New Stores, New Shows and Balancing Dogs

Hey Everyone! I hope you aren't all curled up in the fetal position right now with a bottle of Claritin and a box of tissues. Still being a newbie to Southern living, I always forget just how pollen-y it is here in Georgia in the spring. It's beautiful during this time of year but definitely makes me feel like I have stuffed cotton balls up my nose, all the way to my brain. 

My little white Prius is currently lime green and I am religiously taking my allergy pill each morning with breakfast. But the flowers are so gosh darn pretty, I can forgive the congestion. 

For two weekends in a row, we took part in some craft shows and got to meet a whole lot of fun, interesting people (if you are one of them - HI!). 

The first show we did was in Conyers, Georgia and it was their 'Cherry Blossom Festival.' It was humongous (like 40,000 attendees and over 300 vendors) and windy!! Being the awesome photographer that I am, I managed to take zero photos of the event, but just know that it was B-I-G. The second day of the show was so windy that even with 25 weights on each of our tent legs and us physically holding down our tent, it would still pick up in strong gusts of wind. We had a few neighbors whose tent lifted and shifted into others tents, so Sunday ended up being quite eventful with helping people with their tents, holding down tents, trying to block our wares from sideways rain and wind-proofing our wares to the best of our ability. 

The next weekend we took part in the Stone Mountain Bluegrass Festival. This was a really fun event. It was right in the heart of Stone Mountain Village and had little areas/stages all over the festival for musicians to play. We had a rainy Saturday, but Sunday was clear skies and lovely! 

Also, I managed to bring my camera this time and take some photos (hooray for me!)

  * And yeah...don't you worry....I heard plenty of jokes about that 3-hour parking sign *

Look at that guy in the aqua blue shirt and overalls....

John Eric managed to find this guy and his pup in one of the tents and all day that puppy stayed on his owners shoulders as the fella walked around with his banjo.

It was a really neat event and we are looking forward to being a part of it next year. 

Besides craft shows, I have been working on getting inventory into a few new stores. Early last week, Crafted Westside opened up on the west side of Atlanta and it is so gorgeous inside. The owners have done such a fabulous job getting it set up and the vendors there are seriously top-notch.

 Still working on getting my display just right, but I am loving what I have so far. Just need to figure out a solution to those other necklaces and earrings that are just hanging out on the shelf right now. 

Also, this last week I re-stocked Inman Dry Goods in the Inman Park neighborhood of Atlanta. I love their idea of using an old shutter for part of my display!

If you stop in Inman Dry Goods, I do have jewelry elsewhere in the store, so be sure to ask or browse around. 

This week I also sent out a large wholesale order which I always enjoy doing :)

Athens, Georgia friends - be on the look out for these jewelry items plus a bunch more at Urban Sanctuary Spa.

Lastly, with the cloudy weather (perfect for photographing) I have been able to take a bunch of photos of new items that before were only at the craft shows and will be adding them to my etsy store throughout the week. Here's a sneak peek of some earrings to come...

Be on the look out for another blog post later this week with details on this weekend's craft show (Gwinett County - I'm coming for ya!) plus photos of all the new items on etsy. 

Have a great night everyone!

~ With Love, Ashlee ~

It's Business Time!

Woohoo! Spring is finally peaking out from all the ice and snow we have been getting here in Atlanta and I am grateful for this slightly warmer climate. The birds are chirping, my puppy dog is hanging out in our backyard (his kingdom) for most of the day and I can stop moaning about how cold it is to my husband every few minutes. (I know that I am going to be missing winter though once the humidity hits here in the summer one month.)

I have been a busy bee these last few weeks on my business expanding into some new retail spaces, getting accepted into some spring craft shows, adding over 30 new items to my etsy store and having my first ever Facebook giveaway (don't worry, there is still time to enter)! 

Here are all the deets....

First - Athens, Georgia friends....you can now find me again at the store Agora Vintage on Broad Street in Downtown Athens. At the moment, I am no longer at the original Agora, just the new one on Broad. I will definitely be sure to let you know if I go back to the old space, but for right now, grab your jewels at the new location! 

Also, I have a new retailer in Atlanta that is coming together. Should be there in the beginning of April once the store opens, but I will give you all those details once it gets closer to the opening date :)

Second - I am going to be at at least one craft show in March (maybe two....). If you like seeing me person and love craft shows, come to the Conyers Cherry Blossom Festival in Conyers, Georgia. The event is going to be March 22nd and 23rd and you can come say hi to me and my helper husband at booth 256. 

Third - New jewelry pieces have been photographed, edited and uploaded to etsy. I had a goal of getting at least 30 new items in my etsy store in February and I got 33 done and added (brushing my shoulders off). 

Clockwise from top left: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9

Clockwise from top left: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9

These are just some of the new items in my store that you should go check out in my etsy store! 

(p.s. - everything is 15% off right now until March 4th at midnight)

Fourth - I am having a Facebook giveaway right now for one of my popular infinity bracelets. Just head over to the facebook page, share the giveaway post  and comment whether you want your bracelet to be sterling silver or 14K gold. 

One winner will be chosen randomly at 2pm on Monday, March 3rd, so enter now!

(p.s. - it would be super cool and mean a lot to me if you 'liked' my page on facebook too).

Phew....so I think that is about all the updates for now. 

Thanks so much for your continued support!!

~ With Love, Ashlee ~ 

Interview with Pearl from Gray December

Today I am really excited to get to share with you a newer etsy seller who opened up her store earlier this year. I first stumbled upon her shop when I saw a set of her ombre measuring cups pop up on the etsy main page. 

I was instantly smitten and started adding so many of her store's items to my favorites. After reading her answers to my questions, I can tell she is going to be very successful on etsy.

I hope you enjoy getting to know more about her as much as I did!

P.S....Click on any of the photos in the blog to be taken to that item in her etsy store!

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started.

My name is Pearl Sturtevant, I live in a little coastal town in California and I will be 20 years old this month.

I've always liked the idea of running my own business and being my own boss. I started helping a friend of mine who has a successful pottery business on Etsy with shipping her orders in early 2013, and became interested in opening my own shop. My sister had also recently opened her Etsy shop (GiselleNo5) selling handmade clay stamps and was doing so well, it was exciting to watch her business grow and see the joy she was getting out of it. It's daunting though, to start your own business, so without their pushing me to do it I probably never would have! But on Febuary 19, 2013 I finally opened my little shop, GrayDecember, selling hand painted pottery. I am so glad I did, I am slowly but surely gaining confidence and listing more designs. I have had 14 sales so far, including an order for 15 measuring cup sets! It is exciting to send little pieces of yourself to places like Australia and Norway, I love that Etsy allows me do that.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?!

I love to draw, play guitar, read and watch old movies. I have a big family and am the youngest of seven sisters so spending time with everyone is one of my favorite things to do, we have so much fun together it's ridiculous! I love hanging out at their houses and playing with my nieces and nephews.

Where does your inspiration come from?

I love simple yet beautiful patterns, designs, and colors. Nature is a perfect source of ideas, I have things in my shop that were inspired by ladybugs, zebra print, coral, chrysanthemums, cherry trees and even crocodile skin.

Also, I get inspired by seeing what colors other people like and how they use them. For example, I usually don't like mustard yellow but then I look at my sister's kitchen where she has it paired with a gorgeous vivid aqua blue and I love it! So now I have plans to do a measuring cup set in those colors.

What does handmade mean to you?

To me, handmade things are so special, unlike anything that ever comes out of a factory. Handmade means enjoying the result of someone else's creativity and ingenuity in your own home, and there is nothing as beautiful as that.

How would you describe your creative process?

It varies. Some days it involves blasting great 80's music and painting whatever designs pop into my head, other times I carefully plan out exactly what I want to do and ask others for input first. Both extremes work well, so I just go with it. 

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

Oh that's easy! When I was five years old I found an absolutely beautiful hand carved wooden elephant with the most amazing intricate imitation ivory inlays. It was buried in the field beside our house, someone must have left it there or lost it. It is like nothing I have seen before and I won't ever get rid of it. It is old, weathered, imperfect and in places even broken, and I love it.

How do you get out of your creative ruts?

Ask for ideas! I will often get stuck and feel like I have run out of creativity. Whenever this happens I have found it is a huge help to ask my family and friends "What should I paint on this?" They have ideas that would have never occurred to me! My funky "Hungry Monster" dinner plate was my sister's idea, it has been very popular and I would have never thought of that! 

Where do you see yourself and your business in a few years?

I would love to have my own studio. I imagine a cute little workspace packed with supplies and new designs, where I can be creative and not have to worry about making a mess. I see myself branching out and finding new things that people love. I am about to start a second Etsy shop, called LittleMissive, that sells custom notes inside of hollow painted eggs. I am excited to see how I can get creative outside of pottery!

What is the best and worst thing about being an artisan?

Being your own boss is the best but also the worst I think. I love being able to do whatever I want and be creative but staying motivated is a challenge. Sometimes I wish I had someone telling me to get things done!

What advice would you give to other artisans trying to sell their wares?

Honestly, it's all about the photos. I can't stress this enough! Never underestimate the value of a great listing photo, it makes a WORLD of difference. I have had items that weren't getting a lot of attention even though they had been on Etsy for months. After I took a better listing photo they have completely turned around and become popular. Taking photos of your items can seem daunting but you don't have to be a professional photographer to get great shots, all you need is determination, looking to constantly improve, and willingness to research helpful hints if you get stuck. And it doesn't have to be complicated or expensive! The white background in all of my photos cost me $2 to buy and make. It's just a white poster board taped to a L shaped cardboard support. So simple and cheap but it looks amazing in photos!

What is the most popular item you sell?

Hands down - my orange, coral and pink ombré measuring cups. I can't make enough of those! They have been so popular I just can't believe it - they have been featured on the front page of Etsy, in the Etsy email, in several blog posts and websites, in the Etsy trending items, and were even representing the entire Kitchen & Gourmet section of Etsy for a while! It's funny to think that they were the result of a complete accident, so to speak. I had almost run out of glaze and only had a little bit of pink, red, orange and white to work with that day. So I layered them on and they looked all blotchy and mottled and I thought they would turn out terribly. But they came out of the kiln looking really cool, and I listed them and I was shocked by how much everyone liked them!

What are your top five books, movies, musicians and websites?

Oh no..I can only pick five favorite books?

A Good Year by Peter Mayle
The Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
My Sisters Keeper (anything by Jodi Picoult really)
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Color Code by Taylor Hartman

I love singers like Micheal Buble and Ella Fitzgerald. A lot of my favorite music is classical and oldies, with newer bands like The Fray and Imagine Dragons thrown in the mix.

I especially love old movies like Rear Window, How To Steal A Million, A Room With A View, and You Can't Take It With You. (And pretty much anything with Audrey Hepburn or James Stewart)

Some of my favorite websites are (obviously) Etsy, Pinterest, and DeviantArt (where I post my drawings)

Where can we find you online and off?

My Etsy shop - GrayDecember 

Facebook 
Twitter 
Pinterest
DeviantArt

Thanks so much Pearl for letting me interview you this week! I hope everyone is as impressed as I am with her pottery (I told you the ombre measuring cups are fantastic!) Stop by her etsy store or her facebook page and say hi!

Have a great day everyone!

~ With Love, Ashlee ~

Busy Bee...

Pretty much every day the past few weeks has called for a 50% chance of rain. 

This has slowed me down in the getting a nice tan on the beach department, but it has been great to photograph new items (cloudy weather makes for good lighting). 

The past few days I have edited thousands of photos and added over 20 new items to my store and I am pretty darn excited about them. 

I focused on making more sterling silver designs, adding some new bracelets to the mix and creating more colors of my hand painted earrings. 

 1/2\3/4\5/6\7/8\9/10\11/12

 1/2\3/4\5/6\7/8\9/10\11/12

So there you have it! These are now available in my etsy store.  

Check them out!

Do you have a favorite item?

~ With Love, Ashlee ~

New Branding, New Name

Over the past year, I have been trying to develop a cohesive look and have a singular brand.

When I first began 'Nomsa' in 2009, I really didn't think that it would grow into what it has and I didn't do enough research beforehand on the name. 

'Nomsa' is a Swahili word meaning grace and is a common name in South Africa and Swaziland. I came upon this name while on a mission trip and it was love at first listen. 

Unfortunately, there are a lot of brands and websites (especially in that part of the world) that use 'Nomsa.' 

Too many.

Later on in 2009, I started selling my handmade jewelry on etsy and didn't want to have it in my Nomsa store. I wanted to keep the hair accessories and jewelry separate. 'My Cellar Door' was born thanks to the movie Donnie Darko. In the movie, Drew Barrymore's character tells Donnie Darko that a famous linguist once said that of all the phrases in the world and all the combinations of words, my cellar door, is the most beautiful.

Whether or not this is true, I don't know, but it stuck. 

Two years roll by and I start to get an urge to have one brand. I am selling online, in stores, at craft shows and I need one name that I can tell people rather than explain what item can be found where.

One business name that in encompasses everything. One identity.

So after some brainstorming, my husband and I came up with 'My Sweet Nomsa,' which translates into 'My Sweet Grace.' This business has always been a much needed creative outlet for me and is a form of grace to me. It allows me to be what I want to be, an artisan. 

So I got this website, started blogging again and I have officially changed the etsy store 'My Cellar Door' to 'My Sweet Nomsa.'  It was a bit scary to change the name because there is no changing it back, but it needed to be done. 

After some hemming and hawing, I finally decided on a brand look that is all my own. I made everything about it, so I can do whatever the hell I want with it :)

I just got all my new branding and packaging stuff in the mail, so I thought I would share. 

Let me know what you think!

( I absolutely love how my jewelry is packaged now. Makes it more like a present to yourself when it is wrapped up so pretty!)

A moment of satisfaction...

As someone who has a B.A. in both Political Science and Geography, along with a minor in Peace & Conflict studies, it is sometimes hard to justify to others as well as myself, that making jewelry full-time is the correct profession for me, as well as an admirable one.

In college, I had dreams of being a lawyer, or to work for a non-profit with the aims of educating woman in sub-Saharan Africa or even working as a staffer on the 'Hill.' 

 I loved to create and craft throughout college, but never thought of it as a career until I was faced with a difficult decision after college in one of my first 'adult' jobs. Without going into too much detail (for the sake of being discreet), I worked for a business which helped shape a company's/individual's public image. 

I was given the task to help shape an extremely prominent organization's anti-gay marriage public message. I was going to have to basically help this organization create and develop talking points and phrases on why gay marriage is wrong and shouldn't be allowed.

At the time, my soon-to-be husband was a fundraiser for the nation's leading gay rights advocacy group. Both him and I are very strong supporters of the gay rights movement and loved this organization (and they loved him).

About one week before we got married, we faced this decision. Do I continue with my job, supporting and building a message of intolerance? Or, do I quit three days before we are to be wed without any prospect of a new job lined up?

I quit. 

I worked the last three days at my job and then married the love of my life that weekend. We took our week long honeymoon in Savannah and had a fantastic time. 

 The following Monday came and I dove head first into my etsy business. I had been dabbling with it for a few months, making a little extra income here and there for us, but not a full- time income. My husband supported me 100% and with the momentum of the holiday shopping season, within two months I was making a full-time income through selling online. 

This February marks the fourth year I have had my etsy store, Nomsa. This September will be the fourth year anniversary of my etsy store, My Sweet Nomsa. 

I would be lying if I said that throughout these last four years that I didn't wonder at times on what my life would be like with a different career choice. What if I had gone back to school to get a higher degree? What if I didn't pursue etsy so vigorously and instead found another political DC job? Could I have done something that would have made a bigger impact to others? Could I have helped people more? 

I sometimes still ask myself these questions. I absolutely love what I do. I really do. But I think that it is only human to wonder, to question. 

A few days ago ago, a lady placed an order for a necklace and left me this message during check-out....

"Hello Ashlee. My six year old daughter bought me this necklace for Christmas. She found it while shopping with my husband at the Classic Center in December. Recently our house was broken into and the person stole several electronics. The only piece of jewelry that was missing was this necklace. It broke my heart because I loved it so much and my daughter chose it knowing that I would love it. It makes me so happy that I saved your card and found this here. I love your pieces! Thank you."

I remember this interaction with this sweet 6 year old and her father so vividly. I remember his patience as she carefully examined each necklace I had on display. I remember how proud she was of finding the perfect necklace which she was sure that her mother would love. 

And now I will always remember that in fact, it did mean the world to her mother to receive this necklace. That what I created with my two hands was one of this woman's most prized possessions. 

Moments like this make me remember why I do what I do. That I do make an impact. That I do touch lives. 

Monday, Monday, so good to me...

Well goodness. 

Anyone else feel like vomiting up a few sticks of butter after this past holiday weekend? 

No? 

Well, let's just say I made Paula Deen pretty proud. During the cooking process on Thursday, I had to ration the amount of butter that we were cooking with because EVERYTHING called for butter and we simply were going to run out. 

Four sticks and one tub of butter later and I look a few months pregnant.

But what is Thanksgiving without butter? And what is the Thanksgiving holiday weekend without shopping till we drop. Or shopping online until your wrists are a little sore from the odd angle of your laptop. 

As most of you know...I am an artisan. I make jewelry for a living and have been doing so for over three years. I love creating new items and sharing my handmade goodies with brides, husbands looking for anniversary presents and ladies just treating themselves. 

Get your holiday shopping started off right with awesome, well-made, handmade jewelry. I use sterling silver, 14K gold, freshwater pearls, swarovski crystals, gemstones and lots of unique vintage charms and lockets. Everything I use is nickel and lead free, so you won't turn your skin green or get a rash. 

Until Tuesday night, I am having a 20% off sale on everything in both of my etsy stores!! 

You can buy this sweet monogrammed necklace with you and your loved ones initials. 

Only $22.00 after 20% off!

 

Or perhaps a personalized wax seal necklace charm is more your style?

$18.40 after the 20% discount!

So please, take advantage of this great sale and support me, an artisan. 

Happy shopping!

What's New Pussycat....

With Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Trample Old Women at the Walmart Saturday coming up....I wanted to get some new fresh items in my shop. Here is just a sample of what I recently added over the past few days. 

 Vintage Czech Glass Jewel Earrings in a Jade Green Hue. Antiqued Brass Findings and Earwires. 

Found HERE

Vintage Hammered Brass Charms. Antiqued Brass Earwires.

Found HERE

 

 Czech Glass Flower Charms. Antiqued Brass Bead Caps and Earwires

Found HERE

 Necklace and Earring Gift Set. Swarovski Crystal Briolettes in a Golden Shadow Hue. 14K Gold Filled Chain, Wire and Clasps. Vermeil Gold Earwires (vermeil gold is 24K gold plated over sterling silver). 

Found HERE

 

  Necklace and Earring Gift Set. Swarovski Crystal Briolettes in a Light Blue Hue. 14K Gold Filled Chain, Wire and Clasps. Vermeil Gold Earwires (vermeil gold is 24K gold plated over sterling silver). 

Found HERE

 

Hand knit hat. Super soft acrylic yarn, non-itchy and one size fits all. 

Found HERE 

 Hand knit hat. Super soft acrylic yarn, non-itchy and one size fits all. 

Found HERE

 

 Hand knit hat. Super soft acrylic yarn, non-itchy and one size fits all. 

Found HERE

Have a great Tuesday everyone!