Why My Black Friday Sale Starts Early.

No, I do not want any of you to feel compelled to shop on Thanksgiving Day -- trust me, I will be selfishly enjoying all that time with my family, barely noticing if my phone goes cha-ching. 

But, the Black Friday through Cyber Monday sale in my shop does begin on Thanksgiving day -- and I am partially upset with myself about it.   But there are a few reasons:

1) I set it up to kick off automatically.
     Knowing I wanted the day to not think about my shop -- and spend possibly bringing my tree out of the garage to decorate with the kids before the hubs goes back to work on Friday for a 24 hour shift -- I planned early and was actually kind of off by a day (the date) on my etsy on sale account.

2) I don't think things through all the time
     Knowing customers want their gifts mailed out quickly -- and knowing there is downtime between the preparation of side-dishes, I too will wander onto Etsy to see what is available.  But -- like I said earlier, I had the date wrong to start and when I figured it all out, I didn't go change it.

3) Thanksgiving isn't everywhere
     A lot of countries don't celebrate like we do for thanksgiving.  I personally adore the holiday -- but I know not everyone celebrates.  So for that reason I was also okay with my mess-up on dates as noted above. 

4) I am really okay when I make mistakes like I did above
     So, it starts on Thanksgiving.  No one is working, but you can shop (like I said, I may also online between the making of side dishes.)  But, since this is really just an error on dates on my part -- I don't want to pay again to change it -- so it's there if anyone wants it, and it's there on Friday through Monday also.

What I am really saying is -- I want everyone to enjoy the holiday that celebrates it.  And, I can see if someone is upset (as many are with retailers that start the black Friday shenanigans on Thursday) about it -- but, I didn't mean for it to be that way.  It's just kind of a big "oops" on my part.

Grow Up...

When I awoke this morning there was a fabulous treasury featuring my emerald necklace.  But it was the title that really made me giggle.  It's called "grow-up," and just made me snicker.  Here it is below:

Grow-up by Efratul

Enjoy!

~Maggie~

What to do...

So yeah, I love my back yard.  Sure, I can also see the millions of things I need to do to make it super pretty.  But for now I love it.

There are three sections -- divided most ingeniously by the previous owners of my house.  While I do have certain plans to take out some of the items they grew here (I am not a fan of ivy going pretty wild) -- the general separation is just plain calming. 

I spend much of my time in the middle back yard -- an area just covered in fruit trees and greenery.  It's raised on a bed of rocks that remind me of growing up in New York -- like those huge rock-walls around grand estates.  The people who lived here before put in so much time and effort into those rock walls -- I just can't bear to take them down. 

So, I sit -- on a raised 'circle' of grass, which is separated from the rest of the yard by an apple tree, a cherry tree and a plum tree.  Those three trees make a triangle that the circle sits inside.  Within that area -- I allow my husbands dogs to have their dog houses and play as much as they want because they just didn't get that in the apartment, so we're making up for lost time.  It provides shade, grass for them to roll around in, and apples -- which the midget doggy just loves.

Surrounding this raised bed of grass and fruit trees and fully separating the front back, the middle back and the back - back is a stone path that meanders through hazelnut trees, roses over an arbor, rose bushes -- my planting beds for gardening are on one side -- and my little shed that eventually I will "re-purpose". 

I am back there all the damn time.  Instead of making jewelry.  Instead of cleaning house.  Heck, instead of unpacking.   There is this innate serenity back there, a calm that is almost indescribable.  It's addicting, like not being able to put down a good book.  But the trouble is -- the book never quite ends.  I am back there constantly.  Moving my lawn furniture to either follow the shade or the sun depending on the temp outside. 

So now -- where in the apartment I was always behind because I was always stressed -- I am always behind here because I am seeking out the calm far too often. (In fact, once I finish this post I am going out there to check on the garden and relax before I clean house -- yeah I will totally get to cleaning house.)


Here's some green -- so you can love the outdoors a bit today also.

Hello by OOMISEH

Popular in the Shop: Stud Earrings

Amethyst Stud Earrings

Peridot Stud Earrings

Every so often, dainty, tiny stud earrings come into fashion again.  This year is one of those years. I have been having a lot of fun perfecting wire wrapped studs in the shop this spring -- and they are turning out adorable and are available in such variety it's hard not to steal many of them for my own jewelry box.   Below, find a super fun variety in multiple gemstones and colors.

Aqua Terra Jasper Stud Earrings

Pearl Stud Earrings (my biggest seller, ever.)

Cherry Creek Jasper Stud Earrings

Woodland Green Pearl Stud Earrings

Oxblood Red Garnet Stud Earrings

Hemlock Green African Opal Stud Earrings

Blue Fire Labradorite Stud Earrings

 

 

Aquamarine Stud Earrings

Gloomy Monday -- Bright Orchid

     I admit -- I have my phone set to "do not disturb" each evening because I also have push notifications set for all my sites.  Often, there are sales in the middle of the night, and before I set my phone to "do not disturb" I woke up to loud cha-ching's or "dings" in the middle of the night. 

     It's an odd situation though, not seeing anything until the next morning, so invariably, I feel like I wake up behind -- not that I would be able to honestly ship in the middle of the night.  It doesn't matter, I still feel behind, because I often feel like many of my items are gifts and needed quickly.  

     So I prepare items for shipping at the crack of dawn, as my kids are dressing for school, so that I can mail quickly in the morning (knowing full well that item's won't really move at the post office until specific times are met -- 1:30 pm is the earliest on weekdays, 5:30 pm is the latest).  Still, I like to have items there because in my mind they are still "moving" along their trajectory to their final, happy destination. 

2014 year of Radiant Orchid by CoolAndChic

It's also started raining again.  Here in Seattle, it's not unexpected -- but this late in the year a bit of an annoyance because by now we are all sort of ready for the fabulous summer the Pacific Northwest usually provides.  We got a glimpse of it last week:  72-80 degrees and fabulously sunny.  It was pretty much a green heaven for two-days.  Then, the 20% chance of rain struck, meaning pretty much 100% in the end.
Hence the gloom -- but after my "do not disturb" ended this morning, I woke up to the wonderful, bright, beautiful sunshiny treasury above.  Pretty much made me want to blast "shiny happy people" this morning. But, alas, my husband was home -- not having physical training because of duty yesterday -- and certainly needing a bit of 'vege' time prior to "spring cleaning" happening around his office this week.

Here's to bright sunshiny weather that will eventually head our way -- at least that's what the national weather service tells us.  Please be correct, NWS -- it often seems as though you just sort of throw darts to explain weather phenomena here in the Pacific Northwest.

~Maggie~

My Studio ... Teeny Tiny and in need of an 'upgrade'

I am not a big fan of the business side of my Etsy shop.  Yes, I can do it, yes I can research ways to "get traffic", yes I will even watch many many videos and read on what to do.  But, it's not what I love about it.  It's sort of a necessary evil -- like having to reload the copy machine in an office environment.  It has to be done, but no one wants to do it.

Since I reopened the Etsy shop a couple of years ago -- I have been working diligently to not only focus on the business aspect of the shop -- with attention to innovative marketing and learning the most I can about photography.  But, what I want to do is create. 

It's a bit ironic, actually -- my entire career has focused on different ways to communicate, in a business oriented way.  Which is odd, considering, that's the part I have to force myself to do now.  I much prefer even looking for fun packaging materials that will make the customer really feel like they are getting a special gift from a dear friend -- than I do working what really honestly used to be my actual job.

Enter my studio -- it's tiny right now.  Sure I have a fabulous variety of gemstones and enjoy most of all hammering metals (it's visceral, like a form of anger management) -- but I just don't have the space to use my blow torch, or really hammer things. 

Enter the house my husband is looking at.  It's modest, to be sure, but has a large plot of land for the city area we live, and it has a wonderful little nearly finished "shed" type thing in the back yard.  That one item (even if I do not set up the "extra room" as an office) will set me up with triple the amount of work-space I currently have now.  It's exciting, and excruciating waiting to see if closing will come through (we are working for a VA loan, which is not a lot of fun right now.

The hubby and I find ourselves checking out the house on a nearly daily basis -- just sort of a drive by (It's close to a Lowes, so we look forward to doing a few things ourselves).  We've never bought a house before -- and even though it's modest, we look forward to having space to not have to fight over areas he can do his work and I can do my hammering. 

I also look forward to the implications of hammering, soldering and playing with tarnishing materials outside in the open air 'shed'.  It's so very, very hard to wait -- and I can't wait to show you the process of setting up my new 'studio' areas.  Plus -- there are older fruit trees we are hoping produce fruit so that I can show you some super fun "homesteading" I have learned here in the apartment that also serves as the studio.

~Maggie~

Green Opal Heart Earrings -- For Spring, Mother's Day or Summer

It's a Spring Sale, but it's something more...

Currently, My Etsy Shop is having a "Spring Sale" -- boasting 25% off every item in the shop.  It's pretty exciting. 

I've locked my 'packaging' up in air tight containers -- in case any of my lovely customers have as much trouble with the heavy pollen years (like this year) as I do.  This was taken last year -- this year we are more heavily in bloom, thank you allergy medication for making life bearable to enjoy the season.

But there is a reason behind just Spring Time here -- hopefully we are moving to a larger studio space next month, and to do that,  I am discounting the shop so that I have an easier time of moving. 

Let's be honest -- I am a pretty prolific creator right now, there are literally hundreds of items in my shop.  Yes, each one is made by me, personally.  Which means in my now tiny studio, there is limited space for both the finished products and the "parts".

That is a super horrible photo of a fraction of my gemstones -- yes I do keep them color coded like that, and since that is a while ago I have about a half dozen more of those tiny little organization containers.  Now, however, I have them separated by gemstones, glass, crystal and pearls -- but all still color coded.

Another bad picture -- clearly I have to refinish my desk prior to the move (am hoping to convince hubby to get me a new "set up")  but those are a fraction of the strands I barely have the space to even get into.  Look at those Placid Blue pearls I can barely think of touching.  Sigh.

I know, I know it seems selfish -- I am putting all the items on sale so that I can work more items, lol.   But, I figured also (probably not the best business acumen here, but it is my shop after all) hey, it's almost mother's day -- and if I had the space, I could finally finish some of those personalized necklaces I have been jonesing to create.

Soon, I can only say soon. 

Happy Spring -- and happy shopping.

Waiting for Spring

I am sitting in my room / studio, my legs propped up, my back aching, and the guys outside my window cleaning the heavily clogged gutters.  It's a fine way to start a Monday, along with running out of coffee creamer on Friday from my husbands obsession with coffee at all hours of the night.  I also went to the store numerous times this weekend forgetting creamer each and every time.

So, I suppose this is the universe telling me it's time to cut back on my creamer / coffee concoctions each morning?  Maybe.  But, I'll likely not listen.

I've been trying to figure out where the tension in my back / neck is coming from of late.  Sure, I have old Army injuries that often flare up during Seattle's cold and rainy winters -- but this feels differently. Normally, I could go get a massage and feel like a million bucks after the guys in the Mall do everything short of ripping off both my arms and beating the rest of my back with them.

That just didn't help this weekend.

I could be irritated with hubby going away for a few days -- across the mountains, through heavy snow and blizzard conditions to train soldiers yet again.   I could be stressed because therapy is particularly difficult this month.  It could be a fear of writing a true story in three different "tones" like I am required for my Veteran's Writing Class -- hosted by my local Vet Center and put together by the wonderful folks at the "Red Badge Project"  (Seriously, check this organization out).

But more likely than not -- it's the stress of waiting for my VA claim to be complete.  It's a long and tedious process, and you never really know how it's going.  You can call the 1800 number, getting "Peggy" but really you never really get any information.  You can check your status online -- but again, you just leave the website more confused than before.

So, I listen to the rain, in its abundance here south of Seattle.  I try to enjoy it.  I contemplate making an appointment to see about my back and that one weak knee that just wont get better.

And -- I am grateful that I thought ahead a couple of years ago and created a portable box -- so that my studio could go anywhere with me.  So, even though I sit here, uncomfortable, waiting for tylenol to work -- I can still create, and calm my weary nerves.

Vesuvianite Earrings in 14k Gold Filled

Peridot Earrings in Sterling Silver

London Blue Topaz in Sterling Silver Necklace

Crystal Quartz Earrings in Sterling Silver -- April Birthstone

Radiant Orchid Pearl Earrings