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...

There are so many celebrations going on right now: back to school, off to college, birthdays, anniversaries. We are heading into Fall and the holiday season will be upon us before we know it. Not to mention, it's Labor Day weekend and there are so many sales going on and many great deals to be enjoyed. I am someone who loves to get an early start on holiday gifts, and thought I would go ahead and share my thoughts on gift giving. Gifts is my second love language and I love thinking about the perfect gift for a certain person and the best way to stretch my limited resources or funds the furthest. One way I love to "give far" is to support small businesses . As a small business owner myself , I know just how much every single purchase means to the person behind the shop. It's one more drop in the bucket that fuels the dream, and it is particularly encouraging to those who sell their handmade wares. It's another vote of confidence for their craft and talent. Not...

So, it's been a minute. With school starting back, wedding season winding down, and football starting up, we have been mighty busy over here. I hope everyone enjoyed the Labor Day weekend and I pray everyone will stay safe and no homes will be harmed in the path of Hurricane Florence. I thought I'd play a little bit of catch up and just share some of the things I've been trying, enjoying, or working on over here since my last post. A little mash up, but hopefully entertaining and/or informative for someone out there. First of all, I have been trying out and very much enjoying these new items from Amazon to make iced tea, herbal tea, and iced "coffee." (My husband is the coffee drinker--I stick pretty strictly to my Teeccino Dark Roast grounds from this post , but it works the same way for both.) I bought this Large Teapot with Extra-Fine Infuser and this deliciously fragrant Orange Lemonade Loose Leaf Tea Blend , both Tealyra brand, on Amazo...

It's been a week! In case you missed it, Love Meg from Youtube sported some JJ Pineapple Tassel Earrings in one of her videos this Summer and on Instagram this week: Giftsy Handmade then featured my Faberge Tassel Earrings on their website  and social media accounts! JacobJewelry on GiftsyHandmade.com It has been a learning process and an awesome experience growing and operating my own shop. I'm constantly discovering new outlets for marketing, other Etsy shops and sellers, not to mention insights into buyers and viewer reach. It's all a little overwhelming at times, but I'm so beyond grateful for the opportunity to try my hand at it and get to be creative. I just listed several new items for the end of Summer and back to school season, too! There are several dainty drop earrings in so many fun colors, a few more fun and Summery tassel earrings, and now plenty of options for all those Carolina, Clemson, and other SEC fans...

We've been very busy visiting and hosting family the last week, so I did not get to cook at home much and was not able to prepare the new recipe to share with you all today...que lastima. BUT! I am very pleased to fill any readers in on a bit of good news I received over the weekend regarding my Etsy shop, JacobJewelry : I will be featured today on @etsyachiever Instagram account! Go check it out! While you're there, check out all the other talented Etsy shop owners and their beautiful creations available for purchase! There are some really neat items, and some great deals going on for the holiday week -- ALL listings in my shop  are 40% off through Wednesday, July 4 so be sure to check them out soon! On a deeper note: It's been very flattering, and humbling, watching the number of followers and attention for my shop slowly climb. I can't believe one of my life's dreams is actually coming true. It hardly seems real ...

I am very excited to announce that my Etsy shop, JacobJewelry , is officially up and running with many handmade earring designs to choose from and purchase! The Etsy shop has been a long time dream of mine, and I've attempted it in the past without success. It was not the right time and I was not doing it for the right reasons. I recently "retired" from Preschool Teaching Assistant and getting to be creative and offer fun products that can hopefully spark as much joy for others as they do for me in creating them is a dream come true. So if you're in the market for some new jewels for the Summer or for gifts or just because, check out my shop ! Best, Emily