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