It's Christmas Day!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a happy day!

Looking back over the past year, I can honestly say, "Phew." We made it. Six moves, roughly 13,000 miles, with three kids & a dog; all in one year. And it wasn't all that bad, now that I think about it.
Last Christmas was spent in Freeport, Maine, and this Christmas, we are back in SLC.

The short of it is that we have been through a lot of good times, and trying times, but through all, we have been extremely blessed.

Thank you for taking time to read this, and I hope you have been as blessed as well.

Looking forward to the New Year,
Bria

There Is Inspiration In My Friends

This fall has served up a series of deflating Monday's. I don't think I have had as many blunders in my life, as I have endured this season. I also have not tried to market anything of this caliber before, nor tried to juggle so many schedules. Mondays, though, seem to be the most hectic, thus many things are overlooked, and I end up kicking myself on Tuesday.

On a positive note, I am featuring holiday wrap rings this season. I have created several designs that I am excited about, and would make cute stocking stuffers.


-And-



-And then-



You can find several more listed in the Etsy site!


As I settle into this chilled evening with a New Yorker by my side, and a fire roaring at my feet, I will be brainstorming the valuable feedback from friends.

Desert Wings, a Jana inspired necklace for her friend. More pics of this to come:


And finally, the Shawnna, a ring I hesitate to list. :)

October Is Here In Full Fall

WOO! October is here. The lights are up, the moms are sportin' their pumpkin farms, and the dads, well, I bet are just waiting for the surprise moment to terrorize their poor kids. Am I right, or am I right?
I, on the other hand, am creating amulets, and lovely bones for the bestest of my customers. Take some of these Jamaican wood beads & bones? To the Islands, Mon. . .

And it doesn't stop here...
There is more and more love on the Etsy site.
New addition! Drifter earrings. You totally can't travel without these bad girls whispering sweet nothings!
From one traveler to another, you MUST accessorize. Sure, pick up a thing here, a thang there. Be sure to match that belt to those shoes. Oh, you are taking one pair of shoes? Match your hair. Long hair? Necklace. Short hair? Earrings. Take it from a gypsy. Or rather, just take it from me.

Busy Work

It is still so HOT here in Utah. At night, the winds cool the house off to a frigid chill, but the days are so hot I usually end up sweating, and I really have a dislike of sweat. I didn't play sports in school, mow the lawn, plant gardens, or even take walks in the heat before I had kids. Not sure what changed, but I assume I am less squeamish because going into labor and giving birth vastly changed my perspective on what the body can handle. I still don't like to sweat, but I have found ways to avoiding melting. Adaption seems easier than complaining, I guess.

Speaking of adapting, I am glad it is nearing fall, as I don't have a fan in my new studio. I found a large, handcrafted desk for $10 at the local thrift store, sanded it, brushed a bit of varnish over the top, and requisitioned my husband to help move it into the room we had set aside for a workspace. Sadly, it wouldn't fit in through the angled archway entrance! After setting it down in the empty living room (another room with a complicated layout, ie we use the den as the tv room), my hubby sighed and left me with promises of dis-assembly after work.

After an hour of walking around this hulking piece of useless wood, I decided to take it apart myself. There! Something to do! BAH. Damn wood glue had it sealed tight. FAIL. Hmmm, maybe it will fit down stairs. Looking over railing to evaluate yet another angle, I decided I needed to think.

Several painted frames later, I decided to rearrange the house. I tore apart the den and distributed it's contents to other appropriate locations, and portioned off a corner of the unused living room for the tv & sofa. It actually works. *Relief*

The den's entrance is wide enough to shuffle said useless wood through, and is now useful! I feel stronger, and almost organized, now that I have a dedicated workspace other than the kitchen bar! And this is what I have been working on, in the between:


And then:
Packaging and shipping has been a hoot lately as well. Sent out some fun jewelry, and getting ready to list a few pieces of interest in the morning.

Seaside Cuff SOLD!

Wow, this week has been amazing. I have sold out of my Seaside Cuff, which I am currently making a variation of
-AND-
There has been a great deal of feedback on the Maya Bluefish Earrings:
And when these leave the studio, I will be so SAD! :) They remind me of our time spent in Delray Beach, FL, this past spring, and not having a care in the world. Swimming in the ocean and the pool, the competitive tennis players, and even how things smelled drastically different from Utah. Yeah, it did.
I am currently working on some beautiful floral pins to accent any outfit, I actually had Ugly Betty's Sister in mind for a few of them:
Ah, just a preview in fact. But if you will be in SLC over the next week, I will be hosting a NEW LINE PARTY! Which will introduce the listng of my new line and provide entertainment to all my friends!
Hope you enjoy! If you can't be here, I hope to upload a fun video of the promotion!
XO

September is here in full force!

It is still pretty hot here in SLC. I have been running the sprinklers at least twice a day, much to the kids happiness. If I slack, and leave them off for even one day, the grass becomes brittle. With the recent fires, I worry about dry grass. Just a few days ago, there were planes circling, dropping water on the mountain that lies opposite of the one I live on. You can only see the smoke remnants in this photo.

I have enjoyed a lovely transition from August to September, this past week. The sunflowers are in full bloom around our fence, the boys are in school,
and Zoe & I are up to our ears in home-alone-heaven. :)

There has also been a grand response to the shop. Things are beginning to pick up, and special orders are rolling in!

I put together a set of earrings that were a bit dangly and long, and immediately had a request to make them shorter :)I absolutely had no idea it would be this FUN! I am meeting creative people, and expanding the realms of inventory. Small is good, but with the requests that keep on rolling, production has taken a lively turn. Any movie suggestions for those late-nighters?

The END of August?

I can't believe how quickly the summer has passed. Only two days left of August, and I feel as though the summer has just begun. We have moved and moved and moved again. We have played hard, hiked some, and even fit in a bit of climbing at the local indoor gym: Momentum. Delray Beach, FL May '09
Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT July '09

Recovering @ Momentum, August '09


Business has been good and life even better. I have had several new opportunities, met some great people, and learned a lot about profiling, designing, and advertising! Special thanks to PaperCakes for continual Tweeting hipness and to The Beadin' Path (on Twitter) for inspiring design materials!

Here is a sneek peek at the shop's latest lising, Maya Blue Fish Earrings:That's right. I am finally listing these beauties. Have you ever made something that you have adored looking at and it pained you to part with? That is how I feel about these, yet they are so cute, I had to share them. Visit the shop for more great pictures!

August

We had a great week, here in Utah. For the most part, the sun was shining, although there was a fire in Salt Lake that caused the entire valley to fill with smoke filled inversion, which turned into a dust storm.
Dust storms & fires aside, I had a few special orders and my first sales! Pretty excited about that, to say the least.
The requests included "something pink & princess-ish". To which I responded with:

Another asked for something with black mystery:And that wraps up a taste of the new fall designs.

New Store on Etsy!

I posted a few flowers on Etsy today. Going to try playing with several mediums until I find a few that make me smile and get the critic's approval, as well.
Check it out here> BabyLaundryLtd

The First of Many

Are you thinking what I am thinking? I doubt it, but it makes a great opening question.
I can't help but notice that there are several ways in which to dress a child; functional and stylish is how I shop.
My daughter seems to be in a Princess phase: no pants, nothing but sparkles, twirling tutu's and tiara's. Don't get me wrong. I remember those days in my childhood all to well. I have vivid memories of dancing at fancy dress balls, and hosting tea for the Queen. Most likely I was the queen...
My boys, on the other hand, love swim shorts. I do believe they would live in those shorts with the net lining for under ware, they seem to enable all sorts of activity from lounging around the house, to running outside in a rain storm. Ah, to be a kid again.

On another note, a friend of mine brought over her 3 adorable children today, one of which is a teeny baby, which made my head spin with all the possibilities of what to make to make your life easier. Upcoming posts will have such fun things, like this terrific idea adapted from a nursing wrap I saw her use! YAY!