Final 4 ... 40% off Sale!!

That's right folks ... 

my alma mater the University of Kentucky

AND

my home state Ohio State Buckeyes

are BOTH in the Final Four this weekend! 

As game time approaches, I'm getting more and more excited!! 

I was adding some new earrings to the shop today and decided to do something BIG. 

BOGO - 40% off your 2nd pair of lampwork glass earrings

for a limited time!

If you're a lampwork glass fan, you know how pricey that handcrafted artisan element can be. And if you're new to lampwork glass, then welcome to the world of wonderful! Artisan handcrafted lampwork glass is amazing. What the artist can do with a glass rod under a  torch, is unbelievable. It takes two days to complete a single bead ... TWO DAYS! 

And some artists do some pretty cool things with glass.

Right now, I'm really into lampwork glass discs. They're funky, a bit organically shaped and are so unique and cool! I've had so much fun designing with lampwork glass to create all kinds of fun earrings this spring. I think they can really "make" your look, no matter how you wear them. They're definitely eye-catching. Something special and unique. Clearly not store-bought, and definitely artisan.

I've just added a few new designs today, and have several of my favorites already in the shop ... so stop over and take a look! 

And - a note for my blog friends - I have more coming! I have some cool, transparent lampwork glass discs in juicy, fresh colors waiting in my design area. I can't wait!

As always, thanks for stopping over (and sorry I've been out of touch blogging lately ... I've been caught up in multiple family projects for a bit!) and CLICK HERE to visit my shop and check out the rare sale.

Have a great weekend and GO CATS! GO BUCKS!!

Last Day!

Today's the last day of my Spring Sale! 30% off everything in the shop ... so be sure to stop by before 11:00pm EST tonight to take advantage of the savings!

To follow this week's blog trend, here are yesterday's Top 2 admired pieces, still available in my shop:

 

Wildflowers & Willows artisan necklace - Sale price $30.80

And in a close 2nd place ...

Picasso Jewel Tone Copper Earrings - Sale price 14.70

The Spring Sale has been so much fun! Thanks to everyone who has stopped by. 

Today's design note to myself, is to make a point to design some black and white jewelry. I put on a pretty fun, trendy black and white outfit today and was quite dismayed to find I did not have coordinating jewelry adequate to do it justice! I find that it sometimes can be difficult to get in the "black and white" mode of jewelry designing, because I enjoy designing necklaces & bracelets with artisan-crafted elements the most. Of course, they tend to lend themselves to a broader color palette, and I sometimes forget that we still need some clean basics for our wardrobe too! - I'll have to get on that. ;)

It's Friday, so here's a happiness quote to take with you through the weekend:

"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."

     - Marcel Proust

Is there someone who makes your soul blossom? Your heart smile or feel like it's just been "hugged" when you're around them? If you encounter them this weekend, think about taking a quick second to tell them that they make you smile - it will be like a "hug" back to their heart. Not going to see the person, but they come to mind? A quick email or a nice little handwritten note is food for the soul ... and it will make you feel warm & fuzzy inside after you send it too! :)

Happy Friday everyone! Thank you for stopping by My Happy Things Blog and don't forget to pop in the shop before the sale ends tonight!

CAUTION! The end is drawing near ...

Just a heads up for my blog friends ... tomorrow (Friday) is the last scheduled day of my Spring Sale! 

Yesterday's "most admired" item was my Starfish Wonderland bracelet,which is made up of an exquisite collection of fine artisan lampwork glass and some natural elements. Pure high-end beach love!

Here's a touch of "happy" for today ...

"A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes."

                          - Hugh Downs

Best Value & Most Overlooked

Spring Sale week continues in my shop and I still enjoy watching the "popularity contest" among my designs. I never know what's going to sell next and just when I think something's never going to move ... someone snatches it up! I can't tell you how many times I've tagged an item in my mind to re-design, and just before I get to it, someone selects it to purchase. I've mentioned before that I rarely keep designs for myself ... and I find the same phenomena with that issue. Once I think about pulling an item out of my shop, or keeping it at home when it comes back from the show circuit, it sells! 


In looking ahead to designing for the summer, I'm thinking of approaching things a little differently. I typically don't "intentionally" purchase materials, knowing I want to make "that kind of jewelry" for a season. My process is much more fluid than that. I tend to select materials I like or that speak to me or move me, and then I wait until the vision flashes and I can see the finished design in my mind. So quite often, I have new materials in my hands but don't design with them right away. There are times when I sit down with some materials I want to use, and I "work" at designing with them, but the majority of what I make kind of comes to me randomly. Once I get a feeling or idea, I just sit down and go with it. But this season, I'm toying with the idea of being more intentional, and planning out what I want to carry in my shop and retail locations this summer. 

Artisan Lampwork Glass earrings, new to the shop for summer
(Now $20.30 in my Spring Sale!)

I kind of giggle when I think of actually doing this, because I have no idea how I'm going to decide what my plan should be! I'm terrible at knowing and deciding what people will like. I literally just make things that I would like to wear, and then put them out there and see if anyone else likes them too. So often, I design a piece and see it used in a certain style and fashion in my mind, and am so surprised with who buys it and how they tell me they're going to wear it! I'm thrilled ANY time one of my designs moves someone, and they decide to make it a part of their personal style. But don't ask me to tell you what the trend will be, or what will sell well ... because I'm always surprised!


On this note, I share with you today two items from my shop, on sale this week:

"Best Value" - Interchangeable Hoops, now $38.50

BEST VALUE - I have a set of interchangeable hoop earrings in my shop, that are an unbelievable value. At regularly marked price, it was a good deal ... but now that they're on sale, it's almost crazy! The handcrafted & hammered sterling silver oxidized hoops come with 10 sets of dangles to use on them, to suit whatever you're wearing. They range in color, texture and finish and really give you an option for just about every day of the week! While I've had a few people look at them, I can't believe no one has snatched these up! You generally would only get 1 or two pair of hoops with a single dangle, for the sale price the whole set is being offered at now. Why do I offer the set? Frankly, I couldn't decide which to make one day, when I was running low on sterling silver. I only had enough left to make one set of hoops, but had all these ideas for great dangles with the oxidized, hammered style and color. I decided to go ahead and put them altogether, as kind of a bonus buy. I thought they would be gone right away ... but as usual, I have no idea what I'm talking about, and they're still hanging around! :) So if you're wondering what the best 'value' in my shop is right now ... this is clearly it!

"Most Overlooked" - Earrings now $14.70

MOST OVERLOOKED - You know how sometimes you find something that's just such a cool color, and has such a cool texture or finish that you love to stare at it? Well, the faceted glass in these earrings are just like that. A beautiful blueish-green jade color, the facets and perfection of this glass make them just dazzling. Not in a flashy, "HEY look at me!" way ... but in a "Oh yeah, you might want to take a second look" kind of way. I really love the hammered, trendy washer rings that link together and suspend the beads. The style is very current, and they're beautiful and very unique. But I've been surprised how much attention these earrings are NOT getting, in the shop! I'm wondering what it is that is making people "miss" them, or overlook them, because I'm pretty sure that if for sale in person, they'd be gone in a heartbeat. So I share with you the most "undeservingly overlooked" item in my shop right now ... these cool earrings!

"Most Overlooked" - Earrings now $14.70

I appreciate you stopping by today and sign off with a quote for today:

"Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling."

                                                  - Margaret Lee Runbeck

Perspective, A Crisis Averted & An Update

I'm opening today's post with a quote for today, because I think it RULES and I can't wait until the end to share it!

"When I was in grade school, they told me to write down what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, I told them they didn't understand life."

- Unknown

Art by Daina Deblette Scarola of
OceanArtStudio.etsy.com

I think I love this quote so very much because this was the mentality and perspective that my mother ingrained in us growing up. This quote could have easily been about her! We're generally happy people, and while I think that's somewhat born into our temperament and personality, I also think it's very much influenced by our perspective and heart - which is both conscious and unconscious. As I raise my 2 little guys, I try very hard to find opportunities to say these kinds of things to them, trying to instill this very basic perspective, which becomes such a very, very important part of your life. 

I might have to have this quote made into art and displayed somewhere in my house. LOVE IT!

Okay, onto jewelry. :)  Monday was an exciting day with my sale, as I enjoyed communicating with people about items they were interested in and appreciating how delighted they were to find something special! I had quite a few things to mail out and so after picking both boys up from school, we swung by the post office. I find that these trips are most successful with my 7 and 4 year old, if I plan for the little outing from their perspective. Juice boxes and a small snack (fruit gummies this time - a fav!) for the after-school ride, can go a long way to ensuring our experience waiting in line and completing forms and labels, goes smoothly. 

Czech Glass beads from BeadAndRibbon.etsy.com

(just including them, because they're pretty!)

After taking care of international shipments and a successfully quiet and patient wait for our turn, I was finishing up addressing the postage-paid domestic labels at a little kiosk at the front of the post office. My 7 year old decided to "help out" and was handing me associated labels and packages, when he inadvertently held onto one of the labels in the process as he became distracted with something happening out the window. This resulted in me addressing the wrong label, and almost sending the wrong things to the wrong people. ---And of course, they were one-of-a-kind items, so it's not like I could've just replaced them, if we hadn't caught it. THANK GOODNESS, he noticed and shouted out "Hey! I'm still holding this label!". A small freak out, an "under my breath" stern lecture and a 2nd purchase of that same postage label later, I had collected myself and decided to be glad we had caught it in time to do something about it. And I made a note ... NOTE TO SELF: do all mailing BEFORE picking up the kids from now on! Whew! Crisis averted!

Monday's most popular sale items included the following 2 designs ...

Eclectic Orange & Red Flower bracelet

Caribbean Waters earrings

The sale is still running, if you'd like to browse around!

My Happy Things on Etsy

Thanks for stopping by!

Sale: it's in full swing!

Happy Monday everyone! My husband has returned from an out-of-town trip, and so this Monday marks a "back to normal" day for my family. Although the boys and I enjoyed loafing around, letting the dishes pile up in the sink a bit longer and eating take out more than usual while he was gone, it's always good to have "Daddy" back and our family schedule back to normal. So I'm appreciating the fact that I have a special reason to enjoy Monday this week ... after all, how often do we jump out of bed and think "Oh good, the weekend's over and it's Monday morning!!" ???  ;)

My spring sale is up and running and I'm thrilled with how happy people have been as they've found something special to purchase ... and at a discount! Some of my favorites are already gone and I love seeing which designs people are drawn to. The first full day of the sale was yesterday, and the most 'oogled' items (that are still left) are in a 5-way tie! Here they are ...

Ceramic Sun bracelet

Picasso Jewel Copper earrings

Still Waters bracelet

Blue & Silver Artisan Lampwork earrings

Light Blue Artisan Lampwork earrings

The sale continues and I'm actually on my way to ship several packages to new and return customers, after posting this! Click on over to the shop and see if there's something to make your Monday, at a nice price!! I hope your day is going okay too. Maybe you can find something special to appreciate in it, if so far it's just been "a typical Monday"?? You know, buds peeking out early on a tree outside, how comfy the shoes you are wearing are, that you're having a good hair day, that you're looking forward to your Monday night TV show ... sometimes it only takes a little thing to bring a smile and warm the heart a bit!

A quote for today:

Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.

- Groucho Marx

30% off my shop!

That's right folks ... it's Spring Sale time - 30% off!

I've never run a full-shop sale before online, so I'm branching out and trying it! I realized I needed to move some things, when I was looking for a certain bead earlier today. I couldn't believe how many supplies I still have stashed, and realized how much jewelry there is to be created! I need to clear out some of what's online, to make room for new designs. I always love warm weather jewelry ... fresh, fun and so "see-able" in shorter sleeve lengths and open necklines. Plus, earrings just ROCK when you can shed that heavy coat or turtleneck!! 

I'm trying out Etsy's new functionality "Etsy on Sale". It assists you in listing the sale prices and setting everything up logistically. I'm hoping it runs smoothly ... I guess we'll know soon enough, if anyone takes advantage of the sale! 

So 'click on over' to the shop and see if there's a little something you'd like to have ... and be sure to get it while it's discounted! I'd love it if you'd pass the word to a friend!

Thanks & happy shopping!

Sale Item today - sharing a smile

Honestly, I'm not having a great day today. I'm a pretty happy person, so it's rare that I say out loud "Hey, today's not fabulous!!". I'll be honest - it started out by finding that some wild animal had gotten into our trash early this morning. I was less than happy as I waded through the muddy ditch, wearing inappropriate shoes, picking up the remains of my kids' macaroni & cheese, my Chipotle container and a myriad of other grossness with my bare hands. I kept thinking about the wild animal who had slobbered all over the pieces I was picking up and trying to corral back into the bag. This was after the kids and I lounged a little too long this morning, forcing a race to get ready and off to school in time. I'm not an "early" person by any means, so we're often hurrying off to wherever we're supposed to be, but today for some reason I was a little more disgusted with myself than usual for knowingly putting a pinch on time.

I couldn't find an outfit that felt comfortable (do you ever have those days?), then I wasn't happy with any jewelry selections I attempted.  We didn't have much to choose from for breakfast and the toast we ended up munching didn't thrill the boys or me. I had planned to do a bit of shopping today for a few things I needed, and actually stopping for a bit of pleasant lunch somewhere I always think about stopping but never do ... but it doesn't look like that's really going to work out in my schedule after all. I won't go on with more small instances of non-fabulousness and bore you.

I know none of this is earth-shattering. Everyone's safe. Everything's fine. We're still functioning and the day continues. It's just that I had envisioned today being a day with a "touch of fabulous" for myself (I don't often take those, so I look forward to them when I get the chance!), and instead I ended up disgruntled. I think disgruntled is a good word. Not actually mad, not a big problem, not stopping you from functioning ... just continuing about your day with less than a smile on your face. You can get through - there's just no party. ;)

Just as I was about to cave in to the disgruntled-ness and ditch my semi-stylish outfit I had finally found for sweats and a t-shirt, I stopped and decided to try to do something to force a smile back on my face. So I decided the best way to do that, was to help someone ELSE find a smile ... and put a newly released piece of jewelry on sale! Not only might that put a little niceness in someone else's day, but I obviously would be pleased that someone chose my design and made the purchase.

Artisan Lampwork Glass Disc Earrings in Pale Blue and Sand

And so today, these new earrings that were just released last night at $29 in my shop, are 30% off! They're so fresh and clean. The colors remind me of the beach, but I love how they're not "too beachy", so you could wear them everyday with a variety of styles and fabrics. I'm hoping someone finds them and takes advantage of the sale. It's a funny thing with my jewelry - RARELY do discounts make a difference in my jewelry sales. It seems that with my designs, either you like it or you don't, and/or you can afford it right now or you can't. Discounts of 20%, 30% or even 40% rarely make an item sell in my shop. Even at shows, I see the same thing. I've tried running a "get the 2nd pair of earrings half off", towards the end of my show season ... and I still have people who just love my stuff and are buying 5-10 pieces and they didn't even see the sale sign, or I have people who buy one pair and when I tell them about the sale, they still just purchase the one pair. I've had people tell me that I'm not charging enough for my jewelry before, but never have I had someone (or overhear someone) say that I'm over-charging. People seem to realize that the value is represented in my pricing. So I go back and forth on running sales online. Sometimes I think it at least might draw new people into the shop to take a peek, who might not of found me otherwise ... and other times I think I'm running them just to give myself something to do and think about! ;)

Either way, I hope YOU are having a happy day. If these earrings are calling your name, enjoy them at 30% off! Thanks for stopping by today!