A Celebration of Mom

Recently, on Etsy, I have discovered making Treasuries and I am quite fond of them! I love to create a theme and find all sorts of amazing, beautiful and unique things on Etsy.

About a month ago my mother passed away. This will be my first Mother's Day without her and I know it will be difficult. My mother would always spend the day with me. Our tradition was that she would travel to Boston on the train and I would pick her up. We'd see an exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts and then go out to lunch. After my daughter was born, we had to substitute a playground for a museum, but it was still fun. This year, my husband and my daughter will take me out for lunch and to the ocean, my request. I don't think it will become a new tradition, but it will be special.

So, back to the Treasuries... I decided to make one of items celebrating moms. All kinds of moms- new moms, moms to be, all moms. I think the items are unique, fun, beautiful, touching--all things that every mom is.

Here's the link to the treasury. If I can figure out how to insert a picture of it, I will.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4dc497aac5cb6d91c80893cf/a-celebration-of-mom

Blue Leopard

So much has been going on, I can't believe how long it's been since I blogged. But, I had some time to make some new things and I am so excited about this piece. Again, it features some Kazuri Beads. I just love working with these Kazuri beads because I think they are so unique! And, I love the story behind them and how in using them I am supporting a town, and families.

So, this Blue Leopard necklace is different that I usually do in that it is not completely strung and it is not evenly spaced beads between chain. It's a hybrid- half sterling silver chain and half strung beads. I love the turquoise and the black and there's something about the polka dots that's just irresistible to me. I also love doing something different than I usually do. When I took it to work to show some friends they loved it! At first I thought it would look good with just turquoise and blacks, but then my friends came up with lots of ideas for outfits for it- denim, bright spring colors (like yellow), and the contrast against a stark white blouse. Love it.

I've also made some other new pieces. Hopefully I'll feature them soon, as soon as I can photograph them!

For the Mommies

Becoming a mother was and continues to be the most life-changing event for me. It's changed so many facets of my life. Everything from how I structure my days and spend my time, to how I shop, the pictures I take, the stories I tell at work, and of course, to the deeper things like how I think I am a better person now because I am always trying to be the best I can for my child and to how big my heart has grown. I love being a mother and I find that it colors a lot of my life. To my 'mommy friends', I'm not first categorized or identified by my profession, I'm just another mom. And, I have the same 'mommy problems' as everyone else with a toddler. What do you do about tantrums? Why is my child not eating/sleeping/napping today? Must be a phase? This is a funny contrast to when I am at work. There, I'm a professional first, who happens to be a mom. I certainly talk a lot about my daughter there, to almost anyone who will listen, but it's very opposite to being with my 'mommy' friends.

There are two things that I find hard to articulate about being a mom. One is how strong my love is for my child. Whenever I try to describe this or explain this to someone, words seem inadequate to describe the degree of my feelings. The other thing, is how I view my own mother in a very different light now. I definitely have a far greater appreciation for what she did and how she raised me, but again, words fail me and seem petty when really I look at my own mother and am inspired by her.

This year will be my second mother's day (if you don't count the one when I was pregnant). So much has changed in a year that is different from last year. My child is so much bigger now. She walks now. She talks now. She understands more. I feel a little more comfortable as a mom now. So, in honor of mother's day, I wanted to post about my favorite piece of jewelry for mothers.

I think charm bracelets are so cute and they can tell you a lot about a person if the charms represent who she is and what she loves. I think there is a lot of nostalgia in a charm bracelet. And, I think mothers are nostalgic people. Think about all the firsts that are documented. Pictures taken. Items that are saved. The outfit she came home in, the favorite dress, the hospital bracelet. There are so many things that can't be tangibly saved. Thousands of diaper changes, nights spent cuddling and calming, quiet moments spent feeding and sleeping, the first walk, the first word. I think that the charms on this bracelet represent a lot of those things. There are five charms on this bracelet: the stroller, the diaper pin, the bottle, the pacifier, but the center of them all is the heart that says mom. Because really, being a mother is heart. It is all heart and love.

New Beginnings: Part II--Weddings

I love weddings. I love the details that go into the day and I love how a wedding shares who a couple really are. In fact, I started making jewelry during my wedding. I decided to try to make my own necklace, and then I made them for my mother and my bridesmaids as gifts and accessories for the day-of. Never did I imagine that I would enjoy making jewelry as much as I did and that other people would love it, too.

Right now, it seems like I know a lot of people getting married. I'm so happy that one of my co-workers asked me to design the jewelry for her and her bridesmaids. I have designed her necklace already, and that is coming in a future blog post, but since she asked me, I have a lot of wedding jewelry ideas. This necklace, the Celina necklace, is a beautiful piece, designed with the idea of weddings in mind. When I look at it, it makes me daydream of being a bride all over again.

When I was making this necklace, I fell in love (wedding pun intended) with these wavy sterling silver links. I love how gentle they are, and as a group they give a lacy, round feeling to the necklace. Pearls and crystals are always very bridal and are a favorite of mine. I think this necklace would complement a bride who sees herself in many different ways: romantic, classic, timeless.

New Beginnings-Part I

I thought this would be a fitting title for my first ever blog post. There's so much the title brings to mind...the first piece of jewelry I made, the first piece of jewelry I sold, the newest piece of jewelry, the piece of jewelry that began Pearls Night Out....

I'm a believer in starting at the beginning, but I will wait to show you the other firsts. Those will be in the next parts. Instead, I will talk about spring, a season we are all eagerly expecting here. I saw tulips in the grocery store the other day and they give me hope that spring is coming, a new beginning. So, I will show you the necklace that makes me think of that, more than any other. And this necklace is a beginning of sorts. It's one of the first necklaces that I ever used Kazuri beads, and one of the first necklaces where I paired my favorite colors, spring colors, pink and green. I have to say that the first time I saw Kazuri beads, I thought they were pretty, but not for me. They made me think of my mother, and I bought some for her and made her a necklace. I didn't think they were my style, or would be part of my wardrobe or my work. But the more I saw them, the more I loved them. That was a beginning. Now, I love so many things about them. I love how they are so very unique, the colors and the patterns. Each bead is unique and as a collection they are unique. Refreshing. New. You don't see every person on the street wearing these beads. And, I love their story. I love that they are made by women in Kenya, where the local community collects the clay and makes each bead by hand. I love that these women are paid a fair wage and that it brings life, income, and hope to the community. It makes me feel good to use such beautiful beads in my creations. Now, I love the Kazuri beads. I look for each time they have a new collection of beads. I love to use them in different combinations.

So, back to this necklace...this necklace combines both Kazuri beads and Swarovski crystals. This might be the beginning of this combination, but it's not the end. I love this combination. I love the beauty of the Kazuris and the sparkle of the Swarovskis. I love pink and green in combination. Surprisingly, for my favorite colors, this is the first, but again, definitely not the last. These colors makes me think of flowers, spring, youth, fun. And those qualities inspired the name for this necklace--the Cami Necklace.

I'll definitely be looking at this necklace tomorrow while it snows! Wishing for spring and all those new beginnings!

"From small beginnings come great things"-Proverb