we’re a few weeks into the new year and it’s been getting off to a great start!  i’ve made more time for friends, worked hard, spent a little more time on hobbies i’ve been missing, eating better, doing more yoga/meditation, started journaling and focused every day on being a more peaceful person.  and, of course, started introducing new products into the shop.

new heirloom earrings – simplified, sleek, and less expensive!  still being added to the etsy shop, but see them all here.

men’s gifts including tie clips, cufflinks, money clips and belt buckles are available! pocket watches coming soon, too.

a few new night lights are also available.

still need to work on taking more time for myself, stepping away from the work…but it will take time :)  i re-applied to wholesalecrafts.com in hopes that the 2nd time is a charm and was contacted by a shop called the “glitter workshop” in madison, wisconsin that wants to carry my work.  very excited about everything and hope that 2011 pans out to be the best year yet!

needless to say, 2010 was chock-full of ups and downs.  a year of feats and defeats, struggles and triumphs.  despite all of the struggles, we also had a lot to celebrate and a handful of wonderful people come into our lives for the first time.  i did some traveling, some creating, some growing.

it was a big year for me personally and publicly.  my shop went into total overhaul beginning last january and it seems now a brand new entity.  not only did i meet just about all of my resolutions for last year, but entirely surpassed them.  so now it’s time to think about this year – a fresh start on new goals and things i’d like to accomplish.

first and foremost, i’d like to make more time for friends, family and myself.  i’ve neglected people and hobbies i love when things get busy and i can lose track of time.  there are books to read, new things to try and good people to share them with.  i want to spend more time cooking and baking, re-teaching myself how to knit and crochet, reading, gardening, meditating, exercising, laughing and learning how to make soap (seriously!)

on the note of food, i’d also like to find a healthier path this year.  not necessarily a goal to lose a bunch of weight, but to get tyler and myself on a good track of healthy eating, sleeping and exercise habits.  i think we’ll both be better for it. :)

for 2011, i have a lot of goals for my shop and business.  for starters, there are tons of items i hope to introduce over the next few months that expand and refine existing lines plus a slew of all-new products.  hopefully these big dreams come to fruition.  i’d also like to surpass 2,000 sales by the end of the year, have my online sales contribute in a more stable way to my income, participate in more shows and break further into wholesale in a big big way.  a business license and tax id number are also in my near future :P

another big one for me is the need to take more new photos. since june, i’ve had SERIOUS artist block and i hope to break through that this year.  i have some ideas of photo projects i hope to tackle and feel 2011 is my year.  initially i had thought of doing a 52 weekly photo project (since my 365 was a total bust) but don’t want to set myself up for something that i could potentially disappoint myself on.  so, i may start one sometime throughout the year. but for now i just hope to have my beloved cameras in my hands a little more frequently.

i want to travel more – get the hell out of dodge once in a while.  i’m lucky enough to have been out of the country twice in the past 2 years and  i’d like to do that again in 2011.  and if no planes or boats are in the cards this year, at least i have friends to visit that constitutes hopping on a train and going far enough away that it feels like a vacation.

above all, i want to be peaceful and allow growth.  i want to wake up every day and remember what i’m thankful for, to think before i speak and keep in focus what’s important.  this can be a great year or not, and the choice is mine.

so far, this week has been full of ups ups ups!  mom had a very successful surgery yesterday and after a long stretch of months is finally into the next phase we’ve been longing for: recovery.  feeling incredibly grateful for that and the support of the amazing friends, family and medical team in our lives who helped us get here.  earlier this year i had no idea where we would be at christmas time and i find that we are truly blessed.

thursday was the opening of the carroll county arts council’s gallery of gifts show; a cash-and-carry extravaganza to support local artists and the foundation where i was asked to have a booth.  it was a grand ol’ time meeting a lot of other incredible crafters and selling our wares!  it will be up until early january, so if you are in the arena of westminster maryland you should definitely stop by and see it (and perhaps pick up a thing or two) ;)  it was also my first time trying out the new displays i’ve picked up over the past few months!  a huge improvement, i think.  don’t you?

i’ve also been experimenting with new ring designs to replace the vintage settings that i can no longer attain (so sad!)  i included the two options in my survey (which, if you have a moment, please take!) and the filigree ring is winning by a long shot.  i absolutely adore these settings and am glad that everyone else seems to as well!  and they feel great, too.  i have some in antique gold and silver that i’m fiddling with and they’re turning out  beautifully.  feeling excited about the new things i’m going to be offering in my shop next year, but would really love your opinion and ideas as well.

and don’t forget – i’m having a nice, juicy holiday giveaway a few pages back.  hope you can participate, it’s a good one!

sales have been quite slow this month, which is a big surprise compared to last december. so i will actually have a day off to myself tomorrow.  i hope to spend it entirely in my pajamas, baking goodies for loved ones (and myself, of course) and enjoying a cozy night with tyler having our annual “watch-love-actually-by-the-tree-at-christmas” night.  enjoy the rest of your weekend, i know i will! :)

a lot about this season is surrounded by stress, commercialization and straining obligations.  but typically for me, december is a time i look forward to all year.  this year in particular, it’s been the light at the end of a very long and strenuous tunnel even if it still doesn’t quite feel like the holidays yet.  finances are still unstable, personal stresses are still reeling their heads, a long road ahead with no end in sight… but these things can be forgotten for the few short weeks to focus on what is important.  we’ll be celebrating birthdays, christmas, everyone coming home to be together, the giving of gifts and many feasts.   tyler and i have spent a lot of time trying to find ways to put conservation and positivity into our lifestyle and habits.  so this year, as opposed to filling our advent calendar with little gifts and candies, we’ve opted to fill every drawer with alternating love notes.  something to look forward to every day and small reminders of what this time is for and what everyday is about.  a new tradition is born and i think they will be the best gifts we’ve given each other.

“as we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by december’s bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation and people to whom we are worth the same.” – donald westlake

the difficulty in seeing the stars is finding the strength to wait through the darkness.

it’s the time of year that we reflect on all aspects of life that we are grateful for.  filled with family, friends, lights, laughter, feasts and joy.  though this year has been a grueling and tumultuous one for me in many ways, it has also given me a clarified view of all things in my life that are worth celebrating.

first and foremost, i am grateful for my parents and that both of them (especially my mother) were at our dinner table.  it was a small thanksgiving for us this year, unlike others.  just the five of us, our favorite dishes put on the table by helping hands.  toasts were made, stories were shared, memories were created.

for tyler, i am grateful.  it’s been a hard year for both of us and it’s only brought us closer together – strengthening us as individuals and as a unit.  his support is there when i need it, whether i ask for it or not.   to be on this journey and have a partner like you is more than i can ask for and i love you.

i am thankful for his family and the effort they made to spend thanksgiving with us.  their acceptance and generosity is always refreshing.

and for our family of friends.  through thick and thin, good and bad, we’re there for each other.  new and old, for better or worse, we’re still a family.

for my shop, customers and the ability to chase my dreams.  for the food on our table, the roof over our head, and the abundance of people in our lives to love and love us in return…it’s good reason to give thanks.

despite our small getaway, the business aspects of my life have been on the constant go.  the mix of holiday shoppers, upcoming shows and breaking more and more into the realm of wholesale has been keeping me on my toes.  i recently did an interview with susan schwake – owner of a new shop i’m in, artstream.  it’s been posted and you can read it here!

my lamps in the front window of artstream!

i’ve finished a few more pieces to squeeze into the shop before the holidays and have started ordering supplies for projects in the new year.

la ville lumiere bracelet, $35

orchid hearts clock, $55

little village heirloom ring, $40

sadly, i also discovered this week that i will no longer be able to get my beloved vintage ring settings. everything now is limited to what i have in stock and i imagine it won’t last much longer than the holidays.  i’ll be playing around with new settings soon to see what will work best as a replacement line, but have yet to find anything i love quite as much.

in the next week or so, i’ll be sending out a black friday special to my newsletter subscribers!  if you haven’t already signed up for my newsletter, please email me to do so. :)

tyler and i took a much needed long weekend away from town and headed to colonial williamsburg to stay at this charming bed and breakfast and poke around town.

it’s funny…you never realize how burnt out or tired you are until you get away from home.  in the midst of all of our exploring, walking, shopping, eating around the town…we got a lot of rest.  i think 60% of our trip was spent sleeping.  though it was short lived, we both feel refreshed, rested and ready to tackle the holidays and all that’s happening the next few months.  and though i’m the professional photographer between the two of us and lugged my polaroid around all weekend, i somehow never managed to shoot much. this was pretty much the only photo i took.  tyler took more of the photos, always playing with his hipstamatic. i was a big ol’ snob about it at first, but have to admit…i like what he’s been doing with it!

one of our favorite parts was the food. holy cow, if you’ve never taken the time to eat at king’s arm tavern for dinner you are missing out!  peanut soup, duck sausage, hard cider, relishes, vanilla sweet potatoes and the best lightly fried chicken over salted ham i’ve ever had.

good food, great company and a lot of relaxation…a fantastic few days indeed. :)