And then there was another one....

Newbies

Available in the shop:

Some seasonal pictures of Tromsø

The first glimpse of the sun here in Tromsø

This picture was taken yesterday, January 26, 2009 at 12:45pm

Yippeee! The sun is coming!

After a three month long arctic darkness period, the sun has made an appearance! Slowly, every day the sun will make its way more and more over the horizon. We all crave it. Even though the wintery darkness here gives me tremendous inspiration regarding my creativity, it also brings with it a tad of sadness or in some cases depression, which luckily hasn't effected me in any way yet.

I am looking forward to see what this year has in store for me. I'm excited about life and the endless possibilities that lie ahead. I am working really hard to do some marketing outside of Norway to get more international business. Etsy has been absolutely great for that. Most of my customers are from overseas and from other parts of Europe. I feel so blessed to have quite a nice following. There is no better feeling than making things people love. My creativity constantly gets a boost. I do realize now that I need to take a break from the creative urge once in a while and just chill. I am a firm believer in never taking the eye off the tiger, to stay focused and not get side-tracked is a very important every-day reminder for me.

I am waiting on some incredibly beautiful Cabochons that hopefully should arrive sometime this coming week. Thinking about making some rings, a ton of it. My twig and branch style items ( there are a couple of them in my Etsy shop ) have them quite popular here in Europe with some of my wholesalers. 

It's almost 9pm and I need to get a couple of orders packaged up to be send off tomorrow.

Hope everyone is having a fun-filled sunday!

oxox

Sabine

Blessings in Norway

I have to say that I feel incredibly fortunate for the life I have lived so far. Mind you, I have lived through unspeakable amounts of grief and sadness and somehow managed to muddle my way through it. Don't misunderstand me, I am not looking for sympathy, I am grateful for all of life's ups and downs, it has shaped me into the person I am today.

Three years and almost three months ago I decided to move to Norway to be with John, my boyfriend. We had never met in person prior to my arrival! Yes, I can almost hear a WHOA coming in through all of internets mysterious sensors. I had no choice but to move. It felt more right than anything I had ever done previously in my life. I followed by gut instinct. As strange as that might sound to some of you, it felt completely normal to me. I had no hesitations. I thought, well, if I don't do this I will regret it for the rest of my life. 

I needed a change, a positive change with new surroundings and inspiration.

I was in a very dark place grieving the loss of my then boyfriend to a viscous form of viral heart disease. I had to make an effort to get out of my apartment other than for work, so I decided to start joining the gym nearby. It really helped me to feel better about me. I needed to do something just for me and that was working well. One other major factor in my recovery was music. I can not live without it. I listen to it all the time and can not tell you how much of a factor it plays in my life.

Getting back to my move:

Months and months after I was getting back on my feet my best friend Melody started to talk about her cousin John in Norway ?!?! and how much she thinks we would get along due to the fact that we have many things in common. Of course, I wasn't really moved by the idea of him living in Norway. Especially since I thought Canada EH? was going to be the place for me where I would spend the rest of my life ( I had moved on my own to Canada at the age of 20 from Germany).

Well, after many attempts by Melody to get me interested in contacting John I finally agreed to get his e-mail address. Off I went to write him a bit about me without any expectations of any sorts. So it happens that I was very smitten with this Norwegian goodness. I couldn't resist him, nor his irresistible charm.

I would get home from work and couldn't wait to get on SKYPE to talk to him. It was the highlight of my day. We shared so many cool conversations, giggles, goals and dreams.

It got to the point where it got really overwhelming and we took a break for a couple of months.

After coming back from a visit in Germany I contacted him again. I never could get him out of my head. We started talking again on daily basis for about a month when John told me that he was going to move into another apartment and if I would like to move in with him! I was in a bit of disbelief and thought that it was just the heat of the moment that had captured him to ask me that. So I told him to think about it and we'll see if he still feels the same the next day. I had to admit that I didn't get much sleep that night thinking all sorts of thoughts....what if....what if...what if...and so on.

Well, the next day came and he still felt great about the prospect of my arrival to Tromsø, so did I and off I went to give notice at my job. I had a huge yard sale, sold almost everything and the rest I sent off to Norway.

Two months later I was at the airport in Tromsø with utter excitement and anticipation! 

There he stood, what looked like a calm and collected and handsome man, our eyes met and we embraced for a long time. It just felt so right. I know it sounds cliche, but it really felt like I knew him for a long time.

John has made every effort to help me get settled here. He couldn't have possibly done more. I am truly one of the luckiest girls to be able to have such a wonderful and honorable man. He is my best friend, my confidant and makes me want to be the best person possible. His constant encouragement and love has brought me to a place of contentment with who I am. His belief in me and my abilities make me want to thrive and push for things I never thought possible. Being with him makes me feel like I can reach for the stars.

I love that man ( I guess you can tell, huh)

You should see his music library! Truly unbelievable! He has the best taste in music ( in MY opinion) and I love it when he gets excited about having found a new artist he loves.

Have I told you that he can sing? He plays the drums in a local band. Unlike me, he can carry a great tune. He is good at so many things and knows how to use a tool if needed. He isn't afraid to try something new and has an adventurous spirit and a GREAT sense of humor.

I wouldn't want to trade my life for anything! I love you John!

xoxox

And then there were a few more...

Newbies

I have some new items to report that are going to be listed in da shop:

Etsy Sunday Finds

And then there is Replica. I want all of their stuff. They truly rock! 

Go check them out here

Etsy Sunday Finds

I'm in love with the designs from Lirola. Her work is truly unique and classy.

Check out her shop here

Sabine A. Jewelry Design

Sabine A. Jewelry Design

Winter wonderland

Taken just moments ago!

Happy New Year!

The new year came in with a vengeance of snow. It was snowing so hard on New Years Eve that we decided to just stay in. I wanted to go up on top of Tromsø Island to be able to see all the lights, but that would've meant to dig out the car ( again ) from its snowy mess.

Now what about new years resolutions? Is it going to be the usual" losing weight and getting in shape" promise that seems to be the first on everyones "to do list"??

I think we all need to set goals high enough to be achievable. Little steps with big results down the line.

My new years promise to myself is that I take better care of myself by getting quality sleep and perhaps getting back into a routine of Pilates which I actually quite enjoy. The results are really worth it for me. I think the focus on breathing correctly while doing Pilates helps my body to relax. I feel calmer and more centered. 

The other thing I am working on as well is to learn to say " No" more often. I try to accommodate everybody all the time, but in reality it doesn't make me happy. It makes me drained of all the left over energy I have. 

I am fortunate enough that crafting jewelry brings me such immense joy and inner stillness that whenever I have a bad day I just go to my studio and either sketch out a new idea or create something. It keeps me in the present moment.

Her is a quote from Eckhart Tolle I really like that reminds me to stay in the present:

"Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry — all forms of fear — are cause by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence"

I'm off to the post office.

I wish everyone a very happy and joy-filled new year!

xoxo,

Sabine