Joy necklace by Spiraling Forward

I just finished mass updating the prices in my Etsy store. There are pieces that are more than 50% off! Go take a look now!

Why the huge sale you ask?

I started Spiraling Forward (originally Amanda Michelle Moon Designs) in December of 2011, right after I quit my job, before I started working at Whole Foods. I’ve been making jewelry for as long as I can remember and people always told me I should sell it, so I read a few articles, took a few pictures, and opened a store.

I registered for two craft fairs in 2012 and, while I didn’t sell much, they both forced me to really sit down and produce so I had enough items to sell. My business degree and years in the corporate world meant that I meticulously tracked everything I made, how much time I spent, and how much each of the individual components cost. I used that information to determine my pricing based on articles I had read about retail and wholesale pricing. I knew exactly what each item in my shop was “worth.”

Because of that, I wasn’t wearing much of what I was making. I was looking at each piece with the price tag on it, like I had to buy it if I wanted to wear it. While I still believe that this isn’t a bad way to think (you’d lose a lot of money if you wore everything and never sold anything) I realized that buy not wearing anything I was making, I was losing my aesthetic. If you asked me who my target customer was, I couldn’t answer you. I had way too many styles going on.

In 2014 I won’t have a lot of time to devote to Spiraling Forward, because I’ll be in school. But the time I do have I want to be making things that I truly love. I don’t want to make jewelry just because I think it will sell, or it’s a popular style. I want to make it because I want to wear it, and people I know would want to wear it.

I pulled a bunch of stuff out of my shop. Some of it I’m adding to my own personal collection (and wearing all the time.) Anything that I wouldn’t wear got put back into my supplies to be broken down and reused in a new design. What is left are pieces that I love, that I believe in, and that I want people to wear. So, in honor of my new focus, I’m having a sale! I hope you find something you like, and maybe something for a friend.

Happy 2014! School was cancelled here today and tomorrow because of the severe cold. Crazy cold. Insane cold. The windchill when I got up this morning was 47 below.

Everyone in my house is going a little stir crazy. Currently the dog is lying still, for about the first time today. Austin is on time out for having a tantrum, basically caused by the inability to get out and burn off some energy today. Lily is doing a ballet video. Chris is at the table working– he took basically the last two weeks off to hang out with us and is in major catch up mode– and I’m on the treadmill. While I’m writing this.

In December, I jumped (walked?) on the treadmill desk bandwagon. And I. LOVE. IT.

Today, I have not been outside. At all. (47 below, remember?) But, as of this moment, I have walked 14508 steps. 6.06 miles.

My desk is pretty make-shift, and I’m in the process of thinking about maybe making something a little more conventional. But, the total cost of my desk was $125, including the treadmill. It was $100 on Craigslist, the glass desk was $20 in the Ikea as-is area, and the brown cube we’ve had since 2005.

One of the great things I did while walking today was put up a sale in my Etsy store.  I’m getting ready for a new year in my business, you can read more about it here.  I’m enjoying all of the pieces I’ve pulled out for my own collection. Check it out, see if you can find something you like or for a gift.

It’s bedtime for the kids now, I need to go read them Matilda. Hope you are getting exercise and staying warm in this new year.