Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! It is indeed a happy day for me. First of all, my daughter is going out as a kitty cat tonight. She had me do her makeup and put on her costume for daycare and I have to admit that she is the cutest kitty ever! She is so excited that we can't help but be excited too:) In other happy news, I have found a distributor! They are on the west coast and we are just finalizing the last of the details and then I will officially announce our partnership. I am very excited though! It's just the thing that I need to shake things up in my business right now. I definitely think it is a step in the right direction. On a side note...I got an iPhone 5 last night. I have been a Blackberry user for years and didn't want to switch because I enjoy a keyboard and buttons. I wasn't a big fan of the touch screen. I have had my iPhone for about 14 hours (most of which included sleeping) and I have to say...I kind of love it!! I also chose a wicked, gold glitter cover which pleases me to no end.

Cheeky Child

My child is cheeky. Anyone who has met her, knows this. In most situation she is well-behaved and a joy to be around but she definitely has her own mind. She can also be as stubborn as a bull. Last night her father and I got a bird's eye view of her being overly cheeky and I have to say, we kind of had our eyes opened. She has been in dance class for the last 6 weeks. We weren't expecting miracles. After all, she is only three. We just thought it would be a good way for her to socialize more and learn something new while also getting some exercisse in and having fun. Up until last night she was in a studio where the parents were not able to watch. There was a tiny window looking in and the dance school had put blinds up so the kids would not be distracted. Last night they moved us to a different studio with that glass that lets the parents see in but the kids could not see out. We were so excited to finally see her progress and I will admit, I may have been a little over confident thinking I would see my little angel in there acting like the perfect student and just being the cutest little dancer ever. Ummmm...not exactly the case. She was definitely cute in her little dance outfit with her hair up in a bun BUT she was somewhat of a terror for the poor dance teachers. She totally ran her own agenda. While they tried their best to keep her on track and to encourage participation, she just did whatever the heck she felt like doing. On top of it all, she tried to get some other dancers in her camp as well. She was by far the worst behaved tiny dancer in the studio. I said to my husband "they must just cringe when they see us walk in". So, it has become abundantly clear that we are up for our next challenge with the little lady. We really have to get her listening better, respecting more and behaving better in general. She starts school in 11 months and I think we have a lot of work to do in the mean time. She is one cheeky child for sure. Speaking of cheeky, here is the latest in the Piper Shaw Line for Girls. I would say it is reflective of the young lady the line was named after...

Cleaning House!

It is absolutely gorgeous out today. Like 22 degrees of gorgeous and we are nearly into November. That is unbelievable! I am in a t-shirt today with no jacket or sweater. This makes me very happy! Happy enough to want to clean in fact. I have gotten rid of a bunch of junk in the shop, moved some things around and got caught up on my pricing. It looks great! I did squeeze in a little jewelery making this morning though. Some sassy, blinged out, friendship bracelets!

Under the Weather

I have been feeling sick all weekend and am still under the weather today :( I have come into the studio with the hope that doing something creatively would make me feel better. The truth is, I am moving at the pace of a snail and I am not exactly being productive. That being said, it feels good to be making things. A definite remedy. This weekend was tough. It was my former best friend's birthday and I was saddened once again by everything we have lost and the lack of closure. I know that one day I will be over this and will no longer feel the need for closure. I will hopefully just look back at the good times and smile because they happened. I won't dwell on the stupid falling out and the fact that we have never actually talked about it. I have to be okay with how things are. Clearly she is. Next year will be easier I am sure. In any event, it is pouring outside today. Not very cold but what mother natures lacks in chill she is making uo for in wet. I am working on a few pieces for the Piper Shaw Line and (drumroll)...I am negotiating with a distribution company on the west coast that is intereted in representing my line. This could be really good!

*FRIDAY*

Well, it's Friday. And the sun is shining. And there is no snow on the ground (yet). Life is pretty good... Business has been quite slow this week. Sadly, so has my creativity level. I need to go out and find me some inspiration or something this weekend. All the beautiful fall colours should certainly help!! I am in the beginning stages of working out an action plan for 2013 for my business. I am really exploring the option of having a representative do the wholesale account development for me. It is one area I am pretty bad at and that I dread. I am still in the research phase but I am hoping it will be affordable. I think it could really get me to the next level in business and allow me to feel confident that this can support me. I am doing pretty good right now but I really think I should be doing AWESOME! In other exciting news (well not really exciting but life is kind of mellow right now so little things excite me!)...I am turning into quite the domestic diva. Thanks to Pinterest I am a cooking machine. Like real food. Nothing frozen, nothing from a can. Real food. My husband thinks it is too good to be true. That man loves to eat and lately I love to feed him. If you haven't checked out Pinterest, you should. It is kind of awesome. Here is a bracelet I made this morning. You likey?

Unexpected Harmony

I love making jewellery. This is no secret. When I started, about 5 years ago, I was so anxious to have finished pieces that I didn't take the time to really consider my designs and ensure that they were as good as they could be. Of course, at the time I thought I was making really awesome stuff. Looking back at it however, I am surprised no one told me how awful I was (thanks to you all who were around for that, you were very nice). In any event, I will NEVER say that I can't improve. I am always looking for new ways to do things and more effective ways of making pieces that will stand the test of time. One thing has been consistent through this journey though, my love for putting colours together. I would be hard-pressed to even say what my favourite colour is. I think I might love them all. I certainly love experimenting with them in my jewellery designs. I really love to create pieces that have an unexpected harmony. Be it through colours, shapes, textures, whatever...I like to combine unusual beads and make jewellery that is one of a kind and unique, but stilol wearable. I make lots of neutral and more predictable pieces but if I had my choice, I would always make something different and exciting.

The All New Piper Shaw Line

As I had mentioned a few posts ago, I am re-launching the Piper Shaw Line for Girls. I want it to be more sassy and more fun. In general, more reflective of the little girl it is named after. I am not going to lie, I have been DYING for my supplies to come in so I could get going on this! I have actually woken in the middle of the night with anxious anticipation about these new designs. Slowly but surely, the supplies have started to arrive. Finally, I have gotten enough in to start the line! This morning I made the first piece and I can't wait to try it on Piper Shaw herself. I almost want to drive to daycare right now and pop it on her! Until then, I have taken a picture of the very first necklace. Here it is....

slump

I'm in a little slump right now. Both creatively and mentally. I think part of it is that I really HATE winter and it is right around the corner. I love living in Canada. It's a truly great country BUT (and you knew there was a but coming) the winters are BRUTAL. If I could live anywhere in the world it would be Bali I think. A girl can dream right? I am almost scared to visit because I am not sure I could make myself come home. Truthfully though, you think I would just get used to Canadian winters. I have experienced 38 of them already but each year I dread them. Time to change the subject I think....LOL This morning I made a super cute little necklace. It's no secret that I love birds so this one really speaks to my personal style. This afternoon I have hit an apparent creative wall. I am however finding some wicked recipes on Pinterest...

Genuine

As I get older (and hopefully a little wiser) I find myself making revelations not only about myself and my own actions but about people around me. Sometimes I think that I am truly over analyzing things but usually I can't stop myself from observing, analyzing and concluding. One thing that I have noticed in the past few months is that many people I am now surrounded with just don't seem to be genuine. I have conversations with them which leave me wondering if they are being truthful. I often feel like people are being passive aggressive. Sometimes I outright think they are living on fantasy island (must be nice!) and other times I just feel like I need a big break from the BS. So, my question is, what do you do when you aren't sure someone is dealing you the real goods? Do you call them on it? Do you accept that perhaps they just are not genuine even to themselves or do you simply kick them to the curb?

Re-vamp on the way...

A re-vamp is on the way...Jose! I started the Piper Shaw Line for Girls shortly after my daughter was born, in her name. It has been a cute little line of necklaces and bracelets for toddler girls. It has sold a fair bit and done okay but looking at it now, it is kind of boring. Definitely not a reflection on who Piper Shaw is as a person! SO...the whole line is getting an over haul. It is going to be chunky, bold, full of colour and bursting with creative fun! That's more like the little lady it was named after. I have ordered some new supplies to make this all happen and I am brimming with excitement for them to arrive. I can't wait to get going with these new designs. They are going to be gorgeous! In the mean time, I am plugging away. The new space is working out pretty good. It is kind of quiet but very manageable rent-wise and very cute! Today I found myself kind of hitting a wall creatively and after sitting at my desk, surfing recipes on pinterest, I pulled out some beads and came up with this (below). I am big on putting unconventional colours together so I am pretty happy with this one. What do you think of it?