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.