"All You Need Is Love" ~ Sterling Silver Necklace

Probably close to a year ago, Kim text me a custom request from Arizona. The person wanted 4 names as well as the family name included on the necklace.

Since I had done nothing like that before I immediately went to Etsy and started searching.

From that search, came this creation:

Which led to a few weeks ago when Kim tells me that she wants a necklace like Veronica's necklace. She's just not sure what she would put on it yet. Kim is famous for having great ideas, yet they aren't always so easy to create. This is where a friendship like ours becomes favorable for her, because she knows I will attempt to do it no matter how difficult.

This morning I was bored and had not much to do, so I decided to start on the design she wanted. 

This is how all the jewelry starts:

It comes pre-cut, without holes, and then I go to work stamping letter by letter.

The finished product:

Sterling Silver "All You Need Is Love" Necklace

$35

And this is when I acknowledge why our friendship is one in a million and why it has lasted so long. It's a friendship that is mutual on every level. In this case, she gets her idea created and she gives me an awesome idea to list in my store!

Engagement & Baseball/Softball

Thankfully the holiday shopping season is winding down.

At least the orders for me to fill have all but stopped. I did get one more request this morning and kindly shipped to NY via Priority Mail so it would hopefully arrive on time.

I have been busy. My Etsy shop has been crazy. I'm not complaining, but it's nice to have it slow down especially with the kids now home on winter vacation.

My friend Cheryl text me late one night last week. She needed a favor. This is usually in most cases followed by a picture from another Etsy shop that someone found and wants me to recreate.

Cheryl's first of four daughters was going to be getting engaged and she wanted a cute little necklace to commemorate the event.

Here it is:

And yes..she said yes and was completely shocked.

This sterling silver circular disc is between the size of a nickel and a dime (19mm) so it's not so big and states the idea she came up with simply. Includes an 18-inch sterling silver chain.

$20

Then I had some down time and have had some charms that I have been wanting to experiment with. Kim's boys are no longer playing on the same baseball team so I decided to use that to finally test these cute baseball/softball charms.

A small sterling silver circular disc (19mm) is paired with a sterling silver charm featuring a glove, bat, and ball. Includes an 18 inch sterling silver necklace (not pictured).

$35 (per necklace)

Honoring the Friendship That Is Family

Twelve of these went to Arizona:

Sterling Silver Cuff Bracelet hand stamped with "family forever * friends forever"

$35

Truly Thankful

On the day when we give thanks, I am thankful for a husband who supports my small business dream and for friends and customers who purchase my items.

This morning I woke up to an Etsy order. This customer has been looking for a bracelet that had a specific saying for a long time and was not able to find it.

She ordered the personalized cuff and asked if I could stamp "The bond between a mother and daughter begins and ends with love." Immediately, I started counting letters and spacing and was worried that I, too, would not be able to do this for her. I messaged her and asked if I could use the "&" sign instead of the word "and." (This would allow me to save spacing and give me a better chance of being able to fulfill the order.) The customer messaged back that she would really like "and" spelled out, but would be okay with the "&" sign if that was the only way I could fit it.

Well, I decided to take a chance and just go for it. Worst case scenario, I could use it as a tax right off.

This happened on the first try:

Sterling Silver cuff stamped with "The bond between a mother and daughter begins and ends with love"

$35

A Little Humor

Retitling My Listings

This business venture started because I saw necklaces for moms on Etsy and thought, "why are they so expensive, that can't be that hard to do, can it?"

Today, this request happened:

A fellow shop owner on Etsy contacted me wondering if I could take my "Mom" necklace and make a necklace for one of her employees. This led me to rethink my listing titles, because ultimately I am selling a personalized necklace and it doesn't have to be mom specific.

Thanks to Cyprianne at Speckled Frog Crochet for your business and the order, which led me to retitle some of my offerings.

Sterling Silver Hand Stamped Personalized Necklace - 2 Circles

$35

"Overcome" Bracelet

The beauty about Etsy is that potential customers can contact you and make customized requests. This happens to me on a monthly basis. The majority of the time, I am able to accommodate the requests.

A couple of days ago, a prospective buyer contacted me and had a specific idea that she wanted to bring to life. While I am not sure of the reasoning behind this idea, the buyer had a specific date she needed it by, so I have a feeling it is a gift to symbolize an important moment in someone's life.

"Overcome" is centered on the bracelet and on one end she requested I stamp the heart with the cross inside. On the opposite end I stamped the bible verse "John 16:33"

Sterling Silver Personalized Cuff Bracelet

$35