JoaS

I'm popping in to give a little update on my progress, focusing better in 2020. Some changes I've made so far: JacobJewelry - I closed up shop and took a few weeks off at the end of February. I used the time to do a bit of rebranding, restructuring, and housecleaning, going through all of my designs with a strict eye for detail and a high set of standards. This greatly restricted the number of listings I offer, but I am so very pleased with their quality and style. I purchased many new, upgraded materials, and even found a great bead seller that abides by international fair trade regulations and has the most beautiful handmade beads from artisans in Ghana, Nepal, and elsewhere around the world. This is not something I had considered important for my business before, but now I can't believe I overlooked such an easy way to "give far"--see this post for more on that. The pricing has changed a bit for some pieces because of this, but overall prices...

I shared in this post last year that my "resolution" for each new year looks more like just one word, sort of like picking an area of my life that could use improvement or identifying something I find lacking and attempting to better incorporate that in my daily life throughout the year. For 2020, I have landed on the word "focus." Ironically, it wasn't very clear to me this year what my word was supposed to be, so it's taken me a while to organize my thoughts and write this post. Since Maggie has entered our lives, I have felt more scattered than ever before. It's been wonderful and my artsy brain secretly loves the lack of structure, but I find myself constantly wasting precious time, overly relying on my phone, unable to tackle the seemingly endless to do list that exists solely in my head. I have found myself going through periods of pretty intense anxiety and wariness and then returning to a sort of calm, with no real idea of what caused or e...

Hello! It's been a minute. Maggie has officially been with us for two months now and it is a new year, new decade, new life. My sleep deprived brain stays in a fog much of these days, but I've been knocking around a few ideas for my first postpartum blog post (try saying that three times fast). I hate birth stories. Or I did. They are a tad more palatable with a point of reference, but a strong stomach I have not. Needless to say, I won't be sharing that here. Or anywhere. If you ask for details I can give them, but I'll start gagging a little when I get to the part about the second (yes, second) epidural, so consider yourself forewarned. In short, it was twelve and a half hours full of many surprises and firsts, ending with the most beautiful baby girl I've ever seen and a room full of new besties. I will share what I wish I had taken to the hospital with me. It's not a huge list, and I won't be sharing one of those fun ...