A Very Happy Friday

I have another little tidbit of news that I have not been able to share with my reader friends yet and that is - I AM HOME IN HAWAII!!!

As you may or may not have known, I was born and raised in the beautiful 50th state of the USofA and am home for a flying trip.  But it is a truly beautiful day here so rather than me talking, I am just going to show you what my island home looks like.  I draw so much of my inspiration from here and am so glad for a little break and chance to see everything again here.

My week thus far part 2

So I have been a little missing from the blogging/tweeting scene for the past four days but I have a very good reason.  In addition to keeping you all up to date on my jewelry making and more creative enterprises, you, my dear readers, will also be hearing about my husband's and my new house buying journey!

We have been married for just over a year and have been looking for a place to buy for about two years now.  =)  We wanted to be prepared so we were doing a lot of planning ahead.  But now we have found it.  My mother-in-law was walking her dog in their neighborhood and saw a "Coming Soon" sign and picked up a flyer for the cutest historic home ever!!!  Or at least it will be once we actually buy it and fix it up.

But that may be getting ahead of myself.  =P  We haven't bought it yet but we are working hard on getting paperwork finished up and loan approvals gotten and things like that.  It is not a done deal yet so I am not going to commit myself by posting a picture - you will get to see it when or if we own it.  But that being said...my updates may be come either more sporadic or else my blog may become my own little mental get away location.  I never realized how labor intensive purchasing a house can be!  But I really, REALLY, wanted to share this exciting news with my blog buddies!

Have a beautiful day and stay dry if you are in SoCal!  =)

My Craft Fair weekend...

Well...I have to be honest.  I went to my craft fair expecting something...amazing.  Reality did not turn out to be quite so imaginative satisfying.  I didn't even get much foot traffic.  As one of about 14 vendors at a small craft fair in a small town, I made even smaller sales: 0.

Yup...no sales.  But I got something more valuable.  I meet some wonderful women who love making things with their hands and the social atmosphere that comes with these events.  Networking was happening, friends were being made, products were admired, and so even though my pride is hurt by not making even one sale, I really did have a successful weekend.

And that doesn't hurt my pride at all.  =)

Have a beautiful day!

Operation Christmas Shopping for Family: Fourth Status Report

Alright, I am putting my head down again and actually finishing my shopping.  When I started this series, I thought, "Wow Aime, you are doing really good.  You will have your shopping finished in no time."  Well, now it is well into October and I still have several people and items that I am needing to look for still.

So today's finds are for my brother's and brother-in-law's girlfriends.  I love both of these girls dearly and we get along very well but shopping for them can be quite the experience sometimes.  So I turned to my trusty Etsy search function and started searching for keywords of things I thought they would like.

For my brother's girlfriend, I searched for travel.  She went to college in Canada (we are from Hawaii) and is looking for work abroad now that she has graduated.  Perfect!  There are so many fun and functional travel items on Etsy!   One of the first ones I found was this passport cover by GracieDesigns.  Cute, functional, and perfectly priced for a growing family like I am shopping for!  =) And with how reasonably priced her items are, I can still get her something else!  I am definitely loving this necklace as a possible option.  And everyone back home wants to hear from you when you travel and these cards were so beautiful I had to mention them!

For my brother-in-law's girlfriend, I am a little less certain as to a specific direction but there is always an abundance of beautiful things on Etsy!  For example, this cheery little pillow will look adorable just as an addition to a bed or as an accent anywhere!  (and it comes in different colors so I can find out what colors her room are.)  Another sweet item on Etsy (from a good friend!) is this set of cards featuring many different sayings.  Now I just have to decide which one I like best.  =) A fellow Island creator makes these beautiful wrap bracelets that I have been wanting myself but I think I may end up getting this particular one as a gift.

And I think that is a very good start.  =)

But!  I have an announcement to make.  Drumroll!  Sense and Sensibility Designs will be at the Anaheim Senior Citizens Club Holiday Boutique!  It will be held at the Downtown Community Center at 250 E. Center Street, Anaheim, on October 15 & 16 from 9 - 3 on both days.  If you are able to come and join us, let me know that you heard about it here on my blog and you will get 15% off of your purchase.  I truly hope to see you there and I will remind you over the next few days.  =)  There will be new items and a greater variety of selection than you usually find on my Etsy.

Have a beautiful day everyone!

My dream for my jewelry

Hello everyone!  I like greeting all of you as if we were meeting up in a coffee shop somewhere, cozy and warm, ready to chat about all the things that are going on in our lives - especially the places where we are hoping to go in life.  I think about the future a lot - as a business owner, wife, employee, daughter, sister, and friend, I hope that all of those around me, all of those dear to me, will have their hopes and dreams fulfilled.  And once in a while, I stop to think about what that means for me personally.

I have only started selling my jewelry seriously in the last 10 months.  While it has been wonderful, it has not always been as fiscally successful as I could wish.  But then I stop to think about what financial success would bring me and I realize that that isn't what I am truly hoping for.  As much as I truly want my business to be successful, I want it to be successful because people like what I make and it is a desirable design and product for women around the world.  

Etsy has had their holiday challenges in their weekly emails and I was thinking about what my mission statement for the holidays is.  Most people are probably writing about their sales goals and I should probably be working on something like that but I would have to say it is something along these lines:

I make jewelry that I LOVE and I share it through Etsy so that other women with fashionable and classic taste in jewelry can have the opportunity to get the exact jewelry and styles they want for themselves and to share with others they love.  

My jewelry is about color and texture and whole fashion ensembles and lasting quality for each customer.  That is what I hope people know about me and my work when I am done with this whole exciting and frustrating and scary and fulfilling jewelry endeavor.

For now, as I continue to tweak and work on fixing my problems, I find inspiration for my designs and color combinations usually come from looking at couture fashion designers or nature.  (I know, really odd combination.)  But with a husband who takes pictures like this, how can I help it?   

Have a beautiful day!  <3