Grateful for being "Lucky"

It’s March and  St. Patricks day is around the corner. Drinking irish whiskey and green beer aside, the first word that comes to mind is the word  “Luck"  What does it really mean to be lucky? Luck by standard definition means “good fortune; advantage or success, considered as a result of chance.” Or “the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person’s life, as in shaping circumstances, events or opportunities.  While I have never been the “lucky” winner of the lottery, or the publishing clearance house sweepstakes, or a never ending pool of coins from a Las Vegas casino. I do acknowledge that I am lucky in life.

I observed at a fairly young age that I was unlike many of my classmates in the simple fact that I was growing up in a two parent household. The majority of my friends in school came from divorced or single parent homes. Yes I was that "abnormal" child who had parents that actually stayed together.

 I am lucky to have a warm and loving family. It was a core value growing up with out it being said or enforced. I was fortunate to live close to both sets of grandparents and grew up visiting them on a regular basis. My grandparents were part of the golden generation, survivors of the Great Depression and World War Two, I learned to value the things I have, they enriched my creativity and were always supportive of my artisitc endevours.   I was guided into an artistic path at a young age, inspired by my Grandpa Barnhart’s love of oil painting. I helped my Grandma Schuld weed her garden and the blooms, blossoms and luscious foliage have an impact on my designs today.

I am lucky that I some how made a career out of being a part of family. I was fortunate to raise two boys from the ages of 15mo and 4 to the ages of 6 and 9. I am lucky that I currently help raise two girls.   In both situations I truly became an integral and active part in their family. I am more then just the “nanny”. I am essential and have created a strong connection with their children. I am a part of their lives. I celebrate with them and grieve with them. That family connection a fundamental value in my life and that translates into the love and care I put into my jewelry designs.

This is a custom piece I made for one of the boys I helped raise.  The family lost a loving husband, step father, coach and dear friend.  

This photo is from a holiday photo shoot and I am with one of the girls I take care of along with their dog Paco. 

A beautiful commissioned bracelet resembling family members.

My spinner ring was commissioned as a wedding ring and the three bands represent "our past, our present and our future"

I turned forty this year.  (Hard for me to believe)  I am lucky that I am healthy and that I have been losing weight and am in the best shape I’ve been in years. But here I am forty.  I have never been married, I have no children.  I have been asked many times if I want children but I am not going to force anything to happen and I know time is running out.  Therefore, I am lucky to still have the experience of raising children.  I have an understanding and appreciation for all you stay at home moms out there. It is hard work…but I also understand the working career mom. It takes a lot of faith and courage to basically trust a person to BE with your children all day while you persevere, build and grow your own career to support your family. It’s not an easy choice and I know you struggle with it. The families that entrust me with their children are lucky to have me. In turn I am lucky to have worked for successful business women who inspire and motivate me to continue to build and expand my Aprilierre brand. 

All in all I feel that I have experienced LUCK as “a force that operates.. for GOOD.. shaping circumstance and opportunities.” Indeed I am a lucky woman.  This  week was a tough week for many in Minneapolis as the Target Corporation laid of thousands of talented hard workers.  I am lucky to be where I am, embracing a creative skill that I have, working for a wonderful family while I do it.  I feel I really can’t experience luck with out having an expression of gratitude. Each and every day I think of something or someone that I am grateful for. We all have our good days and our bad days and sometimes we need that little reminder to be grateful for what we have and where we are. That is why I created my “Gift of Gratitude” rings. My goal is to create a “gratitude” line of jewelry that I can use to give back and help foster and grow non profit organizations that help cultivate our community.

Artistic Evolution & The HAMMS Event

I knew as a little girl that I wanted to grow up to be an artist.  I just didn’t know what kind.  I was a drawer, a painter, a writer, an actor.  It wasn’t until well after college  that I discovered how much I loved the art form of jewelry making and design.
I started out by learning a few basic techniques in bead stringing and making loops and dangles.  I let my creativity move forward.

Selling my jewelry happened rather spontaneously and unexpectedly.  I had an acquaintance reach out to me and informed me of a small local craft fair taking place in a North Minneapolis Park.

I decided to fore go the traditional application process and drove up to the event early in the morning, introduced myself to the organizer and she allowed me to participate.  I paid the fee, drove to the closest WalMart for a cheap tent and folding table and set up shop.  I made three sales that day.  I was giddy.  A jewelry artist entrepreneur was born.  I began being involved with the Mill City Farmers Market and my business and relationships with my loyal customers has been growing ever since.

My displays and branding evolved over the next couple of years as did my jewelry evolve in design.  

I became more confident in my work and in believing that I can make a successful business from my own creations. I continue to participate in events. I learned all too quickly that there is a lot of expense to managing your own artistic business. Obviously there is the cost of materials, the packaging, the display, the booth fees, the marketing, the time, the tools and the list goes on and on.  For years I have been growing my business bit by bit developing entrepreneur skills along the way. I am making connections with my customers and my online sales have increased and I am excited to grow Aprilierre into a jewelry line found in unique specialty shops across the country.  

I was thrilled to come across an event like the HAMMS Event.   Here is an event that I am investing in that is structured to give one of  the participating vendors an opportunity to get that financial boost towards growing their small business.  The HAMMSEvent has put together an amazing ensemble of unique Minnesota Makers.  I am looking forward to the overall experience of connecting with so many talented entrepreneurs and see our businesses grow. Fashion blogger Sara Bartlett tells about her unique shopping experience at last years HAMMSEvent, leaving the impression that this is an event you won't want to miss.  I encourage you all to come out and enjoy this once a year event.  Another fun competition is the vendor who brings in the most people will be refunded their booth fee.  That is fantastic!  (Therefore, make sure you mention you heard about the event from Aprilierre at the gate. ) Meanwhile I will continue to create....

Show Spotlight

I have been taking time during this long relentless winter to reflect and focus on creating my art and expanding my business goals. This year I am taking part in some new events that I hope will not only help bring Aprilierre jewelry to a new audience, but also bring about a new network and connections with artists and entrpreneurs. Over the next few weeks I am going to highlight some of these events and feature them in my blog.

                            HAMMS EVENT 2014

I am looking forward to my involvement in the HAMMS event 2014. This is a crowdfunding event to support Minnesota Makers. HAMMS Event was born out of the “shop local” and “shop small business” movement, and around the fact that small businesses need to stick together. In 2013 they gave $5000 in HAMMS Event ticket sales and donations to one Minnesota Maker - to help them grow and expand their business. The philosophy is if small businesses all stick together they can make a difference.

Last year’s winner was Lynn Sanchelli of Painted Stuf.

Becky Sturm and Sairy Gernes are the entrepreneuresses who are the idea generators behind this event. Both accomplished with two unique companies a piece they have participated in their fair share of the pop up market circuit and bring the best part of that experience into the HAMMS EVENT.

Another fun aspect of the day is the vendor who brings in the most people to the event will have their booth fee refunded.  How fantastic.  So with that said, I encourage you to mark your calendars for Sat. May 3rd. 10am–4pm at the former Hamms Brewery Shipping Docks. 713 East Minnehaha Avenue
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55106

Purchase your tickets  or to donate to the event to help a MInnesota Maker Succed here.

Silence and Solitude

I find it hard to begin to write and I am never sure how to start this blog.  So I just sit in silence and tune into the sounds in my new apartment.  The wind is strong tonight causing my window to shake I know that the cold frigid air is near.  My bench is quite tonight as I contemplate and look over my latest designs.  I feel the smoothness of the freshly polished silver in my hand and the glint of light reflecting in the stones.  It's moments of reflection like this when I stare at my work thinking to myself.  "Wow I actually made this." I love looking at the coils of sterling silver and other various raw materials while sitting at my bench and get excited about what these will eventually become.  

There are times when my design process is very specific with a clear idea of what I want the outcome to be.  When I create pieces that I know customers love and sell well I become a jewerly making machine.  Every thing is lined up and I create in an assembly line style.  

Then there are days when  I slow down, take the time to touch different stones laying a variety of colors and textures next to each other and then I just let go and create not knowing if it will work out, but always excited for what can happen. Like any artist I have days where I get stuck, I melt a crucial piece of metal in the last stage of a design, or I end up scrapping the idea all together and it ends up in the "pile".  But that pile of unfinished work serves a purpose too and eventually will become the catalist and spark a new idea for something beautiful.

 

 

Moving Strides

I know it has been a while since I have dedicated time to write but the past three weeks have been a whirl wind of activity.  The foremost being that I have moved!!!  I am proud to announce that I have acheived one of my lifes goals. (Before turning 40!!)  That is to reside in a live/work artists loft space.

Minneapolis happens to be the head quarters of ArtSpace  an organization that develops property into great spaces for artists to live and work.  I am excited to live with an artist community in NE Minneapolis at the Jackson Flats.

I am thrilled to be on the third floor and when the leaves fall I will gain a nice view of the down town skyline which is a nice silver lining to the fact that winter is around the corner. (Again). 

My creative space will be a work in progress.  I am still in the process of organizing my jewelers work area and I haven't begun any jewelry work just yet but will be very soon.  Meanwhile as key pieces of furniture and shelving arrive I will post more pictures of my space.  For now though you can enjoy a sneak peek of the empty space before I began making it my home. 

                                   

 

                                  

                                     

                                  

Something Blue

The clock rings at 7 am. I wake st 7:34, Stretch throw on my favorite maxi dress and a couple of pieces of jewelry and walk to the Coffee Shop NE and grab a large pecan roast to go. The car is packed with three colorful totes and my gym shoes (just in case) and I'm ready to hit the road.

I drive three and a half hours west towards Fargo ND for the annual Fargo Blues Fest, a tradition my family has kept alive since it began in 1999. Our traditional party includes my Uncle Keith whose robust laughter is contagious, my Aunt Terri, cousin Luke, my sister Robin and of course my mom and dad. Occasionally friends of mine join us for  the weekend.

One thing I can count on is my Uncle Keith's colorful "blues fest" shirt which he wears only one time a year. The second one pictured is a brand new shirt that debuted this year. Very stylish!

A day of good music is always followed up by a campfire and juicy grilled burgers or sausages by Uncle Keith. Stories and silly jokes and memories took place over cold beers and a passing bottle of Jack Daniels or Jim Beam. Over the years the drinking has become less of a social staple but the stories, and laughter never leaves the group.

This year my sister is missing from the group for understandable reasons: this adorable little man.

While I had hoped for some bonus time with my nephew and a chance to share some snarky laughs with my sister as we people- watch and vote for best shirtless beer gut. I realize that managing a 1 year old would be challenging in this environment of loud music, hot sun, and a crowd of strangers... It could be a mother’s nightmare.

But I miss my sister,  my blues fest companion, the one I can count on for sarcasm and wit, the one who will scoff at my big hat or how many shoes I packed (only three pairs this time).

Robin has been a champion supporter of my jewelry over the years. I had the honor of designing her wedding necklace. (She will likely kill me for posting this picture of her.) The necklace was a stunning multi-dangled piece of swarovski crystals. I even added a pinch of blue to the piece (her favorite color).

She is the inspiration behind my use of the color blue in my jewelry. Perhaps she was the driving force behind my bird with blue spinel stone necklace.

Recently she wore a ring that I made and loved and nearly didn’t want to sell. Yet she loved it so much and so I sold it to her, she is my sister and I love her and she deserves to rock my jewelry.

In fact she rocked my ring so well that one of her co-workers needed one for herself and I am in the process of custom making one now.

This ring design has also captivated my Facebook audience with the highest number reached in "likes" and comments.

Being at a blues  festival I can’t  help but think about how blues music moves me to create and has been  the soundtrack behind many of my pieces. While I didn't have my favorite blues fest companion with me me this year, she still  inspires my use of the color blue. Like my past beaded work pictured below I will add a little more blue to my metal work, the blue of Robin’s and my eyes, of the sea, of the sky.  

Speaking of sky, here is an image that closed a beautiful weekend with my wonderful family: a beautiful North Dakota Sunset.