One Year on Etsy

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Rather than being a day just for couples, I like to think of it as a day to celebrate the people you love in your life. Who do you plan to make smile today? (:

One week from today will be one year since I first opened my shop on Etsy as "The Glistening Pearl." I remember being nervous to finally take the plunge. Before even opening a shop, I spent weeks figuring out my shop policies, designing a banner, and prepping listings. It's been a wonderful year filled with creativity and inspiration, and I can't wait to see what this next year will have in store for The Glistening Pearl.

To celebrate this exciting milestone, I want to include a little extra gift in each purchase made on Etsy from today through February 21. No coupon code necessary. 

I hope you'll be able to join me in the celebration!

I Dream I Can Fly

I love that Etsy sellers offer a beautiful selection of well crafted jewelry. When I first got my cartilage pierced during my freshman year of college I had a (stainless steel?) partial hoop placed in. It was a little large for my liking, but that's all the piercing salon had available that I liked.  A few years later, I stumbled across tiny Bioplast posts while in Japan. They were less noticeable in my ear and more comfortable to sleep in. Still, I wasn't completely pleased. A couple months ago I was itching to change it up again.

Ever since moving to Santa Barbara and experimenting with more gold in my jewelry, I've come to realize that I really like the way gold looks against my skin tone. I began hunting for a gold hoop - Macy's, Claire's, Hot Topic, etc. Fail. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right stores (I didn't think it would be so difficult), but I decided to turn to Etsy. I should have looked here to begin with!

I stumbled across idreamicanfly on Etsy by Jo Hollingsworth. Absolutely beautiful handcrafted jewelry. She had exactly what I had in mind: a simple, 14k gold hoop that would fit snugly on my ear. I wanted gold, not gold filled, for jewelry that I didn't plan to take off anytime soon; I needed something that could withstand showers and the beach. In addition, Jo provided superb customer service - I would highly recommend her to anyone who is looking for a new, high quality piercing. My package quickly arrived within a couple days, and I've been wearing my hoop ever since.

9mm 14k Yellow Gold Curl

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Simplicity Earrings

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Thank you, Jo! I almost wish I had more piercings haha.

Poppy & Pinecone

This past December I stumbled across a watercolor print that was featured alongside my Raindrops Bracelet in a lovely Etsy Treasury (Christmas at the Beach). It was love at first sight. I clicked on the print of the Hawaiian islands, and it led me to a wonderful little Etsy shop called Poppy & Pinecone. 

Poppy & Pinecone is filled with beautiful drippy prints of different states and countries that each have a tiny white heart placed in the middle. The concept is adorable and the colors are captivating. I had to have one. I decided to purchase a 5x7 print for my best friend who lives on the other side of the country. We met in middle school in Hawaii, and even though I only see her once a year now, if that, I love her to pieces. I'm sure she misses Hawaii as much as I do, and I wanted to send her a little bit of home for Christmas. 

Hawaii Love

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Elisabeth, the artist and creator of Poppy & Pinecone, kindly moved the heart from the Big Island (default) to Oahu. My print was promptly shipped to Hawaii for me, and it was just as delightful in person as I imagined it would be online. (How could I not love these colors??)

Before sending it off to my friend, I picked up a frame from my local craft supply store, sifted through the handfuls of sea glass and shells that my parents handpicked for me in October, and put together my very first beach glass picture frame. I love how the colors of the glass complement the print. Just the touch of home I was hoping for to make the present complete. 

(This package took over a month to ship via USPS Parcel Post, so I wasn't able to blog about it until now. Couldn't give the surprise away early!)

Thank you, Elisabeth, for helping me create this wonderful Christmas present! Your artwork is beautiful, and I am so very tempted to purchase one for myself as well.

Simplicity

Just when I think my life has calmed down (i.e. paddling's racing season ending) it revs right back up. I picked up another part time job so I've been working the last 11 consecutive days (64 hours in the last 7 days). For someone who has been delightfully spoiled by a 30-hour 5-day work week, this has been a little exhausting, especially when some of the training shifts go to 2:30am. Although I end up a little tired during the day, I'm really enjoying it all.

As much fun as it sounds like I'm having, I decided to take Friday off. Probably the best decision I made this month. Thursday afternoon felt amazing - the weekend come early! New hot yoga class, lounging around at night, sleeping in, much needed hair cut, sandwiches on a grassy lawn, long bike ride exploring the coast in to-die-for warm January weather, homemade calzones, pomegranate tart frozen yogurt, and jewelry time - These last 24 hours have been so refreshing and revitalizing.

Rewinding just a bit: Before the hustle and bustle of things somewhat unexpectedly swept me off my feet, I decided it was time to design something new again. In my mind, post earrings were beyond my current abilities, but I decided to give them a go and push my creative boundaries.

Voila, my first pair of hand made post earrings - freshwater keshi pearls with a 14k gold fill hammered swirl. Ever since I put my pair on, I haven't taken them off (they really shouldn't be worn in the shower, but I keep forgetting!). Maybe it's because my life suddenly became jam-packed, or maybe I just really adore post earrings. Regardless, I've been absolutely in love with how simple they are. They're perfect for work, they match everything, they're comfortable to wear (even to sleep, surprisingly, because of the silicone backings), and they're just so dainty and beachy.

Simplicity Earrings

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These tiny earrings somehow make me feel that much more put together even with my hectic schedule. J'adore.

P.S. I've been working on designing other new pieces in my head these last couple of days. Seems like I've caught the creative bug again. Yay (: Just in time for next weekend's Whole Foods event!

Giveaway with NaturesKnockout

Lately, I've been trying to live a healthier, more well-rounded life. I try to find more time to be active outdoors, eat more whole foods, make time for enough sleep, and last but not least, use more natural products. From household cleaners to shampoo to makeup, I've slowly been replacing my chemical-filled products with products that contain more natural ingredients.

I've been tuning in to Nature's Knockout on YouTube for natural makeup and skin care options and ideas. Laurie and Tiffany are an adorable mother-daughter celebrity makeup artist duo who make great videos that include natural products.

Their video below features two of my pieces: the Ocean Mist Necklace for Laurie and earrings yet-to-be-named for Tiffany.

And most excitingly.... Nature's Knockout is currently hosting a giveaway with three Moonlit Ocean Earrings on their blog! It's definitely worth checking out. I believe there is 6 days left for a chance to win a pair of your very own Moonlit Ocean Earrings, and they are also listing a coupon code for free shipping!

Moonlit Ocean Earrings

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Well, what are you waiting for? Go enter for a chance to win!