30 to 30: Post One: the countdown is on...

Today, June 22. (well probably the 23rd by the time I actually post this)

One month from the big 30.... thoughts?

My mind has been out of control lately... thoughts and ponderings about life and purpose and where we are going and what it all means... you know, the usual.

I have been thinking a lot about the last decade, my 20s. A decade full of just change, change, and more change. Incredible growth, excruciating pain, indescribable joy... highs, lows... marriage, babies...life, death.

I think the 20s have been a bit extreme for me. Where as the "normal" life plan would include college then career, moving into your own place... maybe marriage and a kid or two before you hit 30. Mine has been marriage, then babies (twins!), then buying a home, more babies, then college, running a business and opening a store... and in the midst of that losing my grandmother, baby daughter, and father.

It has been... real. a whole lotta real.

Sometimes I feel like it is too much. Many times in the past decade I have felt like life is spinning out of control. Like nothing is certain and everything is always up in the air, changing and whirling around and all I can do is hold on for dear life.

But thankfully God always reels me back in, levels me out, comforts and gives me peace and He seems to always refresh my spirit just when I need it.

So that is where I will start my 30 to 30. 

#1 Reason I am who I am today... my relationship with Christ. He has been the anchor that keeps my mind, my soul, my sanity grounded. He keeps me from getting paralyzed with fear and worry about the future. His precious grace has saved me over and over again and I just really can't put into words all the ways He has carried me through the dark and the light, the good and the bad.

I feel blessed every day... so much more than I deserve. The greatest gifts God has given me in the last 10 years are, of course, my husband and children. In one month Goose and I will also celebrate a decade of marriage. I'll write more about this later, but there is no way I would have made it this far without that guy.

So the countdown is on... 

I plan to post here every day with little tidbits...where I am, what I've learned, goals, dreams, hopes for the next 30.  Dust off the old blog here and hopefully document the next big change that is happening...

soon. 

Open for Business: Week 1

Our Grand Opening was Saturday. I have to say the weeks leading up to it were some of the most stressful weeks I've ever had, but also amazing and totally worth it.

We were open from 12- 4:00 on Saturday and when we got home, Goose and I sat on the couch and both passed out at 7:30pm... and slept until 10 in the morning.  Pretty sure that is the most exhausted we have ever been in our almost 10 years of marriage (that is saying a lot with 4 little boys at home).  It is Monday now and I am just now coming out of the fog.

Saturday, I kinda felt in shock all day... I mean seriously, y'all. The entire store was pretty much put together in one night. I can not believe we actually had it ready for customers on Saturday. We had everything there, it was just in piles everywhere... and then some ah-mazing family and friends showed up, and it just came together.

It felt really similar to the stress leading up to our wedding... everyone asking, how do you want this? are your going to do this? what do you think about this?  Everyone did so much to help out, and I know I was such a pain because I have a hard time making one tiny decision (ie- what toothpaste should I buy?), much less the billions of decisions I had to make over the past few weeks.
 
I feel like I couldn't possibly repay everyone for all their time and energy and encouragement...  and I just want to say thank you all so much. Not only to family and friends, but to everyone who follows us online, and everyone around this community is so sweet and positive and we are just so excited to be a part of it.

At the beginning of February, after going over the finances from last year and calculating the rising material costs for my jewelry, I realized it was time to raise my prices... which is very hard for me to do. It is really scary... not knowing how it will affect sales. Anyone who has seen the time and work that goes into each piece told me the prices were too low, but it is still hard to bite the bullet and adjust.

Anyway, I told Goose, I would go ahead and raise across the board (not a huge jump, but enough to cover the material cost increases over the past few years). I was so nervous... Anyway, I raised them around 11pm. The next day, I started getting several orders more than what was normal and the traffic on my site was out of control. I finally tracked down the source, which was that one of my wraps was included in an Etsy email that goes out to thousands of Etsy users. I received almost 200 orders within a week. in January. It. was. crazy.  

 

I mean literally hours after I raised the prices, this email goes out. We were getting low on our start-up budget and that boost in orders made it possible for us to finish stocking inventory and supplies for the store opening and not have to put a single dime on a credit card. I sat there and looked at my computer and literally burst out on tears because the timing was just so incredible.

God is in the details, people.

I really can't take a bit of credit for the success of this business because without God and the people He has placed in my life, I would be a complete mess. He has blessed us in this endeavor and I don't want to take it for granted. Every bit of confidence I have comes from Him because knowing who I am in Christ frees me to take big chances and also recover quickly from the things that don't work out and change course if needed... to overcome criticism and negativity and focus on each new day as it comes. Because I know whatever happens, my life's purpose and my identity isn't wrapped up in having a thriving business.

I used to think what I did would define who I was and that could not be farther from the truth. Because whether I am at home raising babies, at an office 9 to 5, or traveling the world as a missionary... the goal is always the same. Love God, love people, and find ways to serve and share God's grace through my day to day actions and words.

Now don't get me wrong, I fail. A lot. I get frustrated and overwhelmed and there are many days I don't say or do or even think what I should.

But I am working on it. I pray for wisdom and grace every day and I desire to live a life that is pleasing to God.... moving past good intentions and following where He leads. When I am walking with Him everything just moves so much more fluidly and things fall into place in ways that truly are amazing. 

I am not sure what God has in store, but He has blessed us so much already and I want to make sure we don't lose sight of His plan. I believe blessings should be used to bless others and I want to run this shop with integrity, showing love and kindness to the folks we come in contact with everyday. 

I want our kids to learn how to treat people, how to be part of a community... to grow up in a hometown and a church where they feel accountable, where they have strong roots that will help them fly one day... something I never really felt like I had because we moved around so often. I believe they will have that here in Monroe. 

God bless this business and this town. Lead us in the way we should go. We trust you always. 

Jump: Part 2

One of the ideas I thought about a lot in 2011 when contemplating what else I could do other than the enamel jewelry is opening up a retail space of my own. I loved having a store open to the public, but in Stone Mountain, it wasn't really ours. We shared the space with other artists, and we had to get approval for anything we wanted to do or sell. 

I dreamed of having a retail store, not a gallery, focusing on gifts and accessories. I have met so many awesome artists/crafters over the past couple of years... people making jewelry, home decor, soaps, candles, clothing, bbq sauce, and everything in between, all original stuff made in the USA.  My vision was a really cool, indie shop that carried the best of the best craft show items... a constantly changing inventory of those interesting handmade items that you can't get at department stores.

But, after deciding to continue with the jewelry biz at home, this gift shop idea was put on the "10 year goal list" and I didn't think too much more about it. 

  

JUMP:

In early November of this year, we went and ate lunch at one of the Italian restaurants (Amici) in downtown Monroe. It was a gorgeous fall day, perfect weather... soft breeze... we parked across from the restaurant and right in front of an antique store that had a "store closing" sale going on. 

Goosers went to get a table and Nolan and I walked through the antique shop, just looking around. As we passed the front checkout area, I started talking to the lady there, and discovered she lives in our neighborhood... so weird. We started talking about the store closing and she told me the rent/utilities weren't bad at all, she just didn't have the time to keep it open with her other job. I told her a little about my business, and she gave me the building owner's card. I put it in my purse and went to meet the rest of the fam at the restaurant.

 

Amici's has outdoor tables so Goose and I are sitting there, eating pizza with the boys, talking about how cozy the historic square of Monroe is... how it feels so "small town" and authentic. I told him about the store and the rent being so reasonable. We weren't really seriously considering it, but just dreaming about having a store of our own... and how awesome it would be to have a separate place for Sailor Studio and have our house just be "home" again. 

After lunch I decided to go into the Sanders furniture store, which is owned by the same guy who owns the other building, just to look around. I met Mr. Sander's daughter and asked her about the space. She took my info and said she would ask her dad and get back to me.

The next day, we were nearby with some family so we walked through again and got some other opinions on the space. 

 This was on the front door, might be my favorite part... ha!

Then, a few days later Mr. Sanders (who I liked immediately- such a sweet man, so positive and encouraging) called me and we talked for a little while about the space, about the rent and when it would be available. Then, we toured the space with him when it was cleaned out and took some pictures.

Old hardwood floors... love!! And all the walls are on wheels, 

so they can be moved around which is awesome.

There was also this little white gated area in the back from 

when it used to be a children's furniture store. I think we 

are going to keep it for Hubba and the boys to have 

a little play area.

 

Basement has tons of storage space

 There is a little loft space in the back which the boys have already claimed, 

it has a tiny window where you can look down into the store.

We decided to think and pray about it for awhile and just focus on the upcoming holidays. Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend were HUGE on Etsy so I was staying busy getting orders out in time for Christmas. 

Also in the middle of all this, I started having odd pains and other little health issues and ended up having a minor surgery in November. Thankfully, it wasn't serious and I was able to get back to my normal routine by the time Thanksgiving came around.

Then at the end of December, after really enjoying Christmas and our vacation with no work talk allowed, Goose looked at the numbers. He added up our sales through Etsy, craft shows, and wholesale orders along with all the expenses for the year. He told me if we wanted to shift focus from a new house for now, and try out the store, we were actually in a good place to do it. We had saved enough money to not have to go into debt for it, and if we move in and start bringing in income by spring, it could definitely be a worthwhile endeavor. 

After that, it became real... I mean if my voice of reason husband was on board, that was huge!

So we decided to just go for it... and on December 30th, 
we met with Mr. Sanders and signed the lease. 

So Goose and I are officially store owners! 

We will set up a studio space in the back to continue making jewelry and expand the online and wholesale parts of the business, and then make a retail space in the front to sell my jewelry along with other handmade items.

 

There are a million and a half things to do before we open, and I was freaking out a bit about all the "what-ifs" of our decision, but after Goose's parents and my mom and Randy came out and we prayed in the space I feel much better. We prayed that God would lead us each step of the way and help keep our focus on what is really important, and to give us peace about the looming "unknowns" ahead of us. I know there will be ups and downs, but nothing will happen that God is not in control of. 

So please keep us in your prayers as we start this 
adventure... We definitely couldn't do it without 
all the support and encouragement from our 
families and friends!

Love you all!! :)