Sweet silver earrings

These handmade sterling silver sand dollar earrings by Norma of Beachcombers Cove are just too cute. And perfectly beachy.


Stop over at Beachcombers Cove on Etsy for this and other perfectly beachy finds.

Surfer girl find

I lurve Roxy for its relaxed weekend wear. When I wear Roxy clothes, I feel like a surfer girl, even if I live in landlocked Pennsylvania (for now). I need this tropical top.

Stuff, goals and random thoughts

I daydream a lot. Which isn't to say that I don't work hard and get a lot accomplished. Quite the opposite. I usually come up with my most creative ideas while daydreaming. It's a good thing I'm a master multi-tasker. My brain is usually moving so fast that I can't actually do everything I want to do within my finite time constraints.

And so, when this situation is applied to my life as a jewelry designer, I end up with a lot of beads. Lots of 'em. I get lightning bolt moments when I see yet another luscious gemstone or artfully designed lampwork bead and suddenly, I'm off and running- purchasing the beads with the best intentions of making my newly dreamed up creation. And then, while I'm waiting for those beads to arrive in the mail, I stumble upon another idea and another and another and another...you get the picture, I'm sure. There's something to be said for making (and sticking to) a merchandising plan- this is something I am working toward as my business grows (baby steps).

But for now, there's lots of beads and lots of ideas and precious little time. Unfortunately, some of those beads need to go straight to my Pineapple Sugar Remix destash shop (do not pass go, do not collect more dust in my bead box, just go directly to destash). And others, well, I need to start exercising some restraint and work with what I've got. Which means, developing some sketches, filling in the supply gaps and knocking out some new designs with old (but still stunning) beads. Watch for it.

I've also been thinking about my goals for my second jewelry line, Jocelyn Grace, and I really want to push that line in a slightly different direction. My tagline of "Timelessly modern jewelry" is still the focus and I want to create on-trend items that a woman can keep coming back to over and over again, specifically using lampwork beads. My litmus test for this new direction will be, "Can I see this piece in one of my favorite (semi-upscale) boutiques?" If the answer is no, it doesn't belong in my collection. I really want to modernize lampwork in a way I haven't really seen done before. Lampwork beads are so beautiful and I have plans for some atypical lampwork jewelry designs. Again, watch for it.

And one more thing (hey, I did title this post "Thoughts, goals and random thoughts"- you were sufficiently warned)- This mind-racing/lack-of-time conundrum isn't limited to my jewelry design. It permeates every area of my life and right now, one of my biggest projects is grad school and my thesis project (which is called Blooming Wildflowers...sound familiar?). So, in a effort to start moving toward the goals I have for putting my thesis project into effect, I'm planning some changes to my blog. Don't worry, you'll still get to hear me ramble about LOST and see pictures of my garden, but I'm planning to add more of a business aspect to it- as in more fashion posts and more focus on Blooming Wildflowers (and what exactly that means).

I want this blog to be fun, but I want the content to be relevant to my readers and relevant to my goals. So, look for updates soon. I'm working on a roll-out plan for my new blog features. Baby steps.

Aren't you glad you don't live inside my head?