Celebrating 20 Years: a reflection of sorts

Welcome to The Bejeweled Life and my world! So it took me 20 years to finally launch the lynnstreasures website & blog! To those of you that have been around from the beginning: Mahalo (Thank you) for sticking around & I appreciate your friendships! For those who are new: I'm tickled & thrilled to meet you!!

Here in this blog space, I'll share from my process and journey of jewelry making, tips & hacks, fun stuff that catch my eye, my faith and reflections, and things that move my heart. I write as I speak; I'm raw, authentic, honest and strive to be the very best version of myself that God has created me to be. I'll invite you to lean in, share your thoughts, challenge you with a call-to-action sometimes and to just enjoy being yourself here!

I fell into jewelry making quite by chance actually...a sweet friend called Joann asked if some of us would be interested to learn how to make simple wire wrapped earrings one day after church. After an afternoon of fun...the rest was history and here I am today! It's amazing how my simple "yes" has led to the pursuit of this passion! My way of paying it forward is by saying yes to teaching those who may wish to learn and also co-teaching a metal smithing class at the school I work at.

Over the years, I've tried metal smithing, lamp work glass bead making & precious metal clay. While those were fun, my go to would still be wire wrapping. I truly enjoy shopping for different beads & stones from trade events or on my travels, learning about them and then adding them to our designs. That's why they often have a background story and are usually one-of-a-kind or limited edition pieces.

You are special. So are the pieces you wear!

Some of my favorite things:

• Labradorite, Moonstone & Jade

• Tahitian & Edison pearls

• Craft fairs & supporting other local businesses

• Teaching jewelry making

• Collaborating with other artists (especially my mommy!)

I recently saw the pair of earrings I made on day 1, but now I can't find them...they'll show up when I clean my desk and I'll update this post to show you then! Promise me you won't laugh haha...

Hmmm...maybe I should make a special piece to celebrate 20 years... stay tuned!

Love, Lynnie