arm parrr-tay

Hey there, party people! I recently participated in a super-duper-fun swap hosted by Yellow Heart Art and Much Love, Illy. I was lucky enough to be paired up with another Amy who happens to also live here in sunny Florida! Part of the swap included filling out a little form reminiscing about summers past and naming our summer crush. When I saw that Amy & I both were head over heels in love with Joey McIntyre of NKOTB fame, I knew I liked this girl. Especially since we are both happily married and won't have to fight over who actually gets to be Joey Joe's one true love. Before I show you what Amy sent me for the swap, let's take this opportunity to stroll down memory lane. Back to the late 80's, back to the days when the New Kids ruled my world and covered every square inch of my bedroom walls...

Me in my Joe shirt, NKOTB hat, & splatter painted jeans.

The good old days.

Okay, enough of that. Hope you enjoyed that glimpse back into the best days of my childhood. In case you're wondering if I went to see NKOTB on their comeback tour, of course I did. And it turns out the other Amy did, too. I'll be loving you for ever, New Kids, because...you got it..the right stuff. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Now, here's what Amy sent me:

Hellllooo, fun summer jewelry! I just had to use this paint sample card in the background, as the color chosen for my shop walls happens to coordinate so well with my new arm candy. Amy wrote that she was 'no pro' but I think she did an ah-may-zing job making these three bracelets! Thanks, girl! Learn all about Amy's crafty and motherly adventures on her blog, Buggie and Jellybean. Oh! I forgot to snap a picture of the handmade gift bag my goodies came in, but Amy posted a pic on Instagram. 

From Amy's Instagram feed.

I really enjoyed making my swap gift to be sure to pop over to her blog to see what I sent! And thanks again to Ileen and Leonora for hosting such a fun party! You can read all the other party posts right here.

the window treatment

I put up a sign. No turning back now! We started buying some furniture for the shop, getting all the legal business stuff squared away, and put a fun window treatment up to let people know there's a new girl in town.

Did you catch this pic in my instagram feed last week? I'm really crap when it comes to the sewing machine, but I just had to hang paper garland in my window! I punched out a bunch of paper flowers and did the best I could with the sewing part. 

I actually broke out the sewing machine!

These guys went with another little project I worked on. I used the same paper and my trusty die cut machine to cut out the letters for a quote that I'm so in love with at the moment. Here it is laid out on some kraft paper.

I think this is a very SoS way of thinking!

Here are a few pictures of the windows with my signage and sweet paper garlands hanging down. I wish I had a few more rows of garland, but since this will only be in place for a few weeks, I decided to let myself off the hook and not attempt any more sewing.

There it is!

I wonder if people stop to read it?

Looking out.

Lotsa' dots.

A mermaid lives right outside.

My new happy place!

I hope people see this and want to come back once I'm open. What do you guys think? Would this catch your eye?

something's happening here

I've been keeping a secret from you, dear readers. Are you ready for this? Strands of Sunshine is opening a brick and mortar retail store! I have been flooded with emotions since the very first day I realized this might actually happen. Fear, excitement, self doubt, pride, nervousness, joy. The one thing I kept feeling in my heart was that I could not let fear stop me from moving forward. 

Over the past few years I've experienced a lot of personal growth, and something I've focused on is being aware of what the universe is trying to tell me about taking the right path and noticing the little signs that are all around. You know how when things are going right you feel happy and peaceful, as though you are going with the flow? And when you find yourself sad or struggling, you need to evaluate your situation and see what changes need to be made? That's what I'm talking about. Call it the universe or God's plan. For me it's a bit of both. When you are doing it right, life is good.

There were a lot of little signs pointing me toward this opportunity. Since arriving in St. Pete this February, I've been making connections and getting great feedback on my jewelry. It seemed like everything was falling into place. I'm working on lots of custom orders, finally getting my Etsy shop back up and running, and even had a local shop keeper ask for my business cards to pass along to customers. I've had a feeling that things were good and getting better. I'm traveling through life with the most wonderful man by my side, I've made a great friend, and I've also started practicing yoga again which is rocking my world physically and mentally. Not to mention I absolutely love being near the water, the beach, and seeing the sunshine every day - just looking outside makes me smile!

Two months ago, that friend of mine and her husband took us out to Second Saturday Art Walk in St. Pete. We had a great time wandering around, checking out lots of shops and studios, including one belonging to a jewelry maker whom I had connected with through my yoga classes. I loved the location and the idea of having a studio and shop set up like that, but it hadn't crossed my mind that it could be a reality for me. Owning a shop has always been a pie-in-the sky dream that I've said will happen someday. So, we enjoyed our night and I was happy to have found some some great new places to shop for art and handmade goods.

A few weeks later, I read the jewelry shop lady was moving to another state and mentioned it in passing to my husband while also wondering out loud if her spot would become available. I was sure it was too expensive and that there had to be a long list of people already in line for it. Why do we always cut our ideas down like that, killing a dream before it's even born? Lesson learned. My amazing and supportive husband insisted that I look into the shop's availability. What could it hurt? So I found a contact and sent off an email. About half an hour later my phone rang, and it was the building manager! He tells me he looked at my website and really liked my work, but that spot was already rented out. Gah. Then he tells me about another shop that would be available soon and that I should go take a look! The next day we went over and checked it out: a 9 foot by 14 foot store right off Central Ave with a tall ceiling and a big window. The rent was affordable. It was tiny but had enough space for my work bench and some jewelry displays. I immediately thought of a thousand reasons NOT to rent the space. I couldn't run a store. I would be afraid to be there alone all day. I might not sell very much. It would be too hard. But then I also realized that this was a great opportunity to try something I've always talked about. My own store. I had to do this. Research and lots of consideration followed. Fast forward to last Wednesday when I signed the lease and now have a shop key in hand!!! It all just sort of happened. I wasn't looking for it, but I truly believe it was meant to be. I believe this is the path I'm meant to follow.

I took some photos of the cross streets where I'll be located (6th Street N and Central Ave):

I'll be the shop under that first short awning,
just past The Collective on 6th St. N.

Looking down Central Ave. from the
corner of 6th.

Future home of Strands of Sunshine!

I hope to open my doors by the next Second Saturday Art Walk, which is September 8th. I'm already dreaming up the details of my grand opening party! Between now and then all I have to do is paint the walls, set up the shop, make some jewelry, square away all the business and legal stuff, and about a million other things. No biggie. I'm a bit overwhelmed but extremely excited to see this all happen! 

Thanks for letting me share my big news! More to come as things progress...

this makes me smile

Portulaca: fun to say and so very pretty to look at!