The Beginning and The End

I have had so much going on this year, it's sometimes hard to put it into words. I've been overwhelmed at times with being a stay at home mom. I have done so much work for my business to try and get our name out there and gain some more sales. There have been a lot of disappointments, mainly with advertising not working out or some flops with shows we've participated in. I am, however still perservering and am looking for new avenues to further promote my handcrafted jewelry business. I love doing what I do and want to learn some new techniques and really find my true style of design. I've already booked one big show for February, which we participated in last year. Shecky's Girls Night Out is a shopping event that is super fun with lots of great discounts. Check them out if they come to your area! For me, this is the beginning of a new year as I have had to make some major decisions in my life. Without going into too much detail, both my personal life and "professional" life will be going through some major changes I believe.

Another major change is the end of Skwigga-zine. The editor, Missy, started a really great community geared towards independant artists and helping us to promote each other. She put a lot of effort into it, but when life got a little too hectic, she asked me to step in as Co-editor. I was pleased to do so and had started a spotlight on jewelry designers, gained us some more advertising, and wrote a weekly feature on How Do We Get Ourselves Out There? Unfortunately, most of the members died off and weren't participating. Each week I'd post about a member of our Blog-Ring group but only a handful of us took the commitment seriously. I am sad to see it go, but completely understand Missy's decision to shut it down. She asked if I would like to take it over, but my plate is already full and I just couldn't commit to it at this time. With one last Blog-ring post, I'd like to spotlight Kelly from Macaroni & Glue. With the holidays right around the corner, check out her shop for unique and festive designs!

Getting Ready For the Holidays

I have been working furiously to get my site in order for the upcoming gift giving season. We are offering a 30% discount on all of our handcrafted jewelry!! Plus, I have added some new pieces to the site, including these Snowstorm earrings. I just love the look of these chandeliers, including the opal crystal teardrops.

We are also offering Free Gift wrap for those of you that can't stand wrapping gifts! Just include that in the comments section of your order. We still have Free Shipping, so why fight the crowds when you can shop from the comfort of your home?! Lastly, for those hard to buy for ladies on your list, we offer Gift Certificates! Order early for the best selection. I will be adding new items throughout the next coming weeks, but many of our pieces are limited edition.

Another artist getting ready for the holidays is Corinne from Daydream Art Studios. I first met her on Skwigga-zine, which is a great online community for independant artists. Check out these lovely ornaments that she made! Keep up the great work!

Why We Do What We Do

We are getting back into the swing of things with our Skwigga-zine Blog Ring group, and this week's featured artist is Karen of Cherished Dreams. She makes some very lovely quilts, something I don't think I would have the patience to do! She is also a lovely person. When I suffered the loss of my precious Andy, she was there with kind words of support. She is a fellow dachshund lover (and owner) and knows how they become a huge part of your life! Karen also understands how some days you wonder why you do what you do. But we realize that we are doing what we are meant to do and we are at this point in our lives for a reason. Sometimes we don't know that reason. We just perservere and know our lives do have meaning. Thanks Karen for putting that into perspective!

We are a Winner of I LOVE YOUR BLOG!!

Cindy and I had a weekend show in DE (post and pics to follow), and upon return I was pleasantly surprised to see we won this award! I have really tried to work on blogging more frequently and I want to thank all of you who nominated us! Skwiggazine members are the best!

The Grid

Our featured blogger this week on Skwiggazine is Corinne Sullivan of Daydream Art Studios. I was first in contact with Corinne a few months ago when I joined her project called, The Grid. Corinne wanted to add creations from all different kinds of artists, and one of my rings is featured (7 th row, first one on the left). Corinne is a very talented artist herself! I love that on her blog she features a different drink recipe every Friday. Who doesn't need one after a long day! Go check out Corinne's blog and show her some love!

So Much To Do, So Little Time

I'm a little behind on my posting because I received 2 orders last week! That's a lot for me, especially since one is a wholesale order for the SPCA. Last year Cindy and I appeared on the Comcast Tonight show in Reading,PA and the camera lady there works for the SPCA and was interested in purchasing my Bracelet for Simon (pictured) for sale at their organization. She ordered 12, and a few months later called to order 24 more! They just ordered another 24 last week, which I'm thrilled to do because it's a bracelet I made in remembrance of a family cat who died of feline leukemia 2 years ago. The proceeds of the bracelet go to research for finding a cure for feline leukemia.

The next day, I received a custom order for a lady getting married who wanted to purchase 2 of our Flower Girl bracelets. We discussed her wedding colors and came up with an ivory pearl and olive green Swarovski crystal bracelet for her flower girls. So with 2 orders, I had lots of supplies to order. I can't keep all supplies I need for every piece on hand. Not to mention that we have a 2 day show coming up in less than 2 weeks, and I have a lot of new pieces I'm in the process of making for that. Needless to say, I have found it kind of difficult to run the business, take care of Chloe and the house, and do my blogging, so the blogging had to come last. A fellow Skwiggazine member who also has been busy with jewelry design and her full-time job of teaching is Teresa of Inspired Designs. Head over to her blog to find out about her busy life! She has some beautiful pieces. Well, that's all for now! Hope everyone has a good day!

Mint Chocolate Chip & Skwiggazine

Strange title, huh? Well, I'm heading for the beach on Sunday, my first trip to North Carolina, and I wanted to leave you with one of my latest designs. It's called Mint Chocolate Chip after my favorite ice cream. Since it's the dog days of summer, what better way to cool yourself off than with some ice cream and Aquamarine, Swarovski crystal, and silver earrings? The Aquamarine is man-made, but I thought the cut was beautiful and it also lowers the price than if it were genuine! The sterling silver earwires have a hammered look and accent the cluster of crystals perfectly!

My featured artist this week is Missy from Skwiggazine. I have been a part of this great community for some time now, and have become a weekly contributor with my article, "How Do We Get Ourselves Out There?" It has given me a chance to explore different areas of the internet that we as independant artists can use to promote ourselves. Missy has been very supportive of my articles and work and has just recently asked me to step in for her as editor of Skwiggazine while she is tending to some personal issues. It is a great magazine style type of social networking, and I urge you to check it out! We have some wonderful and talented members and I'm happy to be a part of it. Great job, Missy!!

The Feeling of Frustration

...with everything right now! For starters, my almost 3 year old daughter has woken up every night this week screaming for a certain animal to hold in her hand. Not just once, several times a night. Now, this may be my fault for letting her sleep with stuffed animals, but why is this necessary?! I'm lucky if I get 2 good hours of sleep before the screaming begins. My room is right next to hers, so thin walls make her calls for help even more prominent. My daughter has always been a handful, but this is starting to wear on me. I guess she likes the security of her animals and I hate to banish them all from her bed, but if this continues, I guess I will have to. She is not one that will not persist in getting her own way. Secondly, my husband. Now I am not going to give a breakdown of all the things that drive me crazy about him, or I'd be here for days. However, his unwillingness to ever get up with our daughter in the middle of the night or his failure to see where I'm coming from is about all I can stand! Lastly, my business. Now, I LOVE making jewelry! It's the only thing I do for myself. However, I spend any and all free time (when daughter is sleeping) working on ways to get my name out there. It can be EXTREMELY time consuming and exhausting!! I'm not a very patient person, so I guess I thought it would all happen overnight. Obviously not the case!! There are hundreds of very talented jewelry artists out there and finding your niche can take a long time. At least I know I'm not the only one who feels this point of frustration. A fellow Skwiggazine member, Hilary Johnson, has blogged about this as well. Hilary is a very talented jewelry artist who is finding it overwhelming, as I am, marketing yourself on the internet. Visit her blog, Designing Hilary, and show her a little love. Well, it helped getting my frustrations out. Now I need a nap!