Variety of Favorites

As a jewelry designer I like to sit and design new things rather than sit and make the same thing over and over again. The other day it occurred to me to make earrings similar to a pair I've been wearing for about 3 years! I've always called them one of my favorite pairs, designed by me, and now I'm making them in more varieties! The originals have amazonite and tridacna, which is a deep sea shell, but what I really love about them is the length and the way they swing. I feel so sexy when my earrings brush my neck in a breeze or as I turn my head. Another great thing about these earrings in particular, is the use of a little seed at the bottom. Its teardrop shape is a perfect end to the slender style. My sister brought the seeds to me from Thailand. They have straw-like innards that I have to poke out before fitting my headpin through the seed's hole. Poking out the innards and matching them for size, shape and color is time consuming, but well worth the unique flavor it gives these special earrings. Although they are different from the typical Gritgoods signature look, they are Gritgoods originals and very unique. They are also one-of-a-kind! Be on the look out for more long earrings in the Etsy shop. And if you have any suggestions to name them, let me know.

Valentine's is Coming Early This Year

Never have I been so excited to celebrate Valentine's Day. I have already designed and made new pairs of earrings. All are red, or have a hint of red, the color of love (and blood... I'm just sayin'). Included in the new designs are a Gritgoods famous pair of cluster earrings, made with sterling silver and bright red coral. Coral is about as good as it gets for materials that are bright, deep, dark gorgeous red. I also did some Gritgoods hoops with coral, and made a simple sterling pair with the lovely carved coral flowers I like to use. With half the pairs I went back to Gritgoods old style and used dynamic coral cupolini to top off other stones. And that Italian word brings me to the reason I am so excited about Valentine's Day. Lucky me: my boyfriend is going to Italy for work, for 4 weeks! And I get to join him for the last week! We will be near Rome and travel into Tuscany for a couple of days. As an art major I am well aware of the major art pieces in Rome and plan to see as many as possible while I'm there. Caravaggio's work is high on my must-see list, in addition to the traditional Sistine Chapel, the Basilica, and the Colosseum. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world right now. There's nothing like a planning a trip to Italy to feel inspired to create works of art while at home. Here's a sneak peek of what's to come in my Etsy shop. And keep in mind, with my departure date set as the 9th of February, all Valentine's Day present purchases must be made by the 5th!! Please Excuse the poor picture quality ... it's just a peek!

Turtles love the little things in life

This morning I woke up to find on my facebook page a post about my Etsy shop featured on Etsy. I stared at it for a while, trying to remember when I posted that. Well ... I didn't! Of course, being raised in a safety-first family, I changed my login password first, fearing someone hacked my account. Then I checked my Etsy shop and it all became clear. 300+ views on this bracelet and 20+ new people who "heart" my shop .... I was featured on the front page! This happens to some Etsy sellers weekly if not daily, but this is my first time being shown on the front page! Everyone who visited Etsy.com between 7-8am this morning saw my bracelet front and center without having to navigate to my shop specifically. So I went to the Etsy community, dowloaded a little picture to post on my item that says "this item was featured on thr front page of Etsy," smiling the whole way. These are the little things in the life of a retail shop. In reality my business should be featured somewhere daily, make a lot of sales daily etc.etc. But this is part time work to me, that I visualize being full time in the future. I consider myself the turtle (as opposed to the hare) taking my time, celebrating small successes, and pacing myself to enjoy the journey. After 3 years I am only up to 93 sales in my Etsy shop, and still just as proud to own it as I was when I started.

New Customers

Gritgoods is looking forward to meeting with a possible new client in the next couple of weeks. Not a date set yet, but I'm sure they want to meet (as opposed to the last client). This client has about 6 stores in the Asheville area, and I'm sure my Goods would fit in well with their look.

Gritgoods is making New Year's resolutions to continue getting organized so that marketing can be more streamlined. Gritgoods is all for making good choices for festivals to attend this year and hopes to meet a lot of new cool artists!

Here's wishing you all a productive year in 2010!