Back in Stock

After my Etsy shop reopening announcement last week I decided to relisted two popular bracelets in my etsy, With Eyes Lifted.

Cobalt Bracelet

Verde Bracelet

And here is a sneak preview of my current project, a crochet necklace.

Make sure to visit a Shimmering Star and With Eyes Lifted for updates and new listings!

Friendship Bracelet Swap

Kaitlyn of the girl with the little black cat. sent me a friendship bracelet for the Knot Your Average Swap. I love the colors; the aqua, gold and ivory combination matches my blog!

Thanks again to Leigh of VeryLoveLeigh for hosting the swap!

Bracelet Swap

Yesterday, I mailed two bracelets to Rebecca for the Knot Your Average Swap hosted by Leigh of VeryLoveLeigh. I chose colors that remind me of a day at the beach.

I cannot wait to get mine! This is the first web exchange I have done. 

Thank you Leigh for hosting such a lovely swap!

Knot Your Average Swap

Summer is almost here! Leigh of VeryLoveLeigh is hosting a friendship bracelet swap, and you are invited to pull out the embroidery floss and knot a friendship bracelet for your BFF blogger friends!

via Trapped in Her Closet

Email Leigh at leighann.meyer {at} gmail . com for details.

Unexpected Validation

Validation of the handmade comes at unexpected times. Last week, I was having black cloud morning. Every customer seemed to be in a foul mood and every cashier overly needy. After six years of mundane, often meaningless routine, sometimes I get bombarded with feelings of worthlessness and despair I will never move on.

After lunch, I went to talk to the scheduler because earlier that morning I realized I had 19 hours of vacation to take before September on top of the 40 hours I had already planned for August. She helped me work it out, and even more, helped lift my mood high above the black clouds for the day.

About a year ago, she had bought a bracelet from me for her special needs daughter. I had nearly forgotten about this since I have not sold much to my coworkers. The scheduler's daughter, I learned, has a problem with giving things away. She gave away a $300 necklace and $80 cash among other things without seeing anything wrong with it. The scheduler told me a girl at daycare tried to convince her daughter the bracelet I had made (and she wore every day) wasn't hers but the other girl's. She refused to give the girl the bracelet, telling her "no! My mom bought this for me from a girl at work."

When I heard this story, my heart melted. Here was a girl who gave away jewelry worth so much more, but she protected the valued, handmade bracelet--a bracelet I had made--without a second thought. I get little validation through my job--retail demands much from workers with the only return being a check every two weeks. With this bracelet I made over a year ago the return was more than the few dollars I charged for material and services.

As I work for release from retail, this story will remain with me, and I will remember this unexpected validation for years to come.

Sea Opal Bracelet, With Eyes Lifted $12.48