Anticipation!

In preparation for my upcoming time off (baby arrives any day now!), I've been making jewelry like there is no tomorrow! We have shipped a whopping 72 wholesale packages since the beginning of March - I have no data to back this up, but I'm pretty sure that's a Freshie & Zero record. I am so excited that we were able to fill all the orders I had promised, so that now I can take a couple of days off and rest up, since I'm going to be short on quality sleep very soon!

Another reason I'm glad we got our orders out when we did: in the last few days my hands have been getting swollen and stiff from being 39 weeks pregnant and that makes jewelry making a bit difficult!  I've been asked what my timeline is for shipping right now and basically, I am going to be able to ship small orders or partial orders after June 1st to my retailers.  I will open my website again probably after June 10th or so for retail orders.  I will have my lovely assistant in the studio taking care of day to day operations, so we won't be shut down completely, but even a workaholic like myself has to take a break when there's an infant to take care of. :)

We will also be returning to the American Artisan Festival in Nashville on Father's Day Weekend; June 15-17 so if you're in town and have any requests for jewelry you hope I have at the show, please let me know. After the festival is over, we'll be 100% up and running again, and getting ready for our next show - the Atlanta Gift Market in July! Whew! I'm exhausted just thinking about the next few months!

And now I must get back to resting my puffy feet and drinking ice water. It's unseasonably hot in Nashville right now!!

9 weeks to go...

I have nine weeks to go until my life changes forever. My second child is going to be here very soon...

Here I am about 29 weeks pregnant.

Some mothers will tell you they have "baby amnesia" where they forgot all about the hard parts of caring for a newborn and how much they fell in love with their baby instantly. They barely remember the lack of sleep and the total upheaval of their day to day routine. These mothers embrace the new normal of caring for a human being that can pretty much do nothing but depend on you for every single need and give you nothing in return but a poopy diaper and some spit up on your clothing. They just loved being a mother, right from the start.

I am not that mother.

I remember everything - all the terribly, terribly hard parts of being a new mother.  I have not forgotten how miserable I was, how I had no idea how to care for a baby, how horrible breastfeeding was going, how little sleep I had, how emotional I was, how much I just cried, all the time.  How my baby didn't smile at me for 2 months and how all I wanted was to just give her back to whoever deemed me fit to be a mother.  I did not fall in love at the sight of her. In fact, I didn't even like her very much.  I kept waiting for that moment to happen where I would feel like "a mother" and I would fall in love with my baby like all the parenting magazines told me I would.  I would tell her I loved her but the words sounded empty and meaningless to me. I was waiting for that magical starry eyed moment that never came.

I honestly don't know when I actually felt honest to goodness love towards my daughter, but it took much longer than I anticipated.

Luckily, it did happen. I do love her and I really like her, too. At 22 months, she's cute, friendly, and charming and she says "hi" to everyone we pass in the grocery store. She likes to push our laundry basket around the house and fill it up with magazines, toys, and whatever she can swipe from our recycling.  She has lengthy conversations with herself and of course, she loves jewelry.  She even calls Zero's collar a "neckwace".  She's cute, I tell you.

Baby girl loves a good skirt, a good bag, a phone, and some sparkly shoes.

Reflecting back on those first 6 (?) months, and even now how our lives are so totally different and more challenging with the ongoing task of the complete and utter care of a small child, I am questioning my sanity a bit for starting all over again.  My husband and I decided we really wanted her to have a sibling, and neither of us ever thought we would have just one (although two is the damn limit).  We tell ourselves "They'll play together!" and "It will be easier in the long run!" We know it will be tough for a while but we know it will end and instead of a needy baby we'll have an opinionated toddler, which is more challenging in so many ways but at least she can giggle and play and say "gooood mooourning mommy".

For 9 more weeks I can remain somewhat optimistic. When the baby actually enters our world, I'll reach for the tissues and remind myself that things will calm down... eventually.... like when they're married. But at least I won't be pregnant anymore and can pour myself all the liquid therapy I need...

I'm in a TV commercial!

Okay, not really, but one of my necklaces is! Observe:

That's the Antique Stone Necklace!

I just happened to be watching t.v. at my parent's house on Saturday, who just happen to have HD cable and a DVR. They were watching Kentucky play Vanderbilt, during which there happened to be an Applebee's commercial, and I just happened to look up at the right time and see one of the actresses had on my necklace! Did I mention I also just happened to be playing with my toddler at the time, and the necklace has all of about 3 seconds of air time? Through all that distraction and happenstance (there is no HD or DVR awesomeness happening at my house, and I doubt I could have confirmed it without the hd clarity), I saw it, started emitting excitable utterances, my parents rewound it and I confirmed it - yes! That is my necklace! SO COOL.

Later during halftime, we spent copious amounts of time rewinding, pausing, photographing the screen, rewinding, pausing, photographing the screen, etc.

Even if Applebee's may not be my favorite restaurant (okay I'll admit it, I haven't eaten there in probably 10 years - I tend to stay away from restaurants whose most exotic beer is Samuel Adams), but hey - someone chose to put that necklace on camera to a national tv audience. Applebee's now has a special place in my heart, even if I still probably won't be visiting anytime soon. Here is the commercial:

I wonder if it was the actresses or the stylists? I wonder where they purchased it? Will there be a Freshie & Zero/Applebee's collaboration in the future? French fries in organic geometric shapes? Better beer? Hmm.... probably not.

Trunk Show at Bella Vita

I recently participated in a trunk show in Collierville, TN (it's right next to Memphis) at one of my favorite retailers, Bella Vita! The owner, Stephanie, is so creative and crafty, plus she really has an eye for interesting products and then works wonders displaying them all together! She and her lovely sales associates were so sweet and fun to spend a Saturday with. You can also tell their customers really enjoy their time there - many loyal customers were greeted with smiles and hugs!

Stephanie also has an adorable baby store next door, Itty Bitty Bella ... let's just say my little ones scored some super cute new duds!

Here are some photos I took of her shop & my trunk show setup. First of all, look at this lovely postcard they designed and sent out to their customers:

So cute, right?

Since it was right before Valentine's Day, I brought lots of heart necklaces and they were a big hit!

My jewelry was displayed on vintage crates and suitcases, frames and benches. Look at the mason jar lighting over the table! Stephanie's mom made those! And they're hanging from an old baby crib spring mattress. So. Clever.

Another fabulous DIY light fixture Stephanie and her crafty family made - it's a chicken coop! They wired the top shut and added a light bulb. Her store was full of them and it looked extremely rustic chic.

I don't do trunk shows often (maybe once every two years?), but after this fun adventure I may be open to more... after my second baby is born and things settle down of course. Wait, do things ever settle down when you have two very small children?