Merry Christmas/Plans for the New Year

Merry Christmas to everyone!

I'd like to give special thanks to all those that have purchased from me for gifts this year.  December has been phenomenal!!!  I never anticipated the number of orders I've received this month.  I am truly surprised and I need to give a HUGE thanks to Etsy and my customers!  You guys RULE!

For the new year, I plan on forming an LLC and continuing and gearing up what I started this year.  Once the company name is "official" and registered I will update everyone.  Since I just had more business cards made (doh!), it will be "Aquarian Mind (Something Something), LLC"....we still have to figure out the something something.  It needs to encompass all that I do and sell:  vintage, kids jewelry, adults jewelry, misc stuff on Ebay...  We're still thinking on it.

For tonight though, I plan on being with my wonderful family.  And probably watching a few hours of the yule log fire on TV.  It will be a welcome and much needed break from packing orders, making jewelry and other general craziness  :)

Adding to My Kids Line

Clip on earrings for girls with resin flowers have been a popular thing in my Etsy shop as of late.  Who knew they'd be so popular?  I certainly didn't think so, but I'm glad they are!  So I'm starting to add to the clip on inventory with more of 'em.  The style I'm adding will be able to have dangling charms, beads, pearls ....whatever I can find that is cute!  Watch for these in the coming week.  I'm planning on also doing some with Christmas beads!

Lots in the Works!

I'm stocked up on supplies and ready to go!  Up next is Christmas jewelry and little girls birthday party favor jewelry.  The beads are so fun that I don't know where to start!

Also in works - plenty more vintage jewelry I will be listing for sale on Etsy.  I have found just how much I love Bell Copper Trading Post jewelry, and collect it whenever I can.  I'm going to have a hard time parting with it, and I know my mother-in-law has her eye on one of my rings too.

I have so many ideas for fun pendants, doll jewelry and hair clips that I will have to shelf until I have several pieces of Christmas jewelry done and listed....there just aren't enough hours in the day!  And here I thought I'd have nothing but time being "retired"!  So not true!  Between keeping up with the house, Listia and Etsy I am actually working full time again.

Here is a link to a VERY nice, excellent vintage condition Krementz set in original packaging on Etsy.  It is even more beautiful in person!  Check it out if you'd like to add it to your collection!

Krementz set on Etsy!

The Search for Inspirado - Kid's Jewelry

When going through therapy several years ago, I discovered my "inner child".  Sounds hokey and cliche doesn't it?  Well, if you had some rough spots early in life, and have had the opportunity to have a good therapist, you might recognize the extraordinary value of this the way I did.  Basically, the idea of the "inner child" exercises we did was....well it's tough to explain....but imagine yourself now, as an adult, meeting yourself as a child.  Now imagine yourself befriending that child when they feel most vulnerable/scared/alone, and helping them to trust that you will keep them safe and feeling loved.  And not for a while, but committing to it forever - essentially becoming the parent and sense of security you desperately needed at that period of time.  And, in turn, becoming responsible and taking ownership for how you feel right now as an adult. It's a real mindfuck if you can make this happen.

I'm sure you're wondering, "what the shit does this have to do with beading??!!".  Well, let me explain.  Part of my therapy homework was to buy myself something I always wanted as a child but never got.  I bought myself a Cabbage Patch doll.  Yep.  A doll.  I never had one, but always wanted one.  This doll is still in my bedroom over seven years later as a reminder to be kind to myself, and that I am worth enough to have some of the things I want.  So you're still wondering what this has to do with beading and my inspirations?  Well, it's simple.  I was inspired to make girl's jewelry because it spoke to me as I was when I was a small kid.  I make things for kids that I would have wanted at that age.  By making kid's jewelry, I allow myself to be girly - which I do NOT do as an adult in any other facet of my life and barely did as a kid.

So now you know.  I'm not sure why I felt the need to vomit this out on my blog.  I guess because I want to be more confident in things I do/in life?  Let more people into my bubble?  Doesn't every human want to be understood?

The kid's jewelry I'm making now is very special to me.  It's nothing too complicated or incredibly unique, but it is exactly what I would have wanted as a little girl.  I hope someone can help their little girl feel precious and beautiful when they wear it.  If that happens just once, my work here is done.

The Dirty Work

So, because of this hobby I've grown to love so much, I've incurred cost.  Now, its not earth shattering amounts, but enough to consider it one of my monthly bills.  I dunno....is that the cost of therapy in a way?  Probably.  Will my husband buy that excuse?  I have yet to encounter that conversation, and don't really want to!  So, to defray the costs and to give my jewelry homes better than mine (where they'll be loved properly), I've been selling.  Not a lot yet, but some.

I call this the "dirty work" because I'm not a natural when it comes to sales.  I've been asked if I'm starting a business and answered with, "no" recently.  But I guess I am?!  I still need to do some thinking on the subject.  If you're going to call a spade a spade, I guess I already have a very small business.  I have both an Etsy and an Artfire presence, I started a blog to talk about it, and spend hours talking about it with my mother (another seller, by the way) thinking strategy and ways to get exposure.

So anyway, soon to come will be links and widgets to my "dirty work".....maybe someone will see something and love it as much as I loved putting it together.  That's my hope anyway.

Getting back to myself (If I ever really knew who she was)

How does one center themselves? Get back to their fucking happy place? Feel content?  I'm struggling with this. Always have. With my life essentially being half over, it has been striking me that there is no better time than now to figure this out. Is this my mid-life crisis? Does everyone feel this way?

38 years old and not a clue where to start, but I’m going to start trying things that challenge me.  And, well, make me smile. Specifically, beading and making jewelry. I know, I know, that reminds you of this:

But I’m actually being dead serious.

When looking for a "self management" topic for a work meeting (long story...), I came across the concept of "flow".

…Finding Flow contends that we often walk through our days unaware and out of touch with our emotional lives. Our inattention makes us constantly bounce between two extremes: during much of the day we live filled with the anxiety and pressures of our work and obligations, while during our leisure moments, we tend to live in passive boredom. The key, according to Csikszentmihalyi, is to challenge ourselves with tasks requiring a high degree of skill and commitment. Instead of watching television, play the piano. Transform a routine task by taking a different approach. In short, learn the joy of complete engagement. Though they appear simple, the lessons in Finding Flow are life-altering.

The quote above is about a book is called Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.  I have not read this yet (put it in the queue!), but the idea seems pretty simple.  Get lost in doing something creative, and most importantly, something you love and crave to know more about.  I’ve been trying really hard to incorporate this into my life. Make it worth waking up for. Is it working? Well I still can't be 100% sure, but one thing I do know....I have shit-tons of jewelry.