After completing Graduate School in Chicago and moving back to my hometown of Los Angeles, there have been so many things I've wanted to accomplish but just haven't had the time.  Between moving my life across the country, caring for and saying goodbye to my beloved cat, and spending this past summer recuperating from surgery, I've had more time to plan for everything that I want to do instead of actually doing it.

To be honest, back at the beginning of April I had applied for a booth at another show just before my cat fell ill and we had to put him down.  When my application for the show was rejected, I was too distraught about my loss to give much of a care about a silly show, but as the months passed, I began to think more and more about how much I wanted to get my line out there, not confined by the restraints of the internet, and hopeful of the feedback I could gain from interacting with customers face to face.

So when I got the call last week asking if I wanted to book a booth at the Melrose Trading Post, I blurted out a quick "Sure" and got to work ASAP prepping my vision!

As I talked things through with my family, I realized how much product and furniture I needed to fill an entire 10'x10' space, so I quickly headed to one of my absolute favorite haunts and the secret for my inexpensive and chic home decor: Homegoods!  I spend hours browsing the aisles of this store, enamored by the cool finds at affordable prices, and as I walked through the doors of my local branch, I immediately knew that I was in the right place.

To get my look, I wanted so use a lot of neutrals that would transfer from season to season while also incorporating colors that reflect the current weather and trends, so I picked a scheme of browns and beiges, accented by shades of green, perfect for Fall.  I invested in some amazing lanterns that could double as display cases without looking like I was at a trade show, looked for mirrors in different heights and finishes so everything wasn't one height, and transformed items meant for one purpose into what worked for me, like a large shadowbox that I transformed into a standing display.  I also visited downtown Los Angeles, the mecca for amazing finds at affordable prices, where I found an amazing tree branch from the floral district that I used to hang necklaces and earrings, and yards of taffeta and burlap that I used for table coverings.  Adding in a few pumpkins for Fall flair, everything came together seamlessly!

Lastly, I knew that I needed a better sign that displayed my business name and some specials I wanted to offer as an added enticement.  My wonderful boyfriend is a carpenter and always offers to build things for me to help with my business, so I told him that I would love a large sandwich board painted with Chalkboard paint.  We worked together, which was a nice little bonus considering how busy we've been of late, and I am over-the-moon with how well it turned out!  Shabby Chic and Classy too!

After a busy morning of setting up my booth and making sure everything was in place, I was so relieved to hear the oohs and ahs from passersby.  I even had several other sellers and staff come by my booth just to say how great they thought it looked!

I made a few sales, passed out a ton of business cards, and finally accomplished a goal that I had been planning for a long time.  I also met some amazing fellow sellers and reinvigorated myself with the belief that if I work hard enough at something, I can make it happen!

Oh, and it inspired me to create some gorgeous new designs that I've posted to my Facebook Fan Page! Thank you as always for the love and support, and I hope to see some of you at more shows in the future!

Until Next time!

Always,
Sonja

Autumn is my favorite time of the year - the delicious smells, flavors, and treats of the season fill me with fond memories of childhood and fun times past!

However, I think that my favorite part of the season has to be the wonderful holidays that fill October and November.  Halloween has been a special time of year for me for as long as I can remember - dressing up in costumes as a princess or pumpkin, trick-or-treating with friends, and throwing pumpkin carving parties are traditions that I still uphold to this day, and I can't wait to one day do these things with my own children (albeit a few years in the future!).

But as an adult, I sometimes feel left out during Halloween.  Of course I'm too old to go door-to-door asking for candy, and sometimes I even feel silly dressing up.  But the fact of the matter is that I genuinely love celebrating the holiday, so I've come up with my own way of doing so by creating some delicious pieces of jewelry that let me be a fashionista while still enjoying the colors of the season. I love pumpkins and spiderwebs, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I want to adorn myself in them, so here are a few pieces dripping in gemstones that I think you'll love to wear all season long.  Enjoy!