New items are on their way!

I am so excited, and also a bit hesitant, about the new items we have been posting (and will be posting). The excitement is that I love them all. There hasn't been a single thing that I haven't wanted to just keep for myself. Of course, that isn't the plan. But, that is a good sign.

I am also a bit hesitant because every item that we have posted, and will be posting this week, is a bit more expensive than the items we started out with. The reason for this is simple - we found some wonderful, high quality stones at the recent gem fair we attended. We figured out how much each and every bead, chain and wire cost so that we could more accurately determine the pricing of our jewelry. And guess what? It turns out that we have been underpricing ourselves ever since we opened our etsy store!

We actually are not upset about this. Everything that we made was made out of inventory that Rosie purchased a few years ago - it had been stashed in her studio waiting for her to find the time to turn it into something lovely. So, we had a destashing of sorts...only we used our destash to make jewelry rather than to sell loose beads to others. And we made some lovely stuff too.

We will not be marking up any of those items in our store. They will remain the price that we have set - and some are even on sale to make room for new items. The lesson learned is don't ever sell yourself short. We are in this field because we love it. But, we also have to make a living to support ourselves and our families. Our prices are still very fair for the industry and it is nice to finally be confident in our pricing!

So, my advice for everybody is to snatch those sale and previously priced items now before they are all gone!

And Mother's Day is right around the corner...just sayin.

Spring!

Spring is in the air here and it is making it tough for me to stay inside! The result - my garden is finally getting some much needed, much overdo attention....and my jewelry making is at a stand-still. Rosie has been busy creating her usual masterpieces while I have been busy doing the Mom thing and cleaning out gardens. As much as I love to work in the garden, I am missing making jewelry. It has become a bit of an outlet for me. My goals for this week are to:

- Start working on my backyard.
- Buy a yoga pass.
- Take lots of deep breaths.
- Make at least 3 pieces of jewelry.

To be honest, I am looking forward to each and everyone of those goals. None of them sound like work to me, but each of them is going take my full attention to get done (or at least started). I have been in a big funk lately, so hopefully reaching my short list of goals this week will help me get out of the funk and into some spring, so to speak.

New this week!

Rosie has been polishing off her jeweler's bench and working with silver the past few weeks. Here are the results:
Eden -
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11070126


Maya -
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11067694

Some of my favorite items from OTHER etsy sellers

The world of etsy really is a fun one...and so easy to window shop in too! This is the beginning of a new segment I plan to add to the blog where I feature 3 fellow etsy sellers. I have been checking out other shops and have run into some wonderful stuff. Each post will focus on similar products from different shops, beginning with today's topic of cute kiddie wear. Seriously, this is dangerous territory for most mom's, and some dad's too.


Breathing Beside Us : Adorable baby clothes - I love the modern twist on retro style. www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5100831

Hana and Violet: These are some of the cutest little girl clothes I have ever seen, and I love how they are not just in infant sizes. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5307341

Little Girl Pearl: Such cute fabrics and designs here. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5278624

These are just 3 of many wonderful shops specializing in children's clothes on etsy. And, as you can tell, they each of have their own special look. It really is hard to pick from the wide selection available, and that is a good dilemma to have!

Finds at the Gem Fair!

GORGEOUS Peruvian Opal!!!

That was our big finding at the Gem Fair this past weekend! Both Rosie and I were continually drawn to it and finally, after recruiting our mother to our cause, it was decided that we simply had to buy it. Yes, we dragged our poor mother to the Gem Fair Sunday, along with my two kiddos. It was quite the scene indeed. Rose and I had attended on Friday and went back for a last look Sunday afternoon.

We also scored some tourmaline, peridot, iolite, andolite, labradorite, pearls and lots and lots of teeny, tiny, faceted stones. For some reason, it was the tiny stones that kept grabbing my eye. I may regret that purchase later as I curse from trying to thread them. Regardless, we got out of there with a lovely stash of stones, some wonderful chain and some findings too!

As much as I wanted a strand of gorgeous green diamonds, I stayed grounded enough to know that I just couldn't buy those no matter how much I coveted them (seriously, my house payment is more important but they sure were beautiful).

All this means is that we have lots and lots of creating to do! Woo Hoo!

Where has the time gone?

So far, I have done a pretty poor job of keeping this blog up to date. In all fairness, the month of March is hectic in our family with birthdays galore. Regardless, we have posted some new stuff on etsy and are having fun making our jewelry. We are still relatively new, but the month of March was good to us!

Below are some pictures of what we have been up to:








Of course, this is just a snippet of what we have been up to since our last post. To see more, visit our etsy store at http://beaucoupdebijoux.etsy.com!

We also will be sending out promotional mailers with a great discount offer. Contact us for details!