I can't believe that 2020 is over.  It doesn't seem real because the past 9-10 months have literally been a blur of either being at home or being at the boutique.  I think I can count on one hand the times that I ventured out without a specific task or errand to do, but simply because I needed and wanted to feel somewhat "normal".  The responsibility of keeping myself safe, along with keeping Gav, my family and my customers safe weighed heavily on me, and still does. 

Although we still don't know what the first few weeks and months of the new year will bring, I'm hoping for and looking forward to a better 2021.

I've never really been a New Year's resolution type of person, probably because resolutions tend to be big and lofty and I never actually follow through with them. I do set goals for myself though - small ones that are usually reasonable and achievable. During the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020 however, I learned to let go of the goals and expectations I had for myself and for Blue Bird.  The only way to emotionally survive the uncertainty, fear and anxiety was to focus on actually surviving (not necessarily thriving) and being grateful for what I had in the present moment.

With 2021 upon us I'm very hesitant to do my typical goal setting. Instead, I'm going to call them "manifestations".  Manifestations are worded in the present tense, as if you are already doing it or  already have it so that through the law of attraction, your thoughts and energy can create your reality.  I wanted to share some of my 2021 manifestations with you:

1. I am living each day with Gav with lots of joy, love and laughter.
2. My family and friends are living healthy, happy lives and we are enjoying spending time together safely.
3. The boutique is flourishing, I am meeting new customers every day and I am building meaningful relationships with existing and return customers.
4. I am attracting the right people and circumstances in my life and my grateful heart is a magnet that attracts everything I desire. I am creating the life of my dreams.
5. I am enjoying financial abundance - the money I spend will always be replaced with more.

Today was the first time I watched the sunrise - okay...I kinda cheated and watched it via live webcam because I wanted to watch it from the safety of my home and in my pajamas. I felt compelled to watch the sunrise on the first day of 2021 (even if remotely), because it is literally the dawning of a new day in the new year and more importantly, a symbol of illumination, awakening and hope. I wanted to start 2021 and firmly set my intentions with the notion of hope - hope for a better 2021 for everyone, in every aspect.  With this in mind, I wanted to share with you a quote from Emily Dickinson that really resonates with me:

Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year!

Love,
Jana

I cannot believe that Christmas is ten days away (9 shopping days left)!

I know that I'm not the only one who feels that this year has passed in a blur. Since a lot of our time was spent staying indoors and not celebrating holidays or other special events in the way that we normally do, it almost feels as though they didn't happen.

This is also the first year since 2014 that Gav and I have not done any craft fairs - it feels strange to not be at the Blaisdell, setting up and being at our booth, seeing and catching up with our vendor friends and customers. With the future of events like the Blasidell craft fairs up in the air, I'm even more grateful for my tiny boutique - it will allow me to have a space to showcase my designs, as buying jewelry is such an emotional experience and one that is best done in person. The sparkle, shine and beauty of each piece is never truly captured in a photo or communicated online. The boutique also allows for a more enjoyable shopping experience overall. Shopping at a craft fair can often feel rushed. In contrast, at the boutique, you can take your time and browse at your leisure, without having to fight the crowds.

Although my landlord has not provided any rent relief this year, one of the silver linings is that they are allowing tenants to establish their own hours of operation. I'm extremely grateful for this because can you imagine what kind of additional strain it would put on small businesses like mine to be required to operate at mall hours, 7-days a week? For the past 6 months, the boutique has been open for 5 days a week (Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.), closed on Sundays and Mondays. Having two days off a week has allowed me to have more work/life balance, something that I definitely did not do enough of and took for granted pre-pandemic.

With this in mind, I wanted to share with you our special hours during the week of Christmas and New Year's:

Since Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on a Friday this year and since we are normally closed on Sundays and Mondays, the boutique will be closed for an additional day - we will also be closed on the Saturday after Christmas and the Saturday after New Year's so that I can have some additional time off (4 days in a row!) to rest and safely enjoy the holidays with Gav (and my mom, too) in our mini social bubble.

And just in case I don't post again until next year, I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful, happy and safe Christmas and New Year!

Love,
​Jana (and Gav, too!)

I can't believe that it's been almost 5 months since my last blog post. I had the best of intentions to upload a new post once a week...or at least once a month.  Each post was going to detail my journey in jewelry-making with the hopes of creating a deeper and more meaningful connection with my customers and followers - a way for them to get to know me better.  It was also supposed to be an opportunity for me to write more (another favorite form of expression), reconnect with myself and remember my "why" (why I do what I do) after feeling discouraged, doubtful and honestly a bit lost during the first stay at home order.

However, one of the biggest lessons that I learned this year - during the unprecedented COVID-19 Pandemic, is that the things that we plan for (big or small) with the best of intentions, don't always happen or turn out the way we had expected or hoped for, despite the time and effort that it took to prepare. I learned that it was okay to let go of what was or what was supposed to be and tried to be grateful for what I had instead of focusing on what I didn't have. I tried to be present and in the moment, which is a definite stretch for a detail-oriented, project focused planner like me. I had to learn how to lower the expectations I had for myself and for Blue Bird. I focused my attention and efforts on the current week because if I thought too far ahead, I became overwhelmed and anxious because the future was so unknown. Shortening my To-Do List was one of the ways that I practiced self-care and kindness. Making new jewelry and working at the boutique were my main focus over the past several months.  Strategic planning, marketing and promotion and extras like blogging often fell to the wayside but I tried my best to not beat myself up about it or feel like I failed.

This year has been filled with so much pain, struggle, turmoil, grief and loss on a global level and not only related to COVID. Everyone has been affected in some way or another; on some level - there are very few people (if any) that can honestly say that they have been unaffected by the events and happenings of 2020. Many businesses have closed and more may need to shut their doors in the coming weeks and months. And although I do not know what the future holds for me or for Blue Bird, I am happy and grateful to share that I have renewed my lease and plan to keep Blue Bird Jewelry Hawaii Boutique open for another year at Ward Centre.  I have this privilege and opportunity because of YOU, my customers.   Without you and your generous support, I could not continue to do what I do and I could not have the boutique.

So I wanted to say, "THANK YOU" and that I'm grateful to also be able to say, "I'm still here". I hope that when you feel safe to do so, you will consider visiting us at Ward Centre at our cozy little boutique, filled with pretty, sparkly things made by hand with lots of love, positive intention and joy.

Please be well and stay safe and healthy,
Jana

​Throughout the years, many people have asked me about how I got my start in jewelry-making.  My usual response is, “It actually started out as a hobby and I never thought that many years later it would become my passion and my career.”  When I really think about it though, there’s so much more to it.  My jewelry-making journey has been a long and winding one, filled with many roadblocks, detours, dead ends and thoroughfares.  There have been several defining and pivotal moments along the way, things that I believe have completely changed and shaped my life into what it is today. There have also been several people who came into my life, some for only a short period of time and some still in my life now, who have played important roles in who I am and how I got to where I am today.  I liken it to The Butterfly Effect – “the existence of seemingly insignificant moments that alter history and shape destinies.  Typically unrecognized at first, they create threads of cause and effect that appear obvious in retrospect, changing the course of a human life.” (I will circle back to this concept further on in the blog…please read on).
 
The weeks and months since the stay at home order due to COVID-19, have been challenging for me for many different reasons, as I’m sure it has been for everyone. Specifically related to my business, there have been times that I have been grateful for the opportunity to rest and recharge. I enjoyed having the time and space to be creative and think up new jewelry designs.  However, there were also times that I felt defeated and extremely anxious about the future.  In addition to worrying about the future on a personal level, I also agonized about the future of my boutique (which had only been open for 6 weeks), my business, the retail industry and the economy in general.  On those days, I stayed away from my workbench – I only make jewelry when I’m in the right state of mind – when I can put positive and healing energy and lots of love into my designs. On those days, I did other things. I explored new creative outlets, read or watched a feel-good movie and practiced self-care.

Since the retail industry received the green light to reopen on Oahu effective May 15th, I’ve noticed that shoppers and retailers have been proceeding with extreme caution – which I think is a good thing. But it also makes me wonder and worry about what the future of retail and economy will look like for the rest of the year and how that will affect everyone.  Honestly, there have been moments recently that I haven’t been sure if I should continue with my jewelry business.
 
I try my best in times of hardship and turmoil to look for the lesson and opportunity for growth.  However, more often than not, it takes a bit of time and distance to truly be able to understand the takeaway and gain a clearer perspective.
 
My intention of taking this walk down memory lane with you and revisiting my history with jewelry-making is two-fold.  I think it’s a cool way to connect with you - my customers and readers – a way for you to get to know me better and hopefully gain some insight into my background, experience, thought processes, philosophy and aesthetic behind my designs. More importantly though, writing about my journey will be a way for me to remember why I do what I do - why I love gemstones and making jewelry. Retelling my story will allow me to remember my resiliency and perseverance.  It will be a way for me to reflect back on how far I’ve come, hopefully inspiring you to think back on all of the times that you’ve overcome challenges and obstacles in your life, putting what we are all going through because of COVID-19 into perspective – that in the coming weeks and months as we adjust to the “new normal”, we will all have a better understanding of what we were supposed to gain or learn from this experience.  Hopefully instilling a sense of confidence that we will all come out of this together, stronger, wiser and like the Butterfly Effect, exactly where we are supposed to be.
 
Until then, I hope you will join me on My Journey To Blue Bird.
 
Next Up On The Blog:  My First Experience With Beading. 

​I can't believe that it has been over two months since we temporarily closed our doors due to COVID-19. Because we were only open for 6 weeks, there were many moments that I actually questioned if the boutique really happened...or if it was all just a dream.

The memories of my customers, your faces and our conversations (jewelry and non-jewelry-related), is what gave me the strength to have faith and keep going. Our shared love for sparkly things motivated me to use my time at home to create new pieces, in unusual color combinations and cuts. Making jewelry kept me focused on the future of Blue Bird even when the future of retail and the economy was unknown.

​In the weeks prior to and after the announcement of the re-opening of retail on May 15th, I did tons of research regarding safety and sanitizing protocols and talked to a lot of my fellow retail store owners to learn about what they were planning on putting in place. I also communicated with people in the jewelry industry - metal and gemstone suppliers and jewelry associations. With all of this and the health and safety of our customers and community in mind, Blue Bird will be implementing a MODIFIED REOPENING.

​Starting on Wednesday, May 20th, we will be offering our customers a Private Shopping Experience By Appointment Only.  To allow for proper social distancing, we are only able to accommodate one customer at a time.

If you're interested, please call or text (808) 892-8820 or email bbjh.boutique@gmail.com for availability and scheduling. Please note that 24 hours advance notice is requested if possible.