You have more power than you know

I say this quite often and most often to myself, but I don’t think we truly realize the immense effect we can have on each other and on our environment. It’s the butterfly effect, that one flap of a butterflies wing can set off a world of events but it truly is REAL.

It’s little things, and big acts that make HUGE differences in our lives. This hits me on different levels but one situation that had me so happy and grateful was rescuing a husky dog from an elderly couple that needed to rehome her.

Here’s the story: One of my dearest friends moved to our small town of Farmville about a year ago, and she’s got a cute backyard. One afternoon I went back there view her garden when I looked at her neighbors house to see a gorgeous white husky dog looking forlorn in a small enclosure. I couldn’t help but wonder, why is that beautiful dog back there most days?

Well it really started to get to me when I’d leave my daughters bike at my friends house and I’d look in the backyard and see Bella looking utterly sad (at least that’s what I figured she felt like because I’d be very sad too).

It kept nagging at me, Bella the husky must be eternally bored not being able to run free. So a customer suggested I talk to the owners and offer to walk Bella. That was all the motivation I needed to get the courage to talk to the elderly couple. When I offered they were grateful and even asked me if I wanted to keep Bella.

Now look, I would’ve taken Bella in a heartbeat but we have three cats nor do we have a fenced in yard. So I began to devise a way to find Bella a home. It took sometime but I found her one with my other friend Steve. My friend Steve has a large fenced in back yard and I told myself, I believe Steve could use this gorgeous husky in his life.

I also want to take a moment to say that at this time, about a month ago, I was feeling really depressed. I was experiencing a bit of a mid life crisis (which to be honest has not gone away - but that’s another story for another time). Bella felt incredibly healing to me, walking her with my daughter and having this purpose to find her a home distracted me from feeling low. Have you ever felt like that?

HUSKY TOTEM MEANING: It’s not the journey but the destination, husky reminds us to enjoy our path and to follow our instincts. Huskies are also a reminder to have fun and be playful. Husky symbolism also reminds us to be in service of others, and taking leadership roles when others don’t.

As you can surmise, when we help others we’re actually helping ourselves. And I’ve found that animals, being in their presence and witnessing their true zest for life whether it’s running, playing or eating is a reminder of life’s simple pleasures.

Bella is now in a space where she can enjoy space and freedom to run and she’s in a loving home. This whole incident got me thinking how when we pay attention to the people and our surroundings, we have the ultimate power to generate love, generosity and ultimately change the life path of others through our actions.

We’re watching this play out on the world stage, Ukraine is being bombed and terrorized by one man’s greed and massive ego. Then on the other hand we have many people giving and doing whatever they can to help the people of Ukraine and it’s neighboring countries. My heart breaks when I see German and Polish mothers leaving strollers for mothers fleeing Ukraine.

So my proposal to you is see how you can make a difference in someone’s life, whether it be small or big. Take a meal to an elderly couple, give a homeless person some cash, be generous because the universe listens and responds to like energy.

My core value with Eilisain and my own self is to nurture you and your life so that you can give the same to others. Come with me on this powerfully divine journey, sign up for my emails and I’ll continue to give you stories of hope, love inspiration and more!

Friends are the key to happiness and Eilisain Jewelry

Earlier this month I celebrated ten years in business and I truly felt like a queen and honored as if it was my birthday. All my closest and dearest friends in Eastern North Carolina came out and I felt so BLESSED!

How did I end up with such a supportive group of friends? I’m not sure but I count myself lucky because I’ve worked with these beautiful people since I started Eilisain at Art Avenue back in 2012 in Uptown Greenville.

Let me tell you that a small business growing does not happen in a vacuum, it happens with connections, relationships and care for these relationships.

From left to right: Aileen Devlin (my favorite photographer), Nikki Lee Dixon (sexy model and friend), me, Khristi Dixon (I mean, what a HOT couple - both models might I add), Janie Askew (talented artist & stylist) and Claire Edwards (my bestie and biggest supporter).

My dear friend Sim Asher (and also photographer for the Momentary Myth collection) snapped these photos and I’m so grateful he was able to capture the joy and celebration.

Here’s a little throwback story, it’s early 2012 and I had wanted to get professional lifestyle photos of my jewelry and I didn’t know that many people yet in Greenville, so I reached out to Sim and he connected me with all the beautiful people you see above. You see Sim, well he’s practically an honorary mayor of Uptown Greenville. Sim knows EVERYONE. And he’s alot of fun so it did help to connect with Sim Asher.

Claire Edwards and I cheesin’

Claire Edwards is special to me in that she was the gateway to having a studio space to create my jewelry at Art Avenue.. Art Avenue was the brainchild of Claire and our friend Sarah Setzco. They wanted a space to nurture artists from East Carolina University art school. Myself and a group of other artists which included Aileen Devlin, Jeremy Fineman, Andy Denton, Autumn Brown and Sim Asher organized and rallied with Claire and Sarah to support the space for live music, art and more. It was a big dream that I believed in and it was critical to the success of my business.

Thus my relationship with Claire was friendly in 2012 but we’ve grown closer and I count her as one of my closest friends whom was there with me from the beginning of Eilisain Jewelry.

Kristie King, one of my mentors and dear friend

Sid and Aileen (another hot couple)

My amazing husband, Bobby Pittman and my friend Jett Harrell.

Celebrating ten years gave me perspective and incredible gratitude for my friends and community. Building relationships with my friends and customers has created lasting bonds and memories that I cherish.

When I sell a piece of jewelry it is created with incredible intention, love and care. When I sell to you I am not a factory but a person that has made jewelry from a part of our world, part of our history and story.

If you love the feeling you get reading this OR you want to keep up to date with Eilisain, join my email list.

Momboss update - the toddler years are incredible

At the Mucha exhibit in early January at the North Carolina Museum of Art

Oh hey, it’s me over here working part time in my studio and caring for our intrepid and curious 4.5 year old. Tallulah is growing like a sassy little weed and I love it! It’s been some time since I’ve given ya’ll an update on what it’s like raising Tallulah AND balancing an at home jewelry business.

it’s SO challenging and exhausting and precious, so, SOOOO precious. I know that I will look back on these years with yearning and fondness. She is easy to be with most of the time but she also has her tantrums and I have mine. I’m learning patience and presence which are both big lessons.

To give you an idea of our schedule Tallulah is in preschool half the day and she’s at home the other half, my father in law watches her two afternoons a week and then I work one day on the weekend.

This schedule is very tight, for me, meaning that within three hours everyday I squeeze in studio time, computer/marketing/advertising time along with replying to emails, cleaning up the house. And even within those three hours sometimes I schedule doctors appointments or meetings.

Just like with you the hours - every hour - is precious. My sanity and my self care is precious as well. I don’t know about you but within these pandemic years I’ve taken a big OVERALL look on my life and how I spend my time.

Ice cream is a weekly activity we enjoy in our small town of Farmville.

With Tallulah’s baby years gone, I’m recognizing even more that now I must be completely PRESENT with her, watch her grow and learn as well as look less at my phone or obsess over my next Instagram post or reel.

Of course, social media and internet has been a HUGE blessing for my business however I’ve been experiencing burnout and the consequences are real. So when I get time with Tallulah I try really hard to be there for her instead of wandering off to my phone.

Okay so here are some of the FUN activities we do. I’ve taught Tallulah how to rider her bike, so we bike ride to school in the morning, she knows how use the potty on her own, she’s learning some new Spanish words and she’s OBSESSED with slime and play-doh.

Tallulah has her own crafting room and her favorite medium is GLITTER….so there is glitter in every knook and cranny of this house. I’ve even busted out my old gem beads for her to craft her own jewelry. She really loves doing that. And I think one of my new favorite traditions is having Tallulah deliver jewels to some of my local customers.

Whenever Tallulah is at the table, so is Lady Shadow Cookies.

All in all being Tallulah’s primary caretaker is a role I take joyously, the sacrifices we’ve made for that means so much more. Being a mom has made me a more patient and aware human being, I have this immense gratitude for the life I had as a young human and the work my parents put into my life.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and update. I am INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL TO YOU for watching me grow and evolve as a mother.

Would you like to win a FREE pair of owl talon earrings AND a double talon ring

Ya’ll know I love to celebrate, it’s my Libra moon but also the fact that I truly love gathering with my friends and family and laughing and sharing new memories.

So with that said I want to share in the celebrating with YOU. I’m giving away not one but TWO pieces of jewelry. You only have to do 5 things (that’s not much at all):

1. Sign up for Eilisain’s email list HERE

2. SHARE the IG post with the giveaway on your IG STORY

3. TAG 3 friends in the comments of the IG post

4. LIKE the post

5. FOLLOW Eilisain Jewelry on InstaGram

The winner will be announced on Friday, February 4th round 6am. The winner will be announced on Instagram and the winner will receive an email with confirmation for ring size and shipping address.

I can’t wait to announce the WINNER, maybe it’ll be YOU!

Ten years I've been in business, here's a look back

Ya’ll WHAT! WHAT & HOW have ten years in business gone by?! I remember, in 2012 sitting at my desk planning for what my business would look like in ten years and it felt so far away. Time is like that, a construct we create to manage life on earth. Okay I won’t get all esoteric but seriously!

So I’m going BIG on this anniversary because to be quite honest I’m in awe and surprised at myself. No one truly prepares you for what it’s like to go into business for yourself, it is BRUTAL. Being an entrepreneur means a mirror is held up at you at all times because there is no one but yourself to hold yourself responsible.

But it’s super rewarding and absolutely gratifying to be in the driver’s seat of your own destiny and business. And once my husband and I were ready to start our family, it became so seamless to raise our daughter while also running Eilisain, perhaps not ideal but I have truly loved being home with our daughter especially now.

With that said, here’s some photos of me back in 2013 at Art Avenue, trying to look SO boss! lol, what strikes me as funny is that I had ABSOLUTELY no clue what I was doing, just doing my best.

Anywho, let’s get back to the FUN part. Ten years ago I graduated from East Carolina University and promptly moved my jewelers bench to a co-op studio in Uptown Greenville, NC. It was one of the best experiences of my life, I never thought that I’d get to share the experience and support of beginning my business if it hadn’t be for Art Avenue. Because once Art Avenue closed in 2016 my husband and I moved into a house in which I could have my own studio.

Over the years I’ve been blessed to hire interns and assistants that helped me along the way. My second intern, Ashton is here with me in my small studio. It was tight and cozy and I loved it.

I want to go back a bit further though, back in 2007, when I was working full time in Washington, D.C. I DREAMED of this life I have now. I dreamed of a family and working in my studio creating and making. At that time, I was working a desk job and it was not suited for me. I got easily distracted and pretty much doodled jewelry designs in meetings.

My old bench in school at East Carolina University.

So when I look at my life here & now, I’m so GRATEFUL for the chance I took, for the risk. That’s what I want you to take away from my 10 year anniversary. YOU CAN FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS, you just have to believe in them with every fiber of your being.

Badass bossbabe Kelly Boutilier wearing the Hunted badger claw pendant.

And let me say, that my journey is your journey, of discovery and curiosity and wonder for animals. Thank you for joining me on this journey. THANK YOU for supporting me, sharing Eilisain Jewelry, sharing YOUR story.

So if you live in the Greenville NC area, please come and celebrate with me. Safely of course, with masks and loads of hand sanitizer. Join me for a party of jewelry and badassery!

New stockist - The Sojourner Whole Earth Provisions

Holy cow I’m SO excited to say that Eilisain is now being carried by my favorite local witchy/pagan shop, The Sojourner Whole Earth Provisions!!!

I have shopped with Michelle since I moved to Greenville and it’s pretty awesome timing that Michelle just released a book!

If you live in the Greenville area, shopping at Sojo’s is a destination, her tarot stock has exploded, she has an array of ceremonial candles, crystals, books, and so much more. I never thought my jewelry would be stocked there but it is and it’s just such an honor.

You can also shop at Sojo’s online. Either way, I wanted to share this exciting news with you. If you have ANY suggestions on stock shops please let me know! You can email me at info@eilisanjewelry.com

Thank you as always for reading and following me on this journey.

You are a BIG blessing in this universe.

You Wore it Best...How Eilisain Customers Style Their Jewels

Here’s an update on how you style your Eilisain jewels. There were so many good ones from this holiday season (aka Halloween).

I really love seeing how you wear your jewels because it shows them in real life on REAL humans.

My friend Allison is dressed as the Goblin King (yesssss!) wearing her moonstone and badger claw pendant.

Below is my friend Rosie and her wild cat with the owl talon earrings. Rosie and I went to ECU together and she works with animals at home and work. She is such a badass.

My friend Katie is Medusa and how absolutely appropriate is it that she’s wearing several Medea pieces? Katie is a badass as well, she has gone thru the fire and back and I’m so lucky to call her a friend.

How fabulous is this lady and her red nails with the rose gold plated Hunted owl talon arch ring? It looks so good on her! I met this lady and the silver fox below in Norfolk at the New Moon Market last weekend. I always have such a good time when I do shows in Norfolk.

I truly LOVE photos of YOU in your jewels. You are a badass and you should show it off!

thank you as always for reading and popping on by!

Holidayzzzzzzz Events and dates to remember

It never fails that I am attacked by how quickly the holidays arrive, and they are here in FULL FORCE!

My dears please keep these dates in mind as you shop with me and your expectations of gift orders. Your orders are a priority for me, and I want to ensure you get them in time.

And if you want to shop with me in person, safely, come visit me at any of the in person shows below (there are virtual ones too so add those to your calendar as well).

The Samhain Collection

Initially I wanted to create a spider collection, I transitioned to making it more whole to cover this auspicious time of year. I believe all of us find Halloween so beguiling and comforting because as much as life is a beautiful thing, death will be our reprieve. Thus I decided to create a collection that celebrates one of my favorite pagan sabbaths, Samhain.

Samhain is the Celtic/Pagan holiday celebrates the harvesting season, when mother earth releases her leaves, when we gather honor our ancestors with gifts, prayers and festivities.

So just as snake showed up into my life quite seamlessly, spider is doing the same. Earlier this summer I came across a gorgeous little orb weaver. She’s so pretty with her lil points and black and white colors.

Besides being quite beautiful, spider is an excellent reminder that we are the weavers of our own destiny. And the amazing interconnectedness of humanity and that what each of us does in our lifetime can affet many others.

As you might guess, creatin a spider jewel would be done by hand NOT by casting an actual spider although I’m sure it could be done.

And to challenge myself I decided to create my own spider. It was not easy and I’m still perfecting it. I wanted to create a spider that has longer legs but wouldn’t get in the way of you wearing it.

When I was reading up on spiders I was not surprised to learn that spiders are just as scared of us as we are of them! Yes spiders are scared of giant human beings. And spiders are quite fragile, they can actually break if you drop them from high up. Thus let us have respect and honor for such small yet might creatures.

Perhaps death is scared of us? I know it’s a silly concept to think of, or that human life is just as fragile, complex and if we aren’t too careful - we can break it.

The Samhain Collection will have you amazed and surprised at how necessary it is for our human existance to celebrate, revere and honor death and the departed.. I will be dropping this collection, officially on Wednesday October 20th, the New Moon in Aries.

I'm Launching a podcast ...yes I wrote that

This project has been in the works for quite some time, I truly love podcasts. They are what got me thru working from home and being a stay at home mom. I kid you not, podcasts are my teachers and coworkers. So it is no surprise that I decided to launch my own podcast.

My favorite type of podcast is a mix of motivational/funny/real/applicable to real life. Nourished Intentions is my way of giving back to you what I’ve learned over my lifetime. Here on the blog I experimented with offerings, meditations, advice and so much more. On the podcast I’ll be offering you some of the ways to bring INTENTION into your life. Now more than ever we are in a place of rebirth, we’re discovering we don’t have to be part of the ‘system’ when it comes to our personal time. How can we truly value every moment? How can you maximize your time efficiently and with ease & comfort.

My favorite episode is the interview I did with Erin Harker of The Magick Makers. We chatted about being small business owners and witches in this new world. Erin is so knowledgeable, funny and creative we really vibed on chatting business and magick!

I offer you a guided turtle meditation along with a detailed guide of my patronus pantheon.

The premiere of my podcast is next week on Tuesday, August 31st. You can listen to all of my new episodes and subscribe to stay informed of new ones.

Thank you as always for stopping by, reading about my new podcast AND signing up to learn more about how to live an intentional life!

How to shop intentionally...for the greater good

I was thinking about this several weeks ago as I was preparing to shop for birthday gifts. And how it may benefit YOU on how I shop intentionally.

BENEFITS for you to shopping intentionally:

• You create a stronger bond with your community

• You create a story of where the gift came from

• You save money & time

Okay so WHAT IS shopping intentionally? It’s exactly that, shopping with presence & love. Before you even step outside of your home, create a list. I do this with my morning coffee, or as I’m planning my day. I create a list of what I need and how I can use my errands or work trips to maximize my time.

YOUR TIME IS PRECIOUS - PLAN IT WISELY.

Grab a reusable shopping bag & your face mask, this saves you time, each other & the planet. Hit up your local weekly market or craft show. There are A TON of craft shows going on right now, especially as so many small businesses are ready to recoup lost sales from last year (I felt that hard).

Buying locally made products impacts your community on so many levels, but the biggest reason to support local is you tell your friend a story, where you got it, who made it. We really need this right now as the world has shown us through the pandemic how much we truly need each other.

Now I do understand many of you or some of you do not like big crowds, especially now, you can still shop VIRTUALLY, so many artists & entrepreneurs like myself are hosting virtual shopping experiences. Or just shop directly on their website..

I made a decision about two years ago to never shop on Amazon and it has been amazing and still SUPER EASY & CONVENTIENT for me to NOT support Amazon and their terrible working conditions.

Here’s the honest truth, we VOTE & support people with where we shop. For example refusing to purchase prodcuts with harmful ingredients, terrible working conditions enable us to be in control.

How to pick out the right chain length

This question may seem like a simple solution but it really does vary with what kind of necklace or pendant with regards to size and shape.

I decided that ya’ll may need a physical visual of the various chain lengths and what you wear ultimately determines your chain length. For example in this photo below I’m wearing a longer dress with a U shape neckline. I would wear the Third Eye pendant because it’s a larger pendant size and I want it to lay lower.

If i’m wearing a tshirt with a highter neckline I’ll wear a chain that is 22” as it lands right in the middle of my chest abit higher on the neck.

Below is my handy chart for viewing chain lengths on the body.

With the dress I’m wearing I’d prefer to wear a pendant lower on my chest with an 28’’chain.

I do want to say that nearly all of my chains are interchangeablle with any pendant. That way you can order various chain lengths too. My sterling silver 2.4 mm chains are the perfect size and shape for a large pendant. Each chain comes with a spring ring clasp and a small makers mark hallmark tag for authenticity.

I hope my charts help you determine your chain length. And don’t hesitate to reach out for anymore questions (info@eilisainjewelry.com)

I'll see you this summer

Ahhh that fresh summer feeling, warm sun on your body and attending crafty shows!

Oh how I’ve missed you and meeting you. And now that our country is opening back up we can relish and savor time spent outdoors and with each other, safely that is.

With that said, I’ve got several shows already lined up! I’ll be at various shows around Raleigh and in Norfolk. My favorite part of craft shows is traveling to my favorite cities, meeting kind & beautiful people AND showing off my jewels. Norfolk has become special because of the new friends I’ve made there and getting to know other small shop owners (aka Velvet Witch).

This June I’ll be at O’Connor Brewery vending with the Crafted VA team. There are so many talented makers that participate in their show and the location is a dream!

Then we have the New Moon Market at Selden in downtown Norfolk. Ya’ll have heard me espouse on my love of this show because it has cornered the market on the witch and goth crowd of Norfolk. It’s so much fun cause it’s almost like a party, everyone is shopping, eating and listening to amazing music. The roster of designers is, again, super talented.

You have all the answers you need...with your Third Eye

Really vibing with the Third Eye large earrings

Our world would be in such a better place if we all took at the very least 15 minutes a day to meditate. We’d have time to allow our mind to process and sift thru the events of our life. Here’s an example, when I get quiet in the morning later in the day I’m able to harness that inner calm and compass to react to any last minute stress or anxiety.

With that said, it certainly does help to have a reminder to stop, think and process. That’s why when I created this design very organically I decided to keep it going. The evil eye motif has shown up in my life in the most subtle ways, from purchasing objects with the motif to all the inner work I’ve been doing over the past two years.

You see (get it?) signs have a way of repeating themselves, the universe wants us to achieve our goals and they will signal to us to listen…we just tend to ignore them!!

The Third Eye collection features a collection of jewels, from earrings to rings and bracelets and LOTS of necklaces. These jewels will aid you in remembering to get quiet, think about what’s going on in your life and ways you can progress or resolves issues.

The necklaces feature stones such as lapis lazuli, azurite and perhaps malachite. The Third Eye Collection will be released on the next New Moon Tuesday, May 11th.

There will be a PREORDER option on Tuesday May 4th, this will allow you to preorder before the sale goes live. Sign up at the link below to get the info.