and I’ll get in touch with you about the details.

It’s really not going to be a sweat shop. There will be better wages and, if you sweat a lot while making jewelry, you are doing it wrong.

Today was the first day of market. We worked our tails off all day long yesterday setting up our booth.

After we finished setting up, we had a quick dinner then headed back to the hotel to finish pricing all the product and getting our order forms ready. We didn’t get to bed until 1 am! It wasn’t bad though because at that hour, and after such a long day, everything is funny. We were laughing to the point of tears at the dumbest things, mostly the names I have given some of these jewelry pieces. Good times.

We were up bright and early this morning and headed first thing back to market. Want to see the booth? Ok, drumroll…………..

We used some old windows and a door to create this store front facade. Inside each window is a one of four different collections of jewelry I designed. Each collection was made with similar colors and materials or with the same feel so they look great together as a group.

The first one is called Route 66.

Think silver, turquoise and leather. I wrote little stories or thoughts to go with each piece so that people will have a more personal connection with the jewelry in addition to being drawn to the look. I want them to be meaningful. Here’s the intro to Route 66:

When I was in my early 20’s, I had a little red pick up truck. That truck, plus a full tank of gas was absolute freedom.
I used to go on road trips every weekend with my girlfriends. My mother gave me a McNally road atlas for my birthday, and I made a hand-tooled leather cover for it and carved the words “Live Free” on the front. It was always in the glove compartment of my little truck. We would take it out, choose a state, close our eyes and blindly point to our next destination on the map. We slept on the side of the road or in parking lots in the bed of that truck. We drove it to see bands play in small clubs, to Las Vegas, or during those bleak pre-spring weeks, we drove until we found the sun in California.
This jewelry collection is infused with that attitude and spirit. Stopping at Native American roadside jewelry stands, eating out of rest stop vending machines, wind in your hair, your favorite music on the radio, a road atlas, and of course…
a full tank of gas.

Next is Nature Inspired:

There is more inspiration for art in nature than anywhere else. Color, texture, metaphor and the changing of the seasons have inspired this collection of jewelry.
I hope that you feel my appreciation for the beauty of the earth in every single piece.

Then there’s Vintage Treasures:

I love old things. Objects that have a history are fascinating. If they could speak, they would tell tales of the lives of people that lived with and loved them. Vintage jewelry is especially close to my heart. Who wore it? Was it a gift? Where has it traveled and what has it seen?
With this collection of jewelry, I have tried to create pieces that you will be sentimental about. Pieces that look and feel like they have a history. Antiqued metals, lockets and pearls have all been used to this end. Wear them through your own life’s adventures and someday they will tell your own story.

And, lastly, I did a collection called Caribbean Getaway:

This collection of jewelry was inspired by a recent Caribbean vacation. Upon arrival, it was love at first sight. I was in love with everything I saw: water, sun, sand, shopping in street markets, even the buildings in the villages.
My hope is that you will love the colors and materials I have used in these pieces. That they will evoke the atmosphere of that magical place and that no matter where your daily grind takes you, in a corner of your mind, you’ll be somewhere in the Caribbean, a million miles away from responsibility.

People seem to get it. They are appreciating what I have tried to do with this product and we’ve written several orders today. I hear it’s even busier on Saturday and Sunday so I’m excited to see what tomorrow brings!

Oh wow. I am really letting myself down with the sparse posting. I was hanging out in my craft room talking to a friend the other day about a booth design for jewelry display and she said, “Well where have you been shopping lately?” To which I replied, “See these four walls? This is what I’ve been looking at for two months.”
It’s true too.
In about three weeks, I am going to market.
Do you know what that means? It’s like, this HUGE trade show where people take products they make or sell and display them to store owners in the hopes that they will like your products and carry them in their stores.

It’s in Atlanta. We are shipping this display we’ve come up with along with the various jewelry lines I’ve designed and we are flying to Atlanta mid January to see what happens.

I am really loving the stuff I’ve been designing and I can’t wait to show it all. But, I am rather sick of my work bench. And, my fingers and nails look like trash from working with silver, beading needles, and glue.

But, there is fun. I get to purchase supplies without the usual guilt of spending too much. (it’s an investment now!)
You should see some of these gorgeous stones I’ve purchased for these new pieces…
Pineapple quartz, platinum Swarovski pearls, and labradorite!
This labradorite is absolutely intoxicating.
I ordered it online so I hadn’t seen these particular stones in person, but when I pulled them out of the package, they took my breath away.

I think this stone is pure magic. It looks neutral and gray at times, and then when the light hits it, it flashes with vibrant blues and greens. It transforms when you wear it to go with anything. Turn it over and over in your hand and it looks different every time. Mesmerizing.

Who needs diamonds? Diamonds schmianonds.