Farewell 2012.....Salutations 2013!

I am inspired by one of my favourite bloggers, Kelly Rae Roberts, who wraps up each year with a review of the past twelve months and wraps up with hopes and dreams for 2013. I absolutely love this idea. A great way to count my blessings, celebrate my achievements, acknowledge my courage and strength, and move beyond some low points to look ahead to the journey that awaits me in 2013.

Here we go...

• In February I decided to leave a full-time position with a company that I had been with for 17 years. Accepted a part-time position with a new employer....best decision I've made career wise in my entire life. Yes, there are still some fantastic places to work!
• In April I celebrated a milestone birthday...okay not a big secret...50!!!! Yes, 50. It bothered me at the time, but I've gotten over it and totally love my life (most days!) My daughter's arranged a beautiful garden party for me with my Mom, sisters, and nieces all there to help me celebrate. Everyone brought me gifts gor my gardens-roses, flowering bushes, annuals and perennials. So much love and great memories.
• Started taking weekly hikes at a local conservation area my sis every Wednesday. Love our weekly chats and time together.
• Participated in Beth Nicholls' "Do What You Love" e-course. Discovered a lot about myself and jump-started my creativity. Took part in her "Great Postcard Swap".

• Took long summer weekend road trips with my hubby discovering lots of new places-great fun and I love our alone time.
• I bought my first vintage piece of jewellery, a gorgeous Art Deco dress clip which led me to my biggest AHA moment, my passion, my bliss....creating repurposed vintage jewellery.
• Designed and started my very own blog! (This is a H U G E accomplishment for this non-techie....extremely proud!)

• Purchased a brand new camera and slowly learning to take pictures, some that are actually pretty good.

• Discovered Etsy and eBay.....hours of my life that I'll never get back and I'm quite okay with that!
• After 5 years of avoiding the doctor, I got a complete physical and all of those other lovely tests that we need at my age (...yes 50!) Clean bill of health for which I am very thankful. Oh yeah, got my first pair of glasses-funky red & gold reading glasses. And yes, I've forgotten where I've left them only to find them perched on my head-it does happen!
• In September I made my very first piece of jewellery."Lady Madonna"... a repurposed vintage necklace with an antique reliquary locket attached. I was so thrilled with how well it turned out and knew immediately that this is exactly what I'm meant to be doing (and have never doubted it since.)

• Decided on the name "romance&ruin" for my business and launched my Etsy shop on Nov. 22, 2012 with 47 items listed.

• Joined the world of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Flickr.
• Went head over heels (great pun!) over the most gorgeous pair of Steampunk boots.

• Discovered "Mrs. Brown's Boys", an Irish comedy shown on the BBC. The funniest show I've seen in my entire life. Laugh out loud hillarious, Agnes Brown and her family are absolutely hysterical.

It took me a while to stop feeling guilty about only working part-time but by the summer I started settling into my new life, and loving all of the time at home....time in the gardens, time with my daughters and husband. It's been wonderful enjoying the slow, lazy mornings on days off; snuggling with the pups and having a second cup of coffee....bliss! Taking time to do the things I love has been the greatest blessing and I can't wait to see what 2013 brings.

So far....

• Celebrated my first Etsy shop sale! Rah Rah ! Siss Boom Bah! I did it!
• Filled out applications for my first Craft Show.
• Did something completely impulsive ( I never do this! ever!) Decided to pack and go to the States for the rest of the weekend on a Saturday afternoon. We had a great time and I will definitely do it again.

There are so many things I hope to accomplish and experience in 2013, and I look forward to sharing them all with you right here.

Take care.....Marian  xo    

romance&ruin's 1'st Annual Boxing Week Sale

 

 

ANNOUNCING romance&ruin's 1'st ANNUAL BOXING WEEK SALE.

All items currently listed in the Shop are on sale for 15% OFF.

Sale ends January 1, 2013.

The perfect time to treat yourself to something lovely!

 Use Coupon Code BOXINGWEEKSALE2012 when checking out to qualify for the discount.

Click on the ETSY link in the right hand sidebar to go directly to my shop.

Realizing the Dream...romance&ruin opens on Etsy!

 

It's been a long time coming, and today I'm thrilled to announce the opening of my shop on Etsy! As part of the 'setting up shop' process, shop owners are asked to share a short bio on the process of starting their business and shop, so I thought I'd share that same story here with you today:                               

 

Milestone birthdays are great reminders of how quickly life passes. They're also great motivators! I had always promised myself that one day I would have my own creative business, but (a wonderful) life kept getting in the way. When a new career opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it. Changing careers would be life changing for me--allowing me the time and resources to finally pursue my creative business.

I've always loved antique and vintage furnishings, fashions and jewellery, so when I discovered the art of repurposing jewellery I was immediately hooked. And for the next six months it seemed like everything that touched my life continued to lead me towards my creative goal, including starting this blog.

Art deco pieces seem to be my favourite, but I have elements from numerous eras in my collection of lovelies waiting to be repurposed. I'm a self-taught designer who isn't afraid to experiment. I quickly discovered a great thing about repurposing jewellery--if I'm not thrilled with the results, I can take things apart and try something new....love it!

So here I am today...surrounded by the love and never ending support of my family, thrilled to be a shop owner, overjoyed to share my creations with you, and proud to be part of such a vibrant, talented commuity of artists at Etsy!

 

I hope you'll stop by and visit my shop at: www.etsy.com/shop/RomanceandRuin

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take care.....Marian  xo    



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Setting Up Shop

I'm back! You might have thought that I had abandoned my blog after barely getting started but I have been busy creating non-stop....eating, sleeping and breathing jewellery. I haven't been this creative in years and loving every second. I am certain that I've found my passion and lose all track of time when I'm in my studio making jewellery. I'm planning to open my online Etsy shop in two weeks so I've come up for air before getting all of the business needs taken care of before I can open the shop.

 

All of the pieces I've made are repurposed jewellery. I've purchased vintage and antique brooches, necklaces, earrings and dress clip; taken them apart and turned them into new pieces. I am thrilled with the results. They are absolutely gorgeous. Here is a sneak preview of some of the pieces I've made. I hope you like them and would love your feedback.

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog and have a very Happy Thanksgiving! I'll be back next week to share my progress, until then.....

 

 Take care.....Marian xo