I was officially accepted again to sell my jewelry at the Art on the Green 2015 show at the Pinehills in Plymouth MA. This will be my seventh year doing the show (crazy right?). I feel as if I had just started doing the show, not about to do my seventh one. There have been changes since I first did it, the most obvious being my business name change, going from KMS Jewels and Designs to Kate Simpson Designs, but I think also my style in jewelry making and techniques that I have learned since then have changed my jewelry.
If you are interested in attending: Art on the Green Pinehills, Plymouth MA June 20th 2015 10-4
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Today will forever be a difficult day, not only for myself, but for my family. Two years ago today, I lost my Nana. She was not only a huge supporter of my nursing career, having been a nurse herself, but also of my jewelry making (though she really wanted me to be a nurse first, jeweler second). It never stopped her from wanting more things that I had made. Not only would she wear it, but she would show it off to her friends. I am so thankful for everything that she did for me, I honestly do not think I would be the person I am today without her. I am lucky to have her as my guardian angel. It's never easy to lose a loved one, so cherish every minute you have with them. I know I can remember my Nana, and honor her by working hard and being caring, not only in the work I do as a nurse, but also as a jeweler. I am thankful to have a life in which I can do both of my passions and not have to chose one or the other. So today especially I will remember my Nana, my guardian angel, and spread all of the love and generosity that she gave to me to others.
and Ps. cancer sucks. Buying a house is a legitimate excuse to not blog for awhile right? Getting my house the way I want it is definitely taking longer than I expected. And I say taking longer than I expected because I am still getting my things from my parents' house and organizing everything that I already have at my house. I'm doing all of this while working a ton as a nurse, so you can say caffeine and I have become even closer friends the past few months. It is really nice to say, "my house", though. My studio is still in progress, but here are some pictures from when I first was bringing my supplies and furniture in the space. I have many more boxes of beads than the ones shown below... I am hoping to share more pictures soon!
This no spend February was a success! I did not buy any craft supplies all month, and the only time I went to Homegoods/Marshalls was to buy stuff for my house that I will be able to call officially all mine very soon! I am very proud of the fact that I was able to accomplish it this time around, and even it now being March, I don't feel the need to run to any sort of craft store to stock up on more supplies. I have only bought a skein of yarn to finish a scarf that I ran out of yarn for. It's probably because of the fact that I am buying a house and will have lots of expenses to take care of. It is a very exciting process, and I keep designing each room in my head and sketching out ideas in my sketchbook. I cannot wait to share how I decorate my new house. My studio is the room I am most excited to do.
Stay tuned! You may recall my no craft supply spending month I did back in July, I decided I wanted to do it again, but take it a step further. Not only am I not going to spend money on craft supplies (I really do have plenty to keep myself occupied with), but I am also not going to do any impulse shopping at Target, Walmart, Homegoods, Marshalls, TJMaxx, etc. I've spent a lot of money at those stores lately, and I want to get more focused on my money savings goals. I have a lot of things that I want to make happen this year, that I need to have money for. As I've mentioned before, I want to buy a house and take a trip to Greece this year. I also would like to upgrade my laptop sometime soon.
I am still going to buy groceries, and gas, and all of my other normal bills (rent still needs to be paid whether I like it or not). However, I am going to be a lot more mindful of what food I am buying. I am going to do more cooking and meal prep on my days off. If I make anything cool I will be sharing it on Instagram Wish me luck! I am sponsoring one of my best friends, Jerrica, again for the Miss Rhode Island Pageant. Jerrica is Miss Kent County 2015, which became official not too long ago. I am very happy to be able to support her again, and her platform is also very near and dear to my heart. Her platform is Pictures in Our Heads: Changing Minds One Step at a Time; she created it herself, and its focus in on providing education for people and their families who are impacted by mental illness through public education and awareness activities. As I have mentioned before, it is so important to support those with mental illness. Back in November I supported Jerrica at the Miss Rhode Island Scholarship Gala.. Some of our friends from Salve Regina were there too! She wore a new design of earrings of mine at the event. I will providing her jewelry for the Miss Rhode Island Pageant as well as at appearances prior to the pageant.
And yes, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get crowned too :) Happy 2015 everyone! Before I talk about the goals I have for 2015, I am going to do a little recap of the major things I did in 2014.
In January, I was building this website that you are on now. In February, I started blogging here on my website! In March, I revealed my new business cards. In April, I was stocking up on supplies and spending lots of time in Newport In May, I was still stocking up on supplies. I really like shopping :) In June, I participated in Art on the Green at the Pinehills for the sixth time! In July, I didn't spend any money on craft supplies (or well close to it) In August, I was busy prepping for shows for the fall and winter, and spending time with family. In September, I participated in the Slater Park Fall Festival in RI, and the LoveLocal Fest and turned 24! In October, I was creating and eating candy. In November, I supported one of my best friends at the Miss Rhode Island Gala.. In December, I participated in Holidays on the Green at the Pinehills. When I list it out it doesn't seem like a lot, but I did keep myself busy between all of that and working full time as a nurse. In 2015 I want to do more. More shows, get into more stores, blog more, promote more, take more pictures, basically manage my time in the way that I can work a lot as a nurse, and still get my business to the level that I want it to be. I want to do this while still remaining somewhat sane and not burn myself out. Self care is important too! I guess I am in disbelief that it is already mid November, and the fact that there was "white stuff" on the ground the other day. (I refuse to believe I actually saw any snow, because it's not December yet) In the time since my last post my life has included lots of working as a nurse, it was like I lived at work some days/weeks (still loving it though!), but I have been working on my business as well.
I applied and was accepted to the Holidays on the Green at the Pinehills show which is December 6th. I also applied for another show before Christmas, but have not heard back yet. As soon as I find out I will post about it I also have started designing for my friend, Jerrica, who is in the process of competing for Miss RI again. I am her jewelry sponsor, so I have had the opportunity to get sneak peeks into what she is wearing for the competition and what she is doing for the competition. Her platform is also near and dear to my heart; she is representing/promoting mental health awareness, education and research. As a psychiatric nurse, I know how important it is for the stigma of mental illness to be abolished, and as a friend, I know how important it is to support someone who is struggling with mental illness. So needless to say I will be posting more about what I am creating, as well updates as to how everything is going. I have gone to two bead shows since posting last. I have bought a lot of new beads. The first show, Bead Affaire, was more handmade glass beads which are beautiful; the second show was the Innovative Beads Expo again-so lots of stocking up on pearls, silver beads and glass beads. I have already started designing with the beads that I have bought, some are still sitting nicely organized in my bead boxes. I am going to try and post more frequently here, hopefully with pictures next time :) Stay warm in the now fall/somewhat winter weather! Here is everything I bought on my birthday at the Innovative Beads Expo. Needless to say I didn't go by my original budget, but I plan on making a lot of new pieces to put in the Giving Tree and the Jewel Box of Cape Cod, as well as at my shows and my hopefully soon to be Etsy shop. So here's what I got! What better way to spend my birthday than by going to a bead show! I will be going to the Innovative Beads Expo in Marlborough MA tomorrow before I need to go to my full time nursing job. Sleep is clearly not my priority (oops! I do love caffeine!)
While at the Show
After the Show:
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Kate Simpson Designs is all about supporting handmade art. I share insider peeks at the design process, inspirations for a happy life, and embracing creativity.
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