Meet My Mom

My mom, Sally, moved to Maui about 2 years after Greg and I did. We had just opened up the Kiosk in Whalers Village when she arrived. It has been so amazing having her here. She has been able to watch as we grew our family and our business. Not everybody is blessed enough to have loved ones so close. I think that most people know that from the beginning I wanted Sophie Grace Maui to be a family company. More than just Greg and I. I wanted my Mom, and hopefully our kids one day, to all be a part of it. At first though there wasn't a whole lot for my Mom to be a part of. It really was a one person operation. But now I am excited to announce that she will be my partner in the Paia location. I'm so relieved to have somebody that I trust by my side helping with the decision making and the execution of all things Sophie Grace. OK, maybe not all things! But lots of things, that's for sure. Owning a business can be a little lonely at times. It's nice to know that at the end of the day I'm surrounded by people who love and support me. Next time that you are in Paia please stop by and say hi to her! Opening day is just around the corner...

Dear Mom,

What a roller coaster these last few months have been! I promise that it won't always be this stressful. I feel like we really haven't even had a chance to celebrate yet. I've been up most the night making jewelry for our opening. But before I called it a night I wanted to make sure you knew how excited I am. Thank you for believing in me and loving me enough to attach yourself to my crazy world. I hope that you love your new store and that you can find the same joy in art and fashion and people that I do. I love you so much and am thrilled to call you my partner almost as much as I am to call you my Mom.

Sorry

I have been and will probably continue to be a little MIA as we get ready to open the store. Lots of jewelry to be made! But I will be sure to announce opening day as it approaches and post pictures as well. We are shooting for mid December, in time for Christmas.

Inadequate

A friend and fellow blogger had this to say last week about why she stopped reading everyone else's blogs.

"They were making me feel pretty inadequate. Every blog made me feel like I was looking at the perfect mother. Their houses are amazing and decorated beautifully, their kids are spotless and dressed to impress and they come up with crafty ideas EVERYDAY. Not only that but they have time to be witty, take their kids on the most educational outings and take pictures whiles doing it. Geesh!"

And I couldn't help but smile while reading it because that is exactly how I feel! So it got me thinking.

First of all, I wonder if that friend and fellow blogger knows that she actually makes me feel inadequate all of the time. She is a mother of three, the most creative person I know, and an amazing business woman.

Second of all, I began to wonder if I ever do the same thing to anybody else? I try to keep this blog more personal and less business. But let's be honest, do I really write about my bad days or my messy house or the fact that I let Sophie watch too much TV? Nope. I don't post pictures if you can see a pile of laundry in the background. And I really don't post photos if I'm in them and you can see the left over baby fat I haven't found the time to lose. So yes, maybe I'm a fraud too. So in an effort to free myself and stop the charade here is a little bit of truth about me.

I don't ever leave my house with a hair out of place. But that's because I'm insecure. I show up to work looking like I've got it all together but what nobody knows is that I left a small trail of chaos behind me to pull that off. I'm probably wearing the only thing that was clean. I probably would have shown up with it wrinkled if my sweet husband hadn't insisted I take the time to iron it. I'm always running late. My house is always a mess. I go to bed every night with the intention of getting up early to work out and read my bible but that rarely happens. I still haven't put together a photo album of Sophie. I forget my shopping list every time that I go to the store. I can't cook. I can't sew. I have frizzy hair. I enjoy Sponge Bob Square Pants. I'm a bit of a workaholic. In fact, I'm completely undisciplined in everything but work. And sometimes I let my daughter get away with too much because I find her defiance adorable!

That felt kind of good.

I'm a Genius.

I'm not one to think outside of the box. In fact, if the most obvious solution isn't going to get the job done then that's it, I'm out of ideas. Like Netflix for example. I had accidentally thrown away a couple of the envelopes that you send your movies back in. For months I couldn't figure out how to send the two extra discs that I had back. Finally I googled it. Turns out you can put more than one movie in their return envelopes. Duh, I know. But still, that never would have dawned on me. Part of why I love my husband is his ability to think outside of the box. Granted, I'm probably really easy to impress. But at least he comes across as a genius at least once a week.

BUT this idea was all mine. My daughter is advanced in all ways but one. I'm honestly not trying to brag. She could hold her head up at birth and started walking at 8 months. And I don't mean like at the end of 8 months so really 9 months. I mean the day she turned 8 months so I could almost say 7 months. She is just freakishly strong and coordinated (which she did not get from me). But the one thing that she has trouble with is silverware. She loves it, wants to eat with it, is determined to learn but just horrible at it. The other day she was trying to eat her Cheerios with a spoon and was getting kind of mad at the whole thing. But as I watched I couldn't help but admire her determination. And as I'm thinking how much easier her life would be if they would just stick to the spoon BAM, I'm hit with a genius idea. All on my own too! Peanut Butter! Not a lot, just a little and she can wield that spoon where ever she wants.

Too bad Peanut Butter doesn't go with everything. Hopefully by the time she figures that out she will have a better handle on feeding herself.

Life Lessons

Things that Sophie has taught me...

1. You only need a few words to get through life. NO, Please, Thank you, NO, Hey, More, Ouch, NO, Nice, Milk, Banana, NO. If you've got those down you can really navigate just fine.

2. Nothing starts the day better than Cheerios, Sesame Street and Dad's favorite chair.

3. A Binki (pacifier) dipped in Peanut Butter cures all.

4. Two of anything is always better than one.

5. Don't ever leave anybody behind-even in it's one of 17 stuffed animals and you're only going from the bed to the couch.

6. There is nothing more fun than being naked and running from your mother.

7. Pajamas are for the birds.

8. Ants really are fascinating.

9. You don't need music to dance.

10. Grandma is the funnest person of all.

Update

We were really hoping to get the store open by Thanksgiving but I don't see it happening. I'm going to shoot for December 1st though. We signed a long lease so we just want to make sure that it's perfect. I've learned in the past that if we say we will finish a project at a later date just to hurry up and get the doors open, that we don't ever actually finish it.

Goodbye Friend

My favorite necklace sold today. I know, I say that a lot. A lot of them become my favorite in one way or another. But I think that if you spend that much time nurturing anything that you are bound to get attached. However THIS necklace was different. It really was my favorite and I was very proud of it. Women would stop by and look at it everyday. And not once did I encourage anybody to ever it buy it. It wasn't that I wanted to for myself. I just really liked to look at it. So the moment that somebody would try it on I would just get real quiet. Awful, I know! But I really didn't want to see it go.

Today though a lady and her very fashionable mother fell in love with it. They were very careful as they made their choice. And even though the necklace was clearly for the daughter it was a joint effort in every sense. At the end of the sale I was happy to see it go to such a great set of shoppers. But I'm not going to lie, I will miss my friend.

Surrendering

I can't really give the details. But something very important in my life was taken away. Even though I saw it coming and was prepared for the hurt I was still very upset. That night I cried in my husbands arms and we prayed about it together. And what God told me was to let it go. To surrender it and not to worry about it, that he had my back if you will. And so I did. Though it was hard it was also a relief. I was so tired of worrying about this happening that when it did happen I was just glad that it was over.

And so the next morning I woke up at peace with letting go of something I thought was so important. Too important really. And I heard God say, "This is going to hurt, but let me work." And work he did.

I was given back what was lost but under better circumstances. I know that is a promise in the bible but it was so rad to have it happen the way it did. I don't ever want to live outside of God's will. I don't ever want this feeling of total trust to depart from me. I know that in time it probably will. I am only human. But today the lesson didn't escape me and I am so thankful that I have a God that loves me and knows me and pays attention to detail. And I'm so thankful that he put people in my life that would fight for me.

I promise to try and hold the things of this world with a loose hand. And when something amazing happens to me, even if I can't share the details, I will share the lesson.

Failing To Do It All

I have a confession to make. I'm a little sad. On the one hand I'm excited for the second location. From a business perspective it's a smart move. And from my perspective as a designer it's a necessary move. I need that space and that exposure to expand. But from a personal perspective I'm kind of a wreck. We were planning on adding to our family right about now. And though a second location was always in the works I didn't really think that it was going to happen right away. I know that I have all the love and support I need should I decide that I'm ready for another child. I'm just sad that I might not be ready. It's a lot to juggle even without children. How would I juggle it with two of them?

I know that the most important part of my life is my family. They will always come first. I just want to be able to provide for them too.

Halloween

Poor Sophie didn't actually get to celebrate Halloween. By the time the day came around she had just enough of a sniffle that we had to keep her in. Thankfully I was so in love with her costume that I put her in it every chance I got before Halloween ever arrived. There are many more of these photo of Sophie going about her day dressed as a monkey. The only thing missing is the banana we were going to have her carry as we went door to door. Oh well, there is always next year.

Details

So just a little advice to anybody thinking of opening a store on Maui. Unless you have the previous tenant transfer the electrical into your name, or allow you to transfer the electrical to your name, then you will owe the electric company a $500.00 deposit to get the lights turned back on. EVEN if you were a previous customer in good standing. So yes, I am now $500.00 over budget and I haven't even started yet!

And yes the chandelier is coming out of storage. My husband was thrilled to learn that he would have to remodel the ceiling to make it happen.

And the hard work begins!

When it comes to commercial real estate it's always a game of hurry up and wait. I signed the lease over a week go but had to be patient while we waited for the previous tenant to vacate. It was weird signing the lease this time around. It's the first time that I have done that without Greg by my side. And it wasn't because he wasn't on board. It was just that we had already done this several times before and I didn't realize that I was breaking a tradition until it was actually happening. It made it kind of bitter sweet for me. From now on Greg will just have to be there no matter how busy we are.

So anyway, on Friday we were handed the keys and became official Paia tenants! We still have so much work to do but are trying not to rush ourselves. It's always been a push before to open by a certain date. But this year we don't have another rush until Christmas, so we have some time. So far on the list is paint the outside of the building, add a patio, plaster the inside, take out the drop ceiling, add some vintage wallpaper and make a whole lot of jewelry. Greg started on Saturday and is already exhausted! Thankfully though we are blessed to have friends willing to get dirty.

I won't post all the before photos until I have some after photos. But I couldn't resist this one of Sophie standing at the front door while we were doing the walk through. I hope that one day when she is all grown up that she can look at that photo and know that we were doing it all for her.

Almost There...

I just got an email from the realtor with my new lease attached. 24 pages to read through. Hopefully I can get through them all and sign on Monday!

How On Earth?

I'm a little bit overwhelmed with the idea of a second location. I'm not worried so much as curious how on earth I'm going to make that much jewelry? I think that it's time to start hiring reinforcements. I love the concept that I hand make each piece, I think that my customers do too. But I have to accept that at some point that is no longer realistic. I guess that my biggest concern is quality control. Each and every piece is a love affair for me. How can I expect somebody else to be that passionate or detailed with my designs?

Second Location?

Actually a 'For Rent' sign is something that you don't see often in Maui when it comes to store fronts. Sure people close down just like every where else. But in Maui there is an astonishing number of small business owners and not enough retail space to go around. So somebody is always waiting in the wings for you to throw in the towel. And I'll admit it, I've been one of those people for the last six months.
It's not that I don't love my location now. I do, trust me. I can count off all sorts of designers who would love to see me close. But I've become very aware that if I want to grow a second location is the first step. So I became one of those stalking the streets for a store front. And let me tell you that it wasn't easy. Every time that a store came available I was sure that I was the first one to notice. I would track down the landlord, not an easy task either, only to find out that there was a waiting list before the previous tenant even gave notice. I think I might have even shed a few tears. But I've played this game before and knew that there was a perfect spot for me and that I would find it eventually. And I think that day might have finally come. I don't want to say too much yet. The security check has been delivered but I won't announce anything until the lease is signed. I will keep everybody updated, I promise!

Vakker Blomst Designs

Some of my favorite hair pieces by Vakker Blomst Designs!

My Glam Squad

I recently was blessed enough to put together a photo shoot for Sophie Grace Maui. Don't worry, this isn't one of the pictures. This was taken by me from my phone trying to document the day. Which I later realized is silly when you have a photographer beside you basically doing the same thing.

I remember though that when I took this picture that I was thinking about how thankful I was to have so many talented people in my life. It surprised me when I realized that I already knew all of the people that I needed to help me to put this shoot together. I had met the hair and make-up artists, photographers, stylist and models through the years at different events and kept in touch. It can be really tough to be a small business owner and I think that it is so important to support and promote each other whenever possible. I'm going to mention more about the photographers and models once I'm able to share the real photos. But for now I wanted to say thank you to my glam squad and give them a little publicity. All of my soon to be brides out there, this is for you.

Make-Up: It doesn't matter if you're a resident or a tourist. If you need your makeup done then Camille Kozuki is the girl to call. I met Camille years ago when we were both working for Maggie Coulombe. She was born and raised in Maui but studied at the Cinema Makeup School in Hollywood. She is back on Maui working as a freelance Makeup artist AND STYLIST specializing in editorial print and weddings. In the past she has worked for Vanity Fair, Sport and Style France, GQ Germany, Victoria Secret and on the cast of Lost. Her email is camikozuki@hotmail.com and her website (which is under construction) is www.camiko.makeupmaui.com.

Hair: I met April when we were both pregnant. Her son is just a few months older than Sophie. When we realized that the two were soul mates we decided it would be a good idea to strike up a friendship as well. April is a natural at hair (she's quick too by the way) but she has taken it a step further. She is also the owner and designer of Vakker Blomst Hairpieces. Her small company is quickly becoming a must have in Maui. The model in the photo is wearing one. They are perfect for every event you can think of and weddings too of course! Keep you eye out for them as they begin to pop up in retail location and absolutely visit her online store.
www.vakkerblomstdesigns.com

Thanks to everybody who helped out with the shoot. More shout outs to come, I promise!

Thank You

Have you ever prayed for something so hard that when it happened you were too shocked to properly say Thank You? That just happened to me. I won't go in to detail because I really think most people would find the story a tad boring. But it was a needed prayer that was faithfully answered. So today I just wanted to express my gratitude to my Lord and Saviour who never lets me down even when I constantly assume that He will.

Have Your Heard?

I was recently talking to a friend of mine about starting a membership based jewelry (for lack of a better word) club. You sign up, pay a certain amount each month, and a piece of Sophie Grace Maui jewelry shows up in your mailbox. You could choose from a handful of items every month and if you don't like what you chose that month just send it back. You could exchange it or bank it or just skip that month all together. And because your a member the items are discounted. As I'm telling my friend about this fabulous idea she interrupts me and says, "you mean just like Shoe Dazzle?". Shoe what? I had to know more. I couldn't believe that I hadn't heard of this. Keep in mind my friend lives in the city and is very with it as opposed to me and my secluded island life.

So in the sake of "research" I signed up for Shoe Dazzle. It is exactly what I described above but for shoes. I LOVE IT! I highly recommend to check it out. There is one flaw however that I must bring up. If you live in Hawaii the shipping isn't free. Which becomes a nuisance when you don't like the pair you bought and have to send it back for a different pair. Then you end up paying for shipping 3 times, all of a sudden it's no longer a deal. At that point I just end up giving the shoes to my Mom or some other stylish person. Fashion is always a blessing! But for everybody else the shipping is free.

www.shoedazzle.com

Oh and for those of you who liked the Sophie Grace Jewelry "Club", I wasn't kidding. I promise to keep you posted!

Motherhood

I have had the worst and best morning. And because I can't get past it I thought that it was better to write about what's on my heart than anything else. Besides, it says in my greeting that I would write about being a wife and mother too. So here goes.

It's 7 AM and we are busy getting ready for the day. Greg has a meeting in Oahu, Sophie has Preschool/Day care and I have class. Yes class, a jewelry class that I will talk more about another day. I'm excited. This is my one day off in two weeks and I have things to do. After Greg leaves for the airport I sit down and start making out my To-Do List. By the way, I love To-Do Lists. Nothing makes me feel more efficient than crossing things off of a list. Sometimes I even write stuff on my list that I have already accomplished just for the joy of crossing it off!

Anyway, as I'm writing down all that I have to do my phone rings. It's Greg sounding very apologetic and a tad bit scared. Turns out that he left for the airport with my car keys in his pocket. I hang up and BURST into tears. And I mean burst. You would have thought he called to say he that was leaving me by the way I reacted. It's not that I didn't want to spend the day at home with Sophie. Of course I did. But this always seems to happen to me. I work from home 2 days a week because it is impossible to get everything done at the shop while talking with customers. They are my days, without anybody around, to run my business. They are my days to cross things off of that list that I love. And I look forward to them the way most people look forward to a vacation. But somehow more often than not something interrupts them. Life? Or maybe God?

So as am sitting on the floor with my face in my hands sobbing I realize by the pitter-patter of little running feet coming down the hall that Sophie must have heard me. She runs over to me, gets down on her little knees, moves my hands, and looks up at my face. She gives me the sweetest smile that I have ever seen and starts to wipe away my tears. And in that moment I hear the Lord telling me to slow down and love every minute of my life. Even the ones that I'm mad at. This is the day, this is the moment that He wanted me to have. I can make up my class. I can apologize to the customer whose order isn't getting mailed out today. But I can never get that moment back with my little girl pouring her love on me ever again.

I once read a book by Author Robert Fulghum and he called moments like these, standing knee deep in the river and dying of thirst. I don't think that I ever fully grasped what he meant until just now. But I have a feeling that it's a lesson I will probably have to learn over and over again. And if I get to experience that kind of love in the process than I will gladly take the lesson that comes with it.

Star Noodle

My husband and I were recently treated to dinner at Star Noodle in Lahaina. I'm confident that if you live in Maui you have heard of it and know their story. From what I understand it is owned by the same guys who own Aloha Mixed Plate and Old Lahaina Luau. This restaurant is in the worst location imaginable. It is on top of a hill (which makes for a great view) at the very end of a commercial warehouse district. You can't see it from the street and there are no signs directing you there. But none of that seems to matter. Locals love this place enough that they have spread the word in the small amount of time that it has been open. We sat down at 6 PM and half an hour later there wasn't a single table left. By 8 PM the bar was full as well. And this was in the middle of September. The facility was clean and beautifully done. Our server, LuLu, made us feel perfectly at home. And I can honestly say that everything on the menu was delicious. The reason that I can honestly say that it because we honestly ordered one of everything including dessert. Don't forget to check this place out the next time that you are in Maui. You will not be disappointed.

Congratulations guys! It couldn't have happened to a better group of people.

She Sells Seashells By The Seashore, Really!

Introducing my newest creations. These aren't available on my website yet or even on Facebook. I just started making these so I only have a few available. Please contact me if you want one, or two or three! They are awesome stacked. The Sterling Silver adult ones are $65.00, and $45.00 for the baby size. The Gold Filled ones are $95.00 for adults and $75.00 for baby. By the way, Sophie herself LOVES hers! She is the whole reason I made the baby one to begin with, she kept stealing mine! Just send me an email if your interested. jamie@sophiegracemaui.com.

BOGO SALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bogo Sale!

From now through October 5th we are having our annual BOGO Sale. Buy one Starfish Necklace and get the second one free! Just enter maggie at checkout for your freebies.

http://www.sophiegracemaui.com/

Counting Blessings and Pennies Too

Every year at this time our small island goes from crazy to quiet in a matter of days. It marks the end of summer and the beginning of what every retailer on Maui dreads, SEPTEMBER. It's one long month in which our economy literally stands still. And when I say stands still what I mean is all revenue comes to a screeching halt. Every year we say that we are going to put money away to save for this month and of course we never do. Instead my husband and I wait until September is upon us and then we start to panic. I think that I am handling it a little bit better this time around. God always comes through in one creative way or another and somehow our bills get paid. But it absolutely puts things into perspective. For 30 days we have to live without things we normally take for granted. No extras what-so-ever at all. And in a way I'm kind of glad. It reminds me of how very blessed that I am and how rich I am even if I don't have a dollar to my name.

But, if your a tourist who comes to Maui in September and us locals seem a little bit grumpy, now you know why!

Sneak Peek!

First off I must apologize. I am aware that my website is seriously outdated. And it's not because I haven't come up with anything new. That has hardly been the problem. The problem has been that I have never been able to find a photographer that I both loved and could afford at the same time. Problem solved!

I have to be honest though. When my brother in law first suggested that I hire his wife to shoot the jewelry I did in fact squirm. I had never really seen what she could do with a camera except for families and weddings. I was aware that photographing jewelery was one of the hardest things in the world to do. And I was very nervous of some kind of awkward conversation that I would have to have with her if her pictures did not meet my impossible standards (Jen, I hope your laughing). But I sent her some jewelry anyway and told her to have fun and send me a few samples. And have fun she did! I was floored at how detailed and artistic they came out. Here is just a little sneak peek of the up and coming collection. It will be another month before it's all posted to the website. But if you like these then you will love the rest. Keep checking in for updates and make sure to wander over to Jen's website as well to take a look at her portfolio.

www.jennlynn.com

www.jenn-lynn-photography.blogspot.com

Meet Amanda

When my husband and I started Sophie Grace Maui we had nothing to lose. Literally, nothing. I, with his encouragement of course, had spent every dime we had and didn't have on material. Our home was covered in metal, gemstones, chain and wire. So when it came time to design a logo I couldn't hire anybody to help me. I just picked my favorite font on my word program and that was that. I kept that design for a really long time because I couldn't find anybody who understood what I wanted.
And then one day I signed up for facebook. What an amazing tool for a business, but that is a whole other blog. I discovered old friends of course. But what I also discovered was an old friend who had started a business of her own designing the very things that I needed. She is now my go to girl for everything I need that I can't do. She did a fabulous job with the new logo, packaging and advertising. She also does announcements and invitations of course. I think that it is so important to support other small business owners so check her out! She is super affordable and talented, my two favorite things.

Amanda Elhaj
http://www.creativenestdesigns.com/
http://amandasfavs.blogspot.com/