New Minis, at Abeille

Just a quick post to say that I've stocked a bunch of new mini Maasai beaded earrings at Abeille, in Brookline.  Most of these aren't available on Etsy yet, so they're exclusive to Abeille, (for now) save the mauve/purple pair, which is available here.   The mini size (2 cms across) is great for more delicated-eared gals.  Here they are, set out in a sparkly, beaded rainbow, at Abeille!

Uforge Gallery Holiday and Craft Fair

The Uforge Gallery Holiday Craft Fair is tomorrow!  We'll be there!

Old South Church Christmas Craft Fair

  Alright, I'm no longer in denial about it pretty much being Winter now.  Fine, fine.  It's cold.  It snowed today.  Again.
  But... That also means that the holidays are upon us!  I LOVE Christmas so much, for purely non-religious reasons.  The lovely music that never changes, the leafy garlands and pine-smelling wreaths everywhere, red berries, snow, beautifully-wrapped gifts with big ribbon-bows, hot chocolate, cider and eggnog with cinnamon, twinkling lights and giant, animatronic santas that would be tacky any other time of year, ice-skating, and that love-your-brother vibe.  I think that vibe is my favorite.  That warmth.  I love the palette of this time of year, the white, red, green.  It's abundant and alive in the midst of a time of year that can be a bit bleak here in New England, before everything renews in the Spring.  Last year, I went to midnight mass at this unique Catholic church in Waltham, and the service was mutli-cultural, with singing from Congolese congregants, pine-bow decor from its Italian congregants, and all of this hushed singing in the darkened church and candle-lighting throughout the service that was just wonderful.  Looking forward to exploring a new church of different denomination this year, and experiencing some new traditions.

  It's also a crazy, crazy time for a small independent jeweler/artist/crafter like me.  I am grateful for all of the opportunities, and wonderful customers.  But I am in complete work-mode.  I'll be doing a few craft shows in December, beginning with the Old South Church Christmas Craft Fair on Saturday, December 1st.  The venue for this show is stunning, a very old, exquisite church in the heart of Boston, with all the charm a church of its age brings.  From what I've seen, they deck it out quite extravagantly for Christmas as well, so I'm just excited to get to be there!  If you're in the Boston area, come by 645 Boylston Street (Copley Square) between 9:30 AM and 3:30 PM and say hi!

Happy holidays!

Dara 

2012 Holiday Shopping Expo

This Saturday is the 2012 Holiday Shopping Expo, a show extravaganza on the South Shore.  We'll be vending there, at 100 Coddington Street, in Quincy, from 10 AM to 4 PM.  There will be a TON of vendors there, and I've never done this particular show before, so I really have no idea what to expect.  I do know that the proceeds go to the Montclair PTO, which is pretty cool.  It has a holiday theme, which feels a little premature in early November, but considering we've already had several inches of snow here in Boston, perhaps not!  It'll be a good time, complete with Santa and cookie decorating.  You can check out the event page on Facebook, here.  I hope to see you all there!

Magenta and Chartreuse

I'm clinging to the last bits of color I can, as the landscape loses the remainder of its bright red berries and golden leaves.  So, I made a treasury list, with vibrant magenta and charteuse!

Etsy Gift Cards Have Arrived!

Bienvenue, folks!

If you have a wonderful group of friends with diverse and quirky tastes like I do, you've probably been there.  A birthday rolls around, an engagement party, a baby shower.  You know that busting out the Target gift card or the generic bath-salt/foot scrub set as a gift for this particular friend just won't cut it.  You want to give them something super-cool and unique but, alas, the risk is purchasing something that will result in an awkward, blank stare or expression of horror.  A gift that they awkwardly push aside and you inherently know they just don't like.  Unique gifts can also mean you just plain get it wrong, and end up with something that originated in the best of intentions, but landed in future-re-gift territory.  But now, Etsy has a solution!
Introducing, Etsy Gift Cards!  Now, you can purchase a site-wide gift card on Etsy, that can be used in many of Etsy's shops (all shops that feature Direct Check-out, which Hieropice does!).  Now, you don't have to know EXACTLY what that quirky/custom/unique/one-of-a-kind gift your bff wants is ahead of time, you can let them choose for themselves!  And, your sister can get a custom-made nursery-sign for her baby-on-the-way without giving away its gender before it's born.  It's all kinds of neat.

  I have a good friend who was recently engaged and is definitely an off-beat bride, but I couldn't, for the life of me, think of what to get her to celebrate her engagement.  She had pinned all kinds of Etsy items to her Pinterest wedding board, but I didn't know if she actually WANTED that bright purple flower/feather fascinator for her wedding, or just thought the concept was cool.  Now, you can avoid the dilemma I had, and get your independent-thinking friend an Etsy gift card, and let her deck her whole bridal-party out in purple fascinators if she wants to!  I am so excited about the gift cards, and pretty much all of my family-members can expect one in their Xmas stockings this year!  You can read more about the details here, and purchase the gift cards at etsy.com/giftcards.

Happy shopping!

Dara

What's the Worst Gift You've Ever Gotten?

   I want to digress a bit today from Hieropice-specific news to talk about thoughtful gift-giving.  Here in the US, we are in the thick of Mother’s Day/graduation/Father’s Day/wedding season, and that means a lot of gift-giving.  A lot of Hieropice’s customers are giving their purchases as gifts, which got me thinking, how do you ensure you give a good gift?
  I take gift-giving very seriously.  I’m one of those people who listens carefully all year to friends when they exclaim “ooh!  I want that bag!” or “ughh, I wish I could afford that bracelet, but oh well!” and then makes a note on my phone to get it for their birthday.  I love wrapping gifts.  More than unwrapping them, probably.  I buy wrapping paper for Xmas year-round, and like to wrap all my Xmas gifts with a theme in mind.  Last year it was nature.  This year, I’m undecided.  Alice in Wonderland, perhaps?
  But what if you’re not that type?  What if you often find yourself scrambling, at a loss, desperately trying to pick something you HOPE someone will like.  You put a ton of pressure on yourself to get something great, but struggle to figure out what that is.  Or, you’ve got that person in your life, who never seems to want anything specific, who dislikes everything, or would express appreciation for anything you got them, even if they intend to promptly shove it into the back of their closet?
  I have gotten some bad gifts in the past.  For my 25th birthday, a friend got me a citronella gel candle in a martini glass.  Not sure if she thought I typically slept nude in the woods, and thus, had a massive mosquito issue, but I didn’t know what to do with it.   An ex-boyfriend thought that since I love dogs, I would love books about how to groom bijon-frises.  I don’t actually own a bijon frise.  Or a dog, for that matter.  And, I’m thinking, I’d just pay a pro to handle all that fuzz rather than attempt it myself, but, I guess, I can still appreciate his efforts.
  So where did they go wrong? 
1) Convenience – If you’re buying someone a gift primarily because purchasing it is easy for you or requires minimal effort, chances are, your gift won’t be well-received.  There are exceptions, say, when the receiver has expressed a specific interest in an item or brand, but generally, if your thinking is “ooh!  look at that thing right next to the register at CVS!  I’ll buy it for Susie!” Susie might not be too happy with your choices.  Sometimes there’s a transportation issue involved in buying a gift for someone at a retailer they specifically like, which is when buying online becomes a great option.
2) Buying what you wished they’d want, think they need, (or you want!)

  Just because you think they might need a new backpack, pair of socks, or dress-shirt, doesn’t mean you should buy it for them as a gift.  Gifts of necessity are best for non-holiday gift-giving, meaning, you should grab your hubby a new pair of socks when you first notice he needs them, and forgo putting them in a box under the tree at Xmas.  Again, the exception would be if your hubby specifically said he wanted a new pair of socks for Xmas.  Then go for it.
   Along the same lines, sometimes we WISH our loved ones would utilize certain objects.  We might want our son to read more, and think getting him a stack of books for Xmas will do the trick.  Or maybe you want to see your wife wear more lingerie, so you spring for some on her birthday.  But, typically, people elect to spend their time doing the things they enjoy, wearing the things they like, etc.  So if they haven’t chosen to spend their time reading or prancing around in lingerie thus far, it suggests they just don’t want to (with exceptions, of course).  If they’ve expressed interest in other things, get them those things, and put your own wants/needs aside.  Trying to impose your own beliefs/priorities on someone else when giving them a gift rarely makes the recipient happy.
    And don’t get your loved ones gifts that you want for yourself.  It’s tacky and rude, and usually transparent.  I had throat surgery once, and asked a visiting friend if she could bring me some sorbet, the only thing I could eat at the time.  She showed up with chunks of watermelon instead, and when I explained I couldn’t eat it because of my surgery, sat there and ate it in front of me.  Don’t be that girl.  No one likes her.
   3) But..but.. I don’t get why he/she wants that, it’s stupid!
     Yeah, you might think that wall-mounted indoor thermometer/humidity-reader is weird and silly, but your dad wants it.  That’s the whole idea behind gift-giving, making someone ELSE happy.  Sometimes that means buying something for a loved one that you just don’t see the value in.  It’s ok.  Just comfort yourself with the knowledge that your loved one will adore it.  You’ll make them happy.  They’ll smile and thank you genuinely, and know you care about them.  Well done!
4) Re-gifting/cleaning out the closet
    This one’s intuitive.  Unless you dislike the person who’s receiving your gift or are participating in a Yankee Swap, don’t re-gift.  Again, unless you happened to get the exact item your friend wanted as a gift, and know you won’t use it.  I’m pretty sure the martini-glass-citronella-candle was a re-gift, and it offended me.  It sent the message that that friend couldn’t be bothered to actually choose something she genuinely believed I’d want, or make the effort to go purchase it (or make it!)  If you’re willing to give someone a gift, acknowledge and honor to mojo/juju/karma you’re sending along with it.  The “I just grabbed some crap from my closet and stuck it in a bag” energy comes through with a re-gift/closet find.  If you’re ambivalent about your feelings about someone, somewhat indifferent, or pressed for time, how about a gift of chocolate, tea, or coffee?  You can’t go wrong.  Or at least, not as wrong as a martini-candle.
     So now I want to know, what’s the worst gift you’ve ever gotten?!