My Day Job snuck up on me

I was laid off in December 2009 and fully expected to go back to work eventually.  Well, it's now February 2012 and I've found no work in my field.

I volunteer at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary on Tuesdays and saw, in the gift shop, glass beads that looked like birds of all kinds; dove, cardinal, bluebird and owl.  On a whim, I picked some up and thought I'd make a pendulum.  The gift shop owner asked me to bring it back so she could see what I'd done.  So, okay.

In the meantime, on the recommendation of a friend, I looked at a site called Pinterest.  It's really cool with pictures of things that all different folks make, admire, covet and just plain want to share.  I saw a pin of a bird's nest pendant made from beads and wire and thought, I can do that.  And so I did.  I thought it turned out pretty cool, so I made some for the women I work with at the Sanctuary.

A week or so later, I brought my pendulum and pendants into the Sanctuary.  I showed the Gift Shop owner and she liked what I'd done.  She suggested that if I made the pendulum into a bracelet, she'd sell it on consignment.  I also showed her the bird's nest pendant and she told me to make more and bring them back with the bracelets.

So I did.  Now, I'm making jewelry of all stripes.  I am using the sea glass that I've collected through the years on the beaches of New Jersey with my sister, the shells and shark's teeth I've collected in Florida and various beads that have caught my eye.

I've also established consignment relationships with 2 other shops in the area for my jewelry.  I am experimenting with other types of wiring; a ring for my granddaughter and wiring words onto sea glass as pendants.

I'm kind of bowled over by the response and am loving every moment.  So, no, I'm not quitting my day job.