Sold on Etsy!

I’m so excited! I had my first official sale on Etsy yesterday and it happened to be one of my favorite necklaces. As a rule, I try to wear every necklace I make to make sure it lays right and feels good around my neck. I don’t want to sell pieces I wouldn’t wear myself. So, this necklace is one of those that has a lot of presence, yet isn’t heavy around the neck. I sure hope the girl who bought it will enjoy it as much as I loved making it.

Finally Mine!

I pondered and ogled for a long time ... and ogled and pondered some more ... and finally made the decision a couple of weeks ago to go ahead and order my very own Eni Oken bracelet. Eni is such a wonderful and talented artist, and she was really open to working with me and my particular taste. I wanted it just so, at the same time as I needed to leave her room to use her own creativity. We worked out all the details (mainly the color scheme) and here is the result. Isn’t it just a gorgeous piece of jewelry?

Midweek Mumblings

So, I had to return to the mall to see if I could find a less expensive bathing suit than the one I bought a couple of weeks ago. I just can’t justify spending $117 on a two-piece suit (yeah, that’s right, and I can’t believe I just put it in writing). I have a perfectly fine one-piece that I wear to the pool when I take the girls. I don’t have to worry about any mishaps. But, I thought I’d like a two-piece to take with me on my trip to Sweden and, hopefully, Finland where my dad has an island. Now, this island is in the middle of the sea in the south of Finland. Lots of water. Lots of privacy. Lots of nothing. Who cares if I’m wearing a designer bathing suit to this place?! Hence, the dilemma over the exorbitant amount for this piece of clothing that I can’t even wear to the office. Since my trip to search for something less costly yielded nothing, as did the two previous trips, I decided I would compromise: I would return the bottom and keep the top. Makes a lot of sense, right? Well, I’m thinking I could pair it with shorts instead. I mean, am I really going to want to walk around in a revealing bikini bottom anyway? I’m not saying I’m body conscious. I’m just cellulite and jiggle conscious. Some would say “whatever,” and they would be absolutely correct. Who cares? I guess I still have hopes of looking like I never gave birth and never ate anything but cherries for lunch. But, the fact is, I DID give birth—twice—and I DO eat more than cherries for lunch. So, why do I care? I really don’t know. Media pressure. Perfectionism. Poor self-esteem. I don't know. So, I’m going to [try to] not care anymore. Especially on an island in the middle of nowhere.

And then I’m going to buy myself a pair of blue jean shorts.

Fish and Bracelets

I had a request to show some of my jewelry here, so I picked one of my favorite pieces at the moment. It’s a fun adjustable bracelet with kyanite, moukaite, amethyst and a Thai silver heart. You can check it out at www.katjaadamsdesign.etsy.com


Other than that, I spent a stressful day at the Georgia Aquarium yesterday ... I wonder: Am I the only one who was [more than] a little disappointed after all the hoopla? I’m going to take the girls back to Tennessee Aquarium at the end of the summer. It fits our style better. And their temperament. Hm.

Friday Wish List

These are some of the items I’ve been drooling over lately ... makes for an attractive image of me, doesn't it?! Oh, well! At least THESE pictures are pretty!

The top two are from Shiana, specializing in handmade Thai beads straight from the Karen village. I have not ordered from them yet, as I still find their prices a little steep (they don’t offer wholesale pricing), but I check their site occasionally to see what’s new. That said, I’m pretty sure I will order something before the end of the year, simply because their selection of beads surpasses most other places I’ve come across. Also, they are a Fair Trade merchant, which for a lot of people might offset the higher prices on some of their items.

The bottom image of the gorgeous labradorite is from The Earth Bazaar. I've ordered from them several times and been quite pleased with both quality and value. Only on two occasions have I been disappointed with the quality. Once I kept the items (sold them to friends who did not mind the items were of slightly inferior quality) and the other time I returned them at a loss of postage and a 10% restock fee, which to me was still worth it rather than being stuck with stones I did not want to use in my creations.

The Art Director

Some days, this is what it's like.

Patience

Aren't these beads just gorgeous? Well, imagine my disappointment when I went to order some and they didn't have any left ... there was ONE left of the turquoise ones. I want more than one, I want five! They had three of the amber ones, but what's the point of splitting the order and paying for shipping twice.

I suppose I will have to practice patience and check back later to see if they have more in stock. I hate it when I find something that I want to create with "right now" and I end up having to wait. Wait for chain. Wait for beads. Wait for time.

Right now I have lots of time. But no access to beading supplies. Then again, I should probably not be doing that at work anyway. Hm!

My first blog!

I have no idea what crazy idea of mine this was, but I guess I'm going to share something on this blog when the inclination is there to get something off my chest. Or waste some time. Or keep a record of some sort, of neat and inspirational things I come across.

I find it quite fascinating, when reading other people's blogs, how interesting it can be to read about someone else's everyday life, whether it's traditionally exciting or not. I guess there are others—like me—who are not off jetsetting or climbing Mount Everest, but who actually live just normal lives. We get up, make breakfast, shuffle children around and, if there happens to be a moment to oneself, make something creative. The itch to create is always there, but time is not always available as a single mom. Not that I'm complaining, really ... just stating a fact. Most evenings I crash right after the girls. I'm actually ridiculously boring! At the same time, there is a comfort in living a fairly predictable life. I treasure the times I DO get to sit down and make a necklace or a pair of earrings. What I long for most though, is to make a difference. I don't mean in a big way as the world would see it, but for someone. Even just one individual.