Momboss Journey Update

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve updated you on my momboss journey and I’m in a whole new phase of raising our daughter. She is in the TODDLER phase and if you’ve ever been around a toddler, you know it is no joke!

Tallulah is now 2.5 years old, she will be in 3 years old in March and it’s quite incredible and exhausting watching her grow. When you think about all the parts of life that they are learning, you kinda understand why they have so many tantrums and meltdowns. Like, it’s really hard to learn how to put on a dang sock?!

I had a revelation the other day that her journey is a major challenge and growth for me as well, it’s test to see how much patience and extreme understanding on my part. For example, you have to know ahead of time that wherever you take a toddler, you won’t be there long OR whatever activity you do it’ll last at the most 10 minutes. And that’s really hard because as an adult you want to enjoy the time and not have to leave every time toddlers get bored.

I love being a role model for my daughter, she is so inquisitive and loves being in the studio with me.

Meanwhile, this time of year, October through December are my busy months due to holiday shopping and I need more time than ever in my studio. I’ve been fortunate to befriend a nanny in town and I can hire her for one day a week to watch Tallulah, this is immense! Imagine that you run a business while also watching a child full time - it’s an extreme juggling act.

This made me think, how is it that raising a child and running a business are similar and how can I use my stay at home/work from home status as an advantage?

1. Always be prepared - Answer your clients questions before they are asked = know what your child wants before she wants it. case in point, my daughter and I are out for a bike ride, I bring water and snacks with us, ‘cause I know she’ll be thirsty and hungry. Customer needs their ring size or necklace length, I provide you with charts to make it easy. BOOM!

2. Exceed their expectations - I’d like to think that I’ve got this part, but I’m still working on it. With my customers I try to go above and beyond what they’d expect when their order arrives, a small gift of lavender and sage bundle with a polishing cloth to help protect and maintain their jewelry. With Tallulah, I do the same but in a different way. I ensure my daughter has a surprise daily, whether it’s some candy or a trip to the thrift store where she can pick out a very thrifty present.

3. Plan for the future - Running a small business or any business really means forecasting and planning in my calendar for holidays and Full moons so that I can provide information to my customers and also offers and sales. With Tallulah, we’re already scheduling her preschool and doctor appointments. You see how Mom’s already make excellent business women right?

4. Making community connections - I can’t say it enough how much our lives have improved by making mom friends in our small and tight knit town. I was able to bond with other moms and share stories AND good schools and programs for Tallulah. In addition, my skill at talking has created bonds for my jewelry business and friendships.

5. Good intuition pays off - Again in both aspects, small business and raising a toddler, I just have a good gut for when my daughter needs me and what changes I need to make in my business. I just knew that if I quite my part time job three years ago I could more than double my earning working those days on my business, one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Along with knowing when my daughter is about to go no. 2 helps!

Ironically enough when I was updating this post I was listening to a podcast about how women often times make better business women than men and I gotta say I couldn’t agree more. Being a mom has honestly helped me hone my instincts and work ethic so much and I’m amazed at this because years ago I was quite petrified of being a mom and somehow trying to manage a business but as the saying often goes, life tends to know what you can and can’t handle.

I hope that perhaps these points will give you pause to consider creating a family OR perhaps tapping into that mom energy and using it for your own life.

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Get Ready, 'Cause the Holidays are Coming!

So we’ve already got our Halloween decorations out and we’re sipping pumpkin spiced latte - we’re all ready for the weather to cool off so we can bust out the long sleeve pajamas.

Along with that we’re marking our calendars because there are some amazing craft shows coming up. The longer I participate in local handmade shows the more I love shopping for my loved ones at the shows. And I’m participating in several new shows this season.

LIke CraftedVA in Norfolk, Virginia, it’ll be held at O’Connor Craft Brewery on Saturday, October 12th.

I’m also doing the femme empowered Girl Tribe show in Charlotte, NC December 14th &15th.

There are so many great vendors at these shows, ones that are local to the south. These shows are kid friendly and are just a fun outing for the whole family. Did you know when you spend money on locally made products 110% goes back into your community? It’s a win-win situation!

I hope to see you at any of these events - be on the lookout (those on my email list) you’ll be getting a postcard in the mail. And if you aren’t on my list, sign up today!

How to Solve This Giant Jewelry Problem

As a jeweler, I often get asked many questions that are quite simple or even insider secrets that not many people know about.

So read on because I’m about to share some BIG secrets and solutions to many of your jewelry problems.

• TAKE OFF YOUR jewelry! Let me say that again, take it off DAILY. Yes, you love those earrings, but do you know what builds up between skin and jewelry? You don’t want to know. So take my advice, take off your jewelry and create a special space for it. I put jewelry dishes all over my house to hold my studs, rings and more.

• Have your highly prized, family heirlooms and wedding rings cleaned professionally and do it twice a year. I worked at a jewelry repair shop and let me tell you, that a good steam and soak in the ultrasonic cleaners at a repair shop will have your jewels looking BLINGED OUT!

• Create spaces to hold and display your jewelry. I keep pretty little dishes in my bathroom, bedroom - everywhere to hold my sacred jewels.

• Save the cheap stuff for your children or teenagers. Honestly, some of the mass marketed jewels are made with lead in China. I know it’s SO tempting but at the end of the day you want your jewelry to last and not kill you slowly.

• SAVE and mail out gold and silver jewels you no longer want and get cash from them. I do it often with all my scrap metal. Don’t take your jewels to a pawn shop, they won’t give you the full amount of what your jewelry is worth. My favorite refinery is Hoover & Strong. click the link to learn more.

So there you have it, my INSIDER secrets and tips on jewelry. I hope they help you and pass them on! We all need that one friend that saves us time and money right?

Thanks so much for reading and coming with me on this journey called life. And if you want to learn more secret ways to care and save on your jewelry, click the link below and sign up for my email list. You’ll get 15% off your next order too.

My Favorite All Natural HANDMADE Beauty Products

Over the course of the past three years I’ve truly begun to move towards consuming all natural and organic products in addition to using more oils, cultivating a garden and reducing our waste as a family. One of my new favorite hacks is creating my own home cleaning products. I use vinegar, lemon juice, water and a dash of eucalyptus oil to clean my counters. We have begun composting and we’re planning to expand our vegetable and herb garden next year.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I really love using handmade beauty products. When I use the term handmade I truly mean handmade. The herbs have been either harvested or ethically sourced and even some of the marketing materials have been created by the maker. I know personally several of the owners of these companies and I just LOVE it that I can shop with them versus CVS or Target. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy a good clearance item at Target but the core products I use are small business owned and most likely female owned.

Totally cheesy photo of me but I post it to show you how great my skin looks with no makeup because I use Priya’s Deep Radiance Face cream nightly!

So I’d love to share my favorite products made by some amazingly talented bossbabes:

1. Priya Means Love - I’ve mentioned her products before on my here and suffice it to say, I’m a loyal fan of her rich, creamy and absolutely earthy goodness creams, lotions, balms and fragrances. Priya and I met years ago at the Craft Bastards Craft show in DC and we had a lil trade which led me to being addicted to her goods!

2. Lo&Behold - I absolutely love Lizzie and her delicious products. We met several years ago at a local craft show and her lotions and potions are just incredible AND she employs young adults to help her craft her products. She uses all natural ingredients and they just make you FEEL SO good!

3. Ritual Elements - I discovered Nique’s products several months ago by chance on Etsy and I’ve given several of her Room + Body Self love sprays as gifts to my friends. These make fantastic wellness gifts for special people in your life, and for yourself. Her bath bombs are tiny treasures with hidden treasures!

4. Mother Mountain herbals - When I need a dusting of coco rose dry shampoo I turn to Mother mountain. I discovered them through my stockist Everyday Magic and I’ve been a loyal fan of their products. Stina also got her start creating her creations in Asheville, so I love the extra North Carolina representation.

I’m sure I’ll add more to that list however I’m kinda itching to create my own! Since we’ve begun our herb and vegetable garden it has gotten me closer and more comfortable handling plants. With that I also want to venture myself in creating my own remedies, oils, tinctures and more. You can say I’m a novice of herbal studies and I”m really loving it.

There is such a wonderful feeling in getting a bit dirty, using your hands and body to become familiar with the earth. I urge you to move towards more natural and organic products. It’s better for you and our world.

As always thank you for reading and stay tuned for my herbal studies progress. Join my email list and I’ll share more with you!

How Becoming a Mother Changed My Perspective of 'Work' and Life Balance

Over the course of the past two years of being a mother I’ve been through a bit of a roller coaster of emotions. Some days I’m at peace with my new role and other days I feel complete overwhelm and anxiety.

I’ve posted on my blog several times about my journey and how I finally came to some peace with the fact that there won’t ever truly be balance. And I’m sure so many other moms have the same feelings, what I think is unique about being a stay at home mom AND running a small business without much child care is that it can take an incredible amount of patience, flexibility and community help to get through the the long haul.

One significant factor in my coming to terms with the role of motherhood and working from home is my mindset has changed incredibly. I’ve listened to podcasts that encourage meditation, working smarter and less, creating rituals that ensure productivity.and mindfulness. I’ve also just allowed myself to take time to rest and relax.

AND the major part of all of my changes in mindset is my daughter Tallulah; toddlers have a way of forcing you to be present and incredibly patient. Toddlers will TEST you like no other and in the end you begin to understand that they are simply curious. And that curiosity is immensely beautiful and grounding.

You might be thinking, ok Lisette we get it, you’ve accepted being a mom and a boss, what’s that have to do with me?

“I share my experience with you because I know we all struggle with balance and just BEING, and knowing that perhaps in the moment there can be anxiety, stress and overwhelm but if we acknowledge that it isn’t us - any situation that we’re in is one we’re experiencing but it doesn’t define us. ”

— Lisette Fee

Thus here are photos of me in my studio, garden, meditation space and most importantly of all photos of me with my pookie, Tallulah.

Tallulah loves flowers and being outside. It’s our daily ritual to walk all around our town.

Watering our vegetable and herb garden.

Tickles are the best with a little person.

Rose in hand, surrounded by jewels.

While Tallulah naps, I work!

Tallulah loves playing in my meditation room.

sorting through tarot cards and rune stones.

I hope you enjoyed this post and an inside look into my studio and life. And thank you as always for supporting and following Eilisain.

3 Mombosses I Admire

Are you tired yet of me talking about being a momboss? I hope not because I have a new post to share with you several MOMBOSSES that I admire and respect.

We can all agree that being a bossbabe is a ton of work, responsibility and juggling but add being a mom on top of that and it’s even more scheduling and organization.

Erica Letchworth - I met Erica when I first moved to my small town of Farmville three years ago. And right off that bat I knew that we would become friends. We have so much in common, we both lived in Gainesville, FL, we both attended ECU AND we’re both bossbabes. And now, we have even more in common, Erica became a mom a year ago. Erica is a portrait photographer and she is in the same boat as I am, running a small business AND caring for her daughter full time. Somehow she makes it all work!

*side note: Erica will be shooting me in my home studio and meditation space next week. I’m SUPER excited to work with her.

How beautiful is this family? Erica with her husband and daughter.

Kelly Boutilier - Kelly is a veteran entrepreneur, she has run her own boutique, organized epic fashion shows and now she owns a yoga practice and a pop up shop/gallery for exhibitions and shows. When I met Kelly her son Kingy was just a baby and now he’s practically a teenager! Watching Kelly juggle all her projects and endeavors has always inspired and motivated me. She makes it look so easy, fun and fierce!

Here I am with Kelly and our friend/artist/momboss Kristen Hardee

Courtney Kerr - I introduced ya’ll to Courtney when I did my fav photographers post. And as you know she’s also a mom. She’s managed to shoot families and children while also caring for her toddler. Courtney most recently had a baby and she’s continued to amaze me with her momboss strength and tenacity. Courtney shot our family photos and I’ll forever cherish them.

Such a fun and happy photo with my hubby and daughter.

So this Mother’s Day, not only do I urge you to support small and local business’ but also the mombosses in your life. They deserve and need your support and love; especially these MEGA MOMBOSSES. They are true warriors in home life and work life.

Thanks as always for reading and popping by my blog. If you want to get more information like this sign up for my email list.

And if you’re still shopping for a mother’s day gift…SHOP my guide below!

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Who truly holds the world up? Mothers. For real, they get shit done and also manage to be amazing. All the mother’s I know are absolutely incredible. They’re bossbabes, stylish women on the go that also make time to read to their kids, take them to whatever sport activity and run a household.

So let’s treat mom’s to badass jewels!

Here’s my gift guide for all the fierce women in your life, and to the fur mamas too.

This gift guide covers jewels for the dainty mamas to the fly standout moms.

The new bird bone and gemstone ring. You’ll feel like a fierce goddess.

I do hope that you take time to honor the role of mother this year, especially for those that mother’s that may not have a large family or friend base. Send a card to an Aunt or family friend that has carried her role as mother with pride and dignity. I’ve created a list of women that have aided me in my life and been there for me.

I’m quite excited that my own Mother will be visiting our family this year and that we will have a chance to celebrate with Tallulah. When I think back to being a young child and not realizing how hard it must’ve been for my own mom to be strong and lift us up when we needed it, I am incredibly grateful and thankful.

Thank you for visiting and stay fierce!

PS - Don’t forget I’m releasing my Labyrinth Collection on May 8th just before Mother’s Day. These will be incredibly one of a kind and rare jewels. See the sneak peek photo below.

Swirly malachite is so rich and deep.

Five Local Photographers You Should Know and Work With

In our day and age of consuming images and technology, a good photographer has never been more important. Not just that, the people behind the camera are even more important.

As a creative and jeweler I come in contact with many photographers and I have an impressive roster of super talented friends that know how to capture just the right image.

I’ve worked with the following individuals in different capacities, either for my jewelry brand or personally and they are each talented in a different way. Depending on the occasion, you want a photographer that knows how to set the scene or catch a certain pose and make sure you don’t have lipstick on your teeth!

1. Aileen Devlin - Ya’ll know she is my go-to woman for all my incredible up close jewelry shots. And this badass isn’t afraid to tell you how to switch up the look or smile etc. Aileen and I have worked together since the inception of my business and I trust her completely. Oh AND Aileen now shoots videos!

2. Sim Asher - We’ve also worked together since 2012, Sim has a great eye for scenic shots and infusing an image with additional moodiness. Sim also is creative in creating strange and dreamy shots.

3. Courtney Kerr - My fellow momboss shoots family and solo portraits and she is so good at making you feel comfortable and at ease. Courtney shot our family images and I was so pleased with the naturalness of our pictures, ones we will treasure for a long time.

4. Gigi Hoggard - This lady knows how to sprinkle magic dust on her shoots, she will make you into Snow White, a Viking or a Prince. Seriously, Gigi creates the most stunning and enchanting images with her editing skills. She is also ridiculously funny and entertaining. You will have a blast with her!

5. Carley Page Summers - Carley is a triple threat, she styles, shoots and shops for your home and photos. Technically I didn’t work with Carley on a photoshoot BUT she styled one of my trunk shows and honestly, I don’t need to work with her to know this woman has MAD design and photo skills. You will be taken to a serene and calm world with Carley!

It’s hard to decide my favorite Aileen Devlin image but this is in the top ten.

Aileen Devlin takes immense care in setting up a shot. A mega skill of good photographers.

Love this dreamy shot of Ashleigh in the woods by Sim Asher.

Sim works his best in the outdoors, he makes any outdoors scene otherwordly.

I am IN LOVE with the shots Courtney Kerr took of us. Look at how happy we are?!

Courtney Kerr is such a pro, she helps relax a family by shooting in their habitat.

Summoning all the magic with Gigi Hoggard, how wicked is this shot?

Gigi is one of those people that will get down and dirty to capture the essence of her subjects. And she sprinkles that magic dust to make the shot GLOW!

See the gorgeous blankets, plants and vibe? That’s Carley, literally in the background.

As soon as I met Carley I felt all this stylish, elegance and fun vibes from her, and so will you.

So that wraps this post on my favorite LOCAL Eastern North Carolina based photographers. There is so much talent in our region, which is why I post about it so much. Take this opportunity and book one of these awesome individuals because their calendars fill up fast!

Flashback to the Time I Co-produced a Fashion Show - Aurelian Nights

Confession time - I fancy myself fashion designing. When I was in early middle school, about twelve years old I dreamed of being on MTV House of Style or Fashion File - the big fashion shows on television. I would dream up weird yet artistic outfits. Once I sketched a harlequin ensemble! It was super cheesy but interesting.

Local college students, business owners and more were models for the event. We even had them walk down the street to promote the event.

So it’s no surprise that I finally lived out part of that dream in working on a jewelry and fashion show with my good friend Paula Chrismon. At the time, five years ago Paula owned a consignment boutique in Uptown Greenville and I had my studio at Art Avenue. And I loved the idea of merging the two, consignment fashion with art jewelry. Paula provided the clothing and shoes, while I worked with some of my art jeweler friends to provide the mega jewels. And all of the clothing and jewelry would be black and gold. Hence the name Aurelian (translates to Golden).

We worked it out that we secured sponsorships from local business’ at three monetary levels, $50, $75 and $100 this was able to pay for our lookbook, video, food and signage. It was probably one of the most ambitious and gratifying projects I’ve ever worked on. We were able to generate so much interest and attendance in the show that we were bursting at the seems, and mind you we didn’t charge an entrance fee for the event.

We even made a video, for which I’m so proud and happy we did. The video combined our love of fashion and production. You can watch it below.

Me with my friend Gabi. The show was the talk of the town.

Danielle James necklace - how amazing and cool is the way she created a brick window into a necklace?

I enlisted my friends to sell and promote the jewelry.

When I recall this amazing event Paula and I put together I’m struck by how much I loved working with my friends and community in showcasing local talent. Granted it was alot of work however the fashion show elevated the status of consignment fashion and art jewelry. I think it’s so important to remove the curtain in a sense of art, to show it as everyday.

I’m hoping that I can work with other talented individuals in my new town of Farmville. What I’ve learned over the years is that when I work with others it makes a project not only more fun and enjoyable but also it creates alliances and new relationships that didn’t exist previously and those relationships carry over into future collaborations.

As always, thank you for reading and you can learn more about my projects and events below.

Are You a Bourbon Bride?

That is to say, are you a nontraditional bride? These days weddings have completely changed, they aren’t the usual church, white wedding gown and country club wedding.

Ceremonies nowadays can take place anywhere, with a bride and groom chucking the norm and doing it their own way. And I totally love that! My wedding was a bit different, we got married outside of our favorite restaurant and I wore pink. I’ve had friends get married at an artist retreat outside, in gardens, at science museums and wear purple. Who cares whats traditional when you can truly make your wedding day unique and different?

Thus I’m super happy to have been accepted into the Bourbon Bridal show happening Sunday, January 20th in Durham at the Cookery. I participated in the show two years ago and I had so much fun. The vendors at the Bourbon Bride Bridal show cater to couples that want the unusual, people that come from all backgrounds. There were vintage interior designers offering a special way to decorate the event, floral designers that create super cool floral arrangements and more.

Speaking of nontraditional weddings, how about a bridal photoshoot at a cemetery?! For my first bridal photoshoot we shot it at a local cemetery and it gave our shoot an ethereal and heavenly quality. I mean when you get down to it, committing your life to one partner is beyond this world, so why not make it extra special? To make a sacred vow that is eternal sorta relates to the morbid beauty of being buried together.

Okay back to the beauty of life, I’ve created custom designs for a variety of couples and brides. As a result of Bourbon Bride I met Brenna and she had me custom create a set of earrings, necklace and ring for her wedding day. She sent me a set of gorgeous genuine London topaz stones her father mined and had polished. Don’t they look stunning set in the owl talons?

London blue topaz set in 18kt gold owl talons for a bride.

If you’re curious about the custom design process check out my page that goes over the process and I ask you questions to delve deeper into your tastes and thoughts one what you may want created.

My favorite part of the custom design process is that I get incredibly challenged to create new pieces and it pushes me to go further.

Updated: My New Top 5 Favorite Podcasts

Since I don’t work in a conventional office space or even really have a 9-5 job, I keep myself feeling less alone by listening to podcasts. I love it because it’s a way for me to learn as I work. And lately my new podcasts are super engrossing and informative. They challenge me to grow, think outside of the box and challenge my perception of reality and time…..

So here are my new favorite podcasts:

1. The Melissa Ambrosini Show - If you’re into the metaphysical, meditation, yoga etc AND you love Aussie accents then this show is for you. I love her guests Melissa has and her Motivational Monday series. I just feel better when I listen to her show.

2. Goal Digger Podcast with Jenna Kutcher - She is the ULTIMATE bossbabe. Jenna is so real and authentic and she gives away so much FREE knowledge. She has awesome guests from Melissa Ambrosini (that’s how I discovered her) to other super amazing and talented entrepreneurs.

3. Mind Your Business with James Wedmore - I’ll admit, the sound of James is voice is a bit salesy but he is super grounded and I truly enjoy how he melds the metaphysical with abundance, success and growth in your life and business. I also found him through another podcast of Melissa Ambrosini.

4. Don’t Keep Your Day Job - Cathy Heller will motivate you anytime you listen to her, she is so inspiring, positive and authentic. Cathy’s story of working towards becoming a singer to writing her own songs is a journey that many of us can related to in the sense that, sometimes what we think we’re destined for isn’t exactly our journey. She champions each of us to follow our dreams.

5. Witch Wave - The pagan in me has to get my dose of ethereal and weird. Pam Grossman delves into the everyday lives of pagans, witches and earth practioners. Pam brings it all back to me, melding spiritual with everyday ritual and culture.

   
   If you’re looking for a brief motivational story or background noise, podcasts are a great way to listen and enjoy the ride. I hope you liked my updated podcasts list.

   And you can continue to stay updated on all the things I enjoy listening to while I’m in the studio by subscribing to my email list! Sign up below.

Teach Me How to Make Jewelry

This video popped up on my feed and it brought back some fun memories of showing my friend Natalie Saywich, Greenville Reflector reporter, how to make a simple ring band.  Natalie did a series with Mixer magazine (a companion to the newspaper) on teaching her how to do jobs around Greenville.  

Creating a simple ring band is one of my favorite demos and ways to show people how to create jewelry while also getting to work with the torch, which most people love.  

Watch us in action!

Mom Bossing Update - Balancing My Daughter's Growth and My Own Sanity

It's been awhile since I've updated you on the whole, juggling being a SAHM (stay at home mom) and WFHM (work from home mom).  Both of these roles present challenges yet so much gratification.  And it is ALWAYS a work in progress. 

Tallulah is now 17 months old! Nearly two years old and she is constantly on the loose, she absolutely LOVES being outside and getting dirty.   Thus we have taken to being outside as much as possible, she loves digging in the dirt, pulling up weeds with me and in general being a flower girl.  But all our play outside gets me exhausted - I now understand why having kids when you're younger is sensible.  My nearly 40 year old body gets just a bit more tired than it used to!

My daughter is obsessed with flowers, though this is really sage with it's flowers. 

She loves digging in the dirt, so I have her help me with repotting plants.

What I really want to address though in this post is how I've balanced working from home and caring for my daughter.  I truly had to be transparent with you and my customers on the process of getting orders and custom pieces made because the timeline now is much longer.  There are days, such as today, when I put my daughter down for a nap that I just want to lay around and do NOTHING - but my inner bossbabe brains yells at me to get up off the couch and go work.  Or there are nights when I just want to watch the Real Housewives series when I know I should be on my laptop marketing or working in my studio. 

So what ends up happening? A little bit of both.  Some mornings I will race around, handling all the household chores and then scramble to post a photo on social media then sit down and drink my coffee.  Then we go for a long walk around our neighborhood and I'll listen to podcasts while Tallulah points at the trees or birds.  We stop at the playground and she runs around and climbs.  By the time we get home she is ready for her nap and I'm tired from our walk.  That's when I have to ask myself, what needs to get done in my business today.  More importantly, what is the most pressing thing I need to do?  It can be a mix of everything.  I'm trying so hard to pre-emptively work at scheduling all my marketing and social media posts so that I don't have to think about them however this requires setting aside a very large chunk of time to do so.  But where does that time come from???? Dangit if I didn't wish there was a time jar that I could stow away chunks of time!

On the same token I do try to set aside time for self care.  Some nights I'll go up to my meditation room, light sage and maybe do a lil tarot reading or crack open my favorite herbal book and read for an hour.  I've found that this time to myself is critical for my own sanity.  I need time to rest my body and brain.  And not just that I crave time to be inspired, to dream and journal my thoughts. 

At my most recent show, the Durham Patchwork Market in Durham, NC.

I'm fortunate in that I have such a supportive family and husband.  On the weekends my husband will take our daughter to his parents house in the country which gives me time to either work in my studio or do things around the house.  I love that time to zone out and get creative.  I typically get two full days of work in my studio and what I produce in those two days are critical to the rest of the week.  And I'll be real - sometimes I set lunch appointments, massage or just a shopping trip on my 'days off'.  Once I got a massage and it was AMAZING! I felt revived!

You may be wondering, why doesn't she just hire a nanny or babysitter.  when it comes down to it - we probably could afford some part time help but we're both so worried about saving money and paying our bills that we don't want to spend it on a nanny when I could watch her.  This is the conundrum I often think about, that what if I did hire someone and worked those extra hours to produce more one of a kind pieces or work on the business side of things?  I'm hoping that I'll soon be in that space to do so but not just yet. 

Thus I continue to juggle a million things at once and hope that somehow our lives will go smoothly - HAHA! wishful thinking but in the end, I do feel so incredibly blessed to spend these critical months with my daughter. 

thank you so much for reading, following and supporting my small business, it means putting food on our table and that is immense!

How to Style Your Jewelry This Summer and All the Time

“Make your jewelry the centerpiece of your outfit - a long necklace brings the eye inward, your hair pulled up shows off your new gemstone earrings”

— Lisette Fee

You - my dear customers and friends are the ones that have showed me how wonderfully you wear and show off your jewelry.  The ladies above are all dear friends and models of EJ and you can do the same!

click the link below to receive more tips and tricks on how to style and use your jewelry in your daily life.