Choosing What to Make

  I am constantly hearing quotes or seeing things that inspire me to create a necklace. I want to be able to make everything that comes to mind but my business is new and I don't have the things necessary to make a lot of them. I do buy new things for my shop on a pretty regular basis so I don't think it will be long before I am able to make a lot of them but I am sure there will always be something else to buy.

     I had a really pretty stainless steel heart that I wanted to use as a pendant and most of my items are mother's necklaces so I thought something geared towards a friend would be a nice addition to what I have. I used a quote that I really like by the Greek poet, Euripides, "One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives." I am sure there are a lot of quotes that would work well on this piece.

Personalized Heart Pendant

     A friend of mine wanted a fundraiser piece for her adoption and I wanted it to tie in with her blog which you can find here. Her blog is titled "A Small Still Voice" and I wanted to do something unique. She wanted to use the boys' birthstones and have the blog title on the piece so I took a stainless steel guitar pick and stamped it with the fat side down so it looks like a teardrop. Then I brushed and domed it and I am so happy with the results.

Personalized Domed Teardrop Neckace

     Due to a snag in the paperwork my friend is no longer able to continue on with the adoption because there was such a time crunch with the boys birthdays being so close. Once they turn 16 they are no longer eligible for adoption in the U.S. so any hold up would cause them to not be able to get everything filed in time and that would mean the boys wouldn't get a family. My friend selflessly pulled out of the adoption in order to make sure they got a family that could get everything done in time. You can read about the adoption journey of one of the boys, "Sam", here. I am praying for my friend and her family as well as the family that is now bringing "Sam" home.

     I have been contacted about doing another fundraiser and I am looking forward to it. It is really awesome to be able to help bring a family together. I actually discovered hand stamping jewelry through a fundraiser for a friend of mine so doing fundraisers for others seems like a great way to honor that.

     When a customer has an idea in mind it keeps me focused. I find that it's harder for me to come up with designs on my own because I have too many ideas and can't decide which to make first. I guess I should just write them down and start checking off my list.