Taking the Plunge!

Here it is...my Big Announcement:
(No, I'm not pregnant! Bite your tongue.)

Drumroll please...

Starting June 9 I am going to pursue my jewelry business full time.

Ta da! (I'll now wait for the cheers to die down before I continue.)

Thank you, thank you.

Okay now, please, you're embarrassing me!

Why, you may ask, am I making this decision?

Here are my reasons in an organized little list:

1. Time
Up until now I have been fitting my business in between working part time at an elementary school and going to school to earn my teaching credential. (and a few other things like my children, husband, cooking, laundry, sleep...)
Needless to say it has been stressful and frustrating with late nights and never enough time.

2. Passion
I truly love designing and creating my jewelry. I go to bed thinking about it and wake up excited to begin new projects. I have notebooks filled with designs I want to create. I feel this is my true calling and I believe this really is my talent. (as opposed to housecleaning which is glaringly obviously not my talent...)

3. Income
Let's be honest, as sad as this fact is, even if my business were not to thrive and grow by leaps and bounds, it is still a better source of income than a teachers salary.
Poor underpaid and under appreciated teachers.
(Thank your child's teacher today! Bring them a Starbucks drink! Write them a nice note!)

So there it is. My top 3 reasons.

Wish me luck, tell your friends, and sit back and enjoy the show. You can watch me soar and succeed or crash and burn all from the comfort of your home. It's like a trashy new reality show without the commercials! And Lord knows the world needs yet another new reality show...

It's here!

I've been checking my mailbox everday for the May/June issue of Mary Englebright's Home Companion magazine because my Etsy ad is in it! It finally came Saturday and my Bathing Beauty Cabana Necklace was right there in the ad on page 5.

I got a great spot, right on top next to the Etsy logo.

The only downside is there is no description and a big part of the appeal of my jewelry is that it can move.

I want it to say:

Pull the sterling silver knob and watch the vintage bathing beauty come out of her beach cabana!

Oh well, hopefully a picture really is worth a thousand words. It's still just very exciting to be in a 'big time' publication.

A Studio for the Imagination

Castle in the Air is my favorite store in the entire world.

It is located on Fourth St. in Berkeley, Ca. (Fourth St. is an awesome shopping area with a ton of great little unique shops and restaurants.)

It's hard to categorize exactly what they sell, but then that's half the fun. You never know what you will find at Castles.

Some of my past purchase from Castles:

• German glass glitter
• a hand (yes, a hand!)
• dresden paper moons
• red and white polka dot mushrooms
• a postcard of the 1948 Donut Queen

No, the Donut Queen does not look like she's eaten many donuts in her life. I demand she be dethroned immediately.

How I spend my days. (Besides single handedly running a succesful jewelry empire)

My two adorable daughters like to keep me busy.

Maybe they believe this is the best way to keep me out of trouble.

My days are spent driving them around the globe, doing endless mountains of laundry, chasing them out of my closet, my dresser, my purse, my bed?!nagging them to put things away, reminding them to feed the dogs, begging them to clean their rooms...

Somehow, through it all, these frustrating, messy, expensive girls manage to keep me in a constant state of laughter.

Life with them is definately a three ring circus, but truth be told, I wouldn't have it any other way.

(although, a man coming through with a push broom after the show wouldn't be such a bad idea...)