Mixing Jewelry Business with Kids
© by Laurie Davis; all rights reserved
Do you love making jewelry – but feel that between balancing your family and all their activities, you don’t have enough time to devote to your passion?
You’re not alone!
Sorority bracelet by Laurie Davis
From Interrupting to Interested
I have two young children, ages 11 months and 5 years.
It seems like as soon as I sit down to start a project, I’m interrupted…the baby is screaming because she’s hungry, my son wants cartoons on, I didn’t get the right kind of fruit snacks at the grocery store, when is Daddy getting home, etc. etc. etc.
But believe it or not, you can actually include your family in your jewelry making.
Now, granted, you do have to wait for the baby to go to sleep, because as much as she may want to play with the shiny beads, it just isn’t safe.
However, I was pleasantly surprised (not quite sure what my husband thinks, though) to find that my son was actually interested in what I was doing.
Most kids just want to spend time with you and especially when they’re young. Anything that can explore their creative side or make them feel like your “big helper” will win points for both of you.
I had just put the baby down for a nap the other day and realized I had an hour or two to get some jewelry made. My five-year-old son was immediately at my side asking what I was doing, telling me he liked my jewelry, he thought it was pretty and most of all, that he wanted to help.
Okay, now can a 5 year old help you make jewelry?
The answer: Not exactly – but don’t send him outside to play on the swingset just yet!
I found that he just wanted to be a part of what I was doing. I would come up with a couple of designs and was undecided about which one I liked the best. What did I do? You guessed it. I asked him!
He soon started pulling out beads and telling me which ones he liked and which ones he thought would go together. However, he still wasn’t getting to do anything and I realized this was getting ready to go bad really quickly.
A Happy Helper
I then realized I had several pairs of earrings made that had not been put on hangtags yet. I also had several bracelets and necklaces that did not have the pricetags with them.
I told him I was giving him a very important job of helping me “package my jewelry”.
I then got out the hangtags, ziplocs bags used for storage, price tags, etc. I showed him how to hang the jewelry and how to place each piece in the bag with the tag. He sat next to me for 30 minutes working on this and offering his opinion on what I was making every now and then.
This gave me time to work on my creations and at the same time occupied my son and made him feel as if he was an important part in what I was doing.
So next time you feel like you don’t have the time to devote to your jewelry, think again. Luck just might have it that your child would love nothing more than to be your “big helper” for the day! After all, don’t kids do arts and crafts all the time?
This is just another way for them to express their creative side and spend some special moments with you at the same time.
Jade Jubilee earrings by Laurie Davis
Other Ways to Entertain Children
While You Make Jewelry
* My son loves to make designs on my bead board. I give him some of my leftover beads and let him dump them on the board and arrange them in his own designs.
* Give your child a couple of headpins or some beading wire and let them design some “real” creations of their own. You may be surprised at what they come up with!
* Let them put your business logo stickers on your jewelry boxes. Kids LOVE stickers.
* Give them one of your jewelry magazines for them to look through. Let them pick out their favorite designs or have them draw you a design.
* Need help naming your creations? Some of the best names for your pieces might actually be ones your kids thought up. Remember when you were a child and would find shapes in clouds? Kids are SO imaginative!
Look at things through the eyes of a child….You may be surprised at what you see!
Author Laurie Davis of Lulu Jewelry Boutique offers handcrafted sterling silver jewelry made with czech glass, lampwork beads, and gemstones.
If anyone knows of a current link for Laurie, please let me know so I can add it here! Thanks. ~ Rena.
