Wired and Inspired

I'm creating jewelry again.

Over the summer I stopped creating new pieces because the kids were home full time and we were so busy. I kept up with the orders in my Etsy shop, which chugged along during the lazy days of summer at a reasonable pace, but I hadn't made anything new in weeks.

I didn't realize how much I missed it until I started creating again. That spark that lay dormant for months sprang to life; I found myself waking up in the middle of the night with ideas, sketching them down on a pad I keep next to my bed for just such a purpose.



It fuels me, this creative energy. For the first year and a half or so I felt almost apologetic about my jewelry business, like it was some cute little hobby I did on the side. I was unable to mentally commit to it, to call myself an artist, to dream that maybe - just maybe - this is something I could actually do for a living.

Finn starts Kindergarten next fall, and I want making jewelry to be what I do for a living. I will need to be working - not just for the needed additional income, but for my own sanity. I'm looking at the next year as my opportunity to really invest time and attention into getting Shining Stones up and running.

As some of you may recall, my husband made me a store. He cleared out our seldom-used dining room, and created attractive jewelry displays and a pretty sun-splashed work station. One of my biggest joys is having customers and friends stop by to shop and pick out ready-made jewelry, or poke through my selection of stones, beads and crystals.

I've been making a lot of custom jewelry, which I love to do, using stones that carry special meanings and messages for people who need a lift.


So I'm squaring my shoulders, owning my creative spark, my artistry, and losing myself for hours in creating new pieces, stocking up my store and my Etsy shop. I'm having a ball.

Part of this, of course, is facing my fears about marketing and promotion. It's something I've always struggled with, but if this is going to be what I do, I'm going to have to get over it.

So I'm looking for ways to get the word out there. If you are interested in advertising Shining Stones on your blog, please send me an email. For the next couple of months, I'm also having a 'giveaway blitz'. If you would like to host a giveaway of a piece of my jewelry on your blog, I'm providing discounts and other incentives for your readers (and you!) and I'm really excited. I've had a great initial response to my tweeting and facebooking (totally a verb) about it, so if you're interested in hosting a giveaway please contact me and we can talk about it further. My email is ellieandsteve@verizon.net.

Thank you!