*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?

In such a short period of time

In such a short period of time, so much can happen. I feel like the past few months could have been years. I have made so many changes with my business and while I now find myself content (for the moment!) I am also exhausted. I really wanted to have a little retail shop. I have actually wanted it for years but pushed the idea to the back of my head. I was going to do it with a former friend a few years ago and when that collapsed I dismissed the idea of doing it myself. Then I decided I would rent a studio space so I would have more room to create and would have a more professional environement for clients to visit. While searching for a studio I found a small shared retail space in Paris. It was a great start for me in retail. My work was well recieved and I started making money right away. Sadly, the situation itself wasn't working for lots of reasons. That is when I found the beautiful old mill in St. george. It was pretty hard not to fall in love with that space. So much character, just the right amount of space and lovely landlords to boot. What more could a girl ask for? Customers. The only negative about the mill space was the fact that there were 33 big, steep stairs to climb in order to get there. I did get some customers through but nearly every single one complained of the stairs and I hate to even think of how many never even came up. So that leads me to where I am now. A tiny little space beside the local salon. The truth is, when I looked at this space it didn't appeal at all. It was a dirty little rectangle. I couldn't initially see it happening. A few nights of sleep though and lots of analyzing made me realize that it doesn't matter how cool a space is, if no one visits it is simply not going to work. So now, with the help of lots of people and with a whole lot of hard work I am here. The space is as cute as a button. It has been painted and decorated and "girlified" to the nines. I look around it and I am proud. Customers can easily access it and the overhead is manageable. Now let's just hope they come...