Sharma Designs - Behind the Scenes of a Handmade Jewelry Business

Happy Mother's Day!

I had a wonderful Mother's Day.  I was spoiled by my wonderful husband and sweet girls. 

To all the mommies out there:

Happy Mother's Day!

Holiday Cheer

She refuses to smile but isn't she cute?  A very nice woman at one of the shows I did last week gave me this for Bells.  Just thought you all might need a little Holiday Cheer.

Taking Some Family Time

Things are a little off around here.  The little stinker has been consistently waking up at 5:30am.  In order to get everything done in my crazy days I usually go to bed very late so I have really been dragging.  There is only so much a triple caramel machiatto can do.

Sometimes I just take these occurances as a sign that I need to slow down a little.  I took the weekend off from Sharma(almost) and just had fun with my family.  We went to the Uesugi Farms pumpkin patch this weekend and had so much fun.  I'm sure I have said it before but one of the best things about being a mom is watching your child experience something for the first time.  Little munch was in heaven!

In the middle of all of this I am getting ready for a show so it was probably good to take it easy this weekend.  The nights leading up to a show are always a little crazy.  I always try to do way more than is necessary.  Then after the show I realize how unecessary it all was and I vow to never do that again...until the next time.

So if I am a little quiet this week you know now why.  Ahh the busy season begins!

What I Love about Fall

• It is just cold enough to wear a cute sweater but not so cold that you are miserable (I know I know - it's not that cold in California - I'm a wimp!)
• Pumpkin Pie (I make mine in a dish instead of a crust and use fat free or low fat evaporated milk - I feel less guilty and it still tastes great!)
• Cute Baby Halloween Costumes
• Pretty Fall Leaves
• The smell of people using their fireplaces in the night air
• Autumn Mix candy corn
• Sipping hot tea when it gets cooler at night (Good Earth Original is my all time favorite)
• Pumpkin Pie (Oops did I already mention that?)
• Earthy Colors
• The fact that it is football season and my husband hates football (I am the luckiest girl in the world!)
• Carving Pumpkins
• The sound of leaves crunching under my feet when we walk to the park

For some great fall activities to do with your kids (or your significant other!) check out Liz Smith's blog and read "Fall is in the Air"  She has lots of great tips for keeping the little guys entertained!

It's Been a Hard Week

I love owning my own jewelry business.  Every day I anticipate what the night will bring as I lock myself in my bead room and begin to play with my beads.  Or I happily type away on my computer as I watch the season's new tv shows.  I work really hard and I don't have a lot of free time but I love it.  It's challenging and I love a good challenge.

That's not to say that there aren't hard days.  This week was one of them.  Everyone is sick and it just keeps hanging on.  I feel zapped of all creativity.  I feel the enormous pressure of my to do list weighing down on me when all I want to do is rest.

I even found myself fantasizing about having a "normal" life where I just watched tv at night with my husband and didn't have to worry about what was on the agenda for tonight.  That's when I realized I must not be feeling good because I know that I love what I do.  I would be bored without the challenges and the mental release that creating jewelry allows me. 

I did decide that I should probably take it easier this week though.  I did all the things that I absolutely had to get done and put the rest off.  Then, for inspiration I went in search of some crafty blogs.  When I am not feeling creative I like to read about women who are.  I found An Irish Craftworkers Good Life to be very inspiring.  I can definitely relate to her ironing post!  Ha ha 

I used to try every new craft that sounded intriguing to me but gave it all up when I found jewelry making.  Otherwise, I would definitely be all over dry felting  She makes the prettiest dry felted little birdies!

I am feeling a little better and my Thai Silver is calling to me.  My hopes are to create some new things tonight while watching all the new shows (I am very excited about that).  I have a few custom pieces in the works as well but I didn't want to attempt them while feeling uncreative.  Hopefully the worst has passed!

Things that I am Thankful for This Week

I am participating in a group called E Moms Blog Jolt.  Every week we are given a new blog and asked to talk about it on our blog.  I have to say that I am really enjoying it.  I love discovering new blogs to read.  I also love passing on great finds to my readers.

This week I discovered Blonde Mom Blog.  I am loving this blog.  Blonde Mom talks about the practical everyday mom things and she does it with a great sense of humor.  If she was my neighbor we would definitely be friends!

One post I particularly liked was called "Thankful Thursday"  She wrote a list of things she was thankful for this week.  I think it's a great thing to practice.  I tend to focus on all the bad things that happened and forget to remember the good things.  So here is my list for the week:

Things I am grateful for this week:

• That my show is over
• My sister is coming to visit this weekend
• I made a ton of new jewelry this week
• My Golden Goddess line is almost ready to go
• I got to spend time with 2 good friends (always a treat!)
• Bella and Roberto are almost over being sick!

They may not be grandiose accomplishments or earthshaking news flashes but it helps to take the time to appreciate the small stuff. 

Now let's all be thankful that it's Friday!

Taking a "Fun" Day

I found another good blog the other day. Aurelia Williams' self proclaimed goal is to help women live a more productive, less stressful life. Sign me up!  Couldn't we all use that? 

As I browsed through the articles I came across one that asked if I ever got grumpy. Well sometimes maybe (but never to my darling husband of course). Aurelia advises that you should 1. Make a fun list 2. Get together with girlfriends and 3. Pamper yourself in order to keep your spirits high.

Today I did Number 1 and 2.  My b.f. Jen and I have been talking about taking Bella to Monterey Bay Aquarium for quite some time.  Last week we finally nailed down a day and time and off we went today.  On the way to and from the aquarium I got to spend quality time with my friend, chatting and catching up. We both have busy schedules and usually only manage a 10 minute chat here and there.  We definitely needed some "face time".

When we got there we all had a blast.  It is so much fun to watch Bella experience something for the first time.  She stood by the glass aquarium walls saying "Hi fishy.  I love you"  So adorable. 

Her favorite exhibit was probably the otters.  They were pretty cute.  Sleeping on their backs while they floated on the water.  They were right next to the glass so it felt like you were swimming along next to them.

As much as I fear jellyfish (Thanks to my traumatic jellyfish stinging when I was a child) they were probably my favorite just because they look so beautiful. They absolutely glow in the water and they float along so gracefully.  And they are a lot less threatening when they are behind glass.

Yes this is a goofy picture but I want you to see how happy I look. Not a grumpy snarl in site.

Now go have a fun day for yourself. You deserve it!

Dreaming of Maui

When my husband and I honeymooned in Maui we felt like we had been transported to heaven.  It was warm, it was beautiful and so relaxing!  My husband decided that we should definitely move there. 

Being the pessimist (I prefer realist) that I am I said that there probably weren't many jobs in Maui.  Who wouldn't want to live there right?  Well turns out I was wrong. 

I discovered a new blog this week called Who's Yo Mama and according to Kuanyin who lives in Maui, there aren't enough people to fill the jobs on Maui. 

Well pack my bags!  How fabulous would it be to work at one of the fabulous resorts of Maui?  I can design jewelry and then just hand it to the stars while they vacation.  Jewelry designers knows that a celeb wearing your jewelry will get you everywhere. 

Of course I may get the title "Scary Stalker Chic Who Throws Her Jewelry at all the Celebrities" but Hey!  I will be tan and relaxed and smelling of coconuts.  What will I care?

A Nice Break

I have been working non stop the last few days. My poor husband has barely seen me. Mondays and Wednesdays are supposed to be me and Bella's fun day together and we have mostly been running errands as of late.

Well this morning I felt super tired and achy (leaning over beads) so I decided that Bella and I needed to make some time for fun. There is a cute little pond near our house with lots of ducks. Bella LOVES quack quacks. At first I hated that the pond was fenced in but it's actually nice because the ducks all huddle on the bank inside the gate and Bella can get close and see them and they don't freak out and I don't freak out (unless they are the freakishy large white geese. Those things are mean!).

I also love the pond because there are always turtles swimming around and sunning on the banks. I love turtles.

As we walked around and laughed and talked I felt revived. Why do I not always make enough time for this kind of stuff? It is definitely neccessary!

Studio Friday - Creativity Roots

This week's topic is creativity roots. My sister (above, left) and I both received our crafty goodness from my mom (above, right). I can't say for a fact, but I'm pretty sure that she didn't inherit her creativity from my grandma (although my dad's mom is also creative). Funny thing is that all 3 of her sisters (my aunts) are super creative and crafty too. My mom loves to make handmade cards, knit, crochet, and she always has a crafty project in the works. When we were young she always had a cross stitch she was working on or a costume to sew. Now that she is too busy to make time for all her crafty hobbies she makes sure to bring creativity to her job. When normal people would just finish the task...my mom finishes it with a flair. I always tease her that she puts to much time into the small things but that's what she loves to do. I know the people in her office appreciate her craftiness!

She has always encouraged us to be creative too. She taught us to knit, cross stitch and crochet at a young age. I find it too boring. My sister loves it (the knitting that is). Either way I love that she taught us because they are good skills to have.

We all express our creativity so differently. My mom loves bold bright colors (she was an elementary teacher for years). She tends to lean towards whimsy designs. She also loves things that sparkle. She's not a perfectionist. She likes to go with the flow.

My sister is a neat freak. She makes cards, knits and has dabbled in making purses lately. Everything she designs is very clean and symmetrical. She also likes sparkle but in moderation of course. She usually uses muted colors. Lots of pastels. Especially pinks. All of her designs must be perfect before she is satisfied (The perfectionist is from my dad).

And then there is me. I have dabbled in lots of crafts but my love of jewelry always wins out. Nothing compares in my eyes. I like things to be different. Assymetrical (drives my sister crazy!). I love bold colors but tend to use lots of earthy colors. I love things that have a retro flair to them. I am a perfectionist with my jewelry but not with any other craft. My motto is "Good Enough!"(Oh my scarf is only 10 inches long? Good enough. No one will notice)

I am very excited to see what my daughter's creativity will look like. My husband's mom is also crafty so there is a very good chance that Bella will love to make things too. She is already exhibiting a few anal tendencies (always shutting doors. cleaning. keeping things symmetrical) so she'll probably be more like my sister. We'll make quite the craft team I'm sure!

Thanks mom for encouraging us to use our creativity!

See more Studio Friday entries here!