Tiara King's Blog: Jewel Divas Style, page 53

STYLE NOTES: Disco Balls, Jewels and Unicorns

As you would all know from many a STYLE NOTES post, I LOVE notebooks. And not just any notebooks, stylish, funky and colourful notebooks, particularly ones with jewels, gems, fashion, accessories and disco balls and both of which I scored below.

I recently found these two gorgeous notebooks from my local newsagent for $3 each. Plain ruled inside, the covers speak for themselves, and since I’m a jewellery designer, the pearls in the mouth is a definite need, the girl surrounded by a rainbow of colours and a disco ball was a want.

 

And I love the fact the picture goes all the way around the cover. I find notebooks with plain backs to be boring, but when it’s a full cover pic, it makes it better. How’s the disco ball flowers! And there’s a dolphin and crocodile/alligator thrown in for good measure.

 

And the pearl lips has a funky gold snakeskin back. Cool!

 

And the last ones that I’ve recently bought were these. I haven’t bought notebooks in ages, possibly since last year or the year before as I already have so many, they’re being collected not used, and really, I haven’t found any worth buying by way of boring pictures on the cover, or they just don’t interest me enough to buy them. But these were only $3 each as well and I threw my little unicorn Pegasus into the pic for some cuteness. And yes, it IS all rainbows and unicorns.

 

Do you guys love stationery and what’s the one thing you seem to buy most?

 

MY STYLE: Silver Zebra print

It was just the one day out last week, with nurses and blood ladies down to twice a week I had two days to get work done and then everything else had to be done on Thursday. Shopping, library, bills, anything else. It can get busy on a Thursday and I’m always left buggered at the end of the day. This week there’s three days of doctors so stay tuned next week for the outfits.

I told the story last week of the guy in the bank asking why I hadn’t matched the colour of my jewellery to the colour of my top, well last week the lady in the post office said my jewellery (below) was a little demure,  I said yeah, it’s a little plain, she said well I didn’t mean plain (hell what did she mean? like I wasn’t going to be offended in some way shape or form), so I told her the story of the guy in the bank.

Geez, people take note, don’t they. Can’t try anything different unless you’re pulled up on it.

 

OUTFIT

TOP: Valley Girl, from 2010, $10

JACKET: Millers, from 2104, $25

JEANS: usual Kmart ones

SHOES: Rivers, from about 6-7 years ago, $10. Gotta love a brogue, and these were cheap and my size, so I grabbed three pairs. Haven’t worn them in ages though as I’ve been living in boots through winter and sandals through summer.

JEWELLERY: all bracelets and right hand ring eBay, earrings, pendant necklace and left hand ring from chain stores, black bead necklace bought on eBay put together by me.

 

ACCESSORY STYLE: Naturalizer Boots in navy suede

I’ve mentioned these boots before but here they are in all their glory, finally.

I was after navy boots and shoes, as I’m turning off black and already have way too many black shoes, so I went a wabbit hunting and managed to find these. After buying and trying a few pairs from Styletread, an online store that has free return shipping, I tracked down the navy versions and scored myself some pretty speccy (aussie slang for spectacular) shoes.

The first pair have faux sheep lining so my tootsies will be toastie during winter. I haven’t worn these yet, I was waiting to buy a water proofer to coat them in and I have, but these are yet to be worn, so I must get around to wearing them.

Made of navy suede and brown leather, even though I’m not a fan of brown for clothes I don’t mind a bit in shoes and accessories as I think it’s a nice addition over the common old black, which so many winter boots and shoes are. I really had to track down any coloured shoes and boots as usual, stores only stock dreary winter colours in clothes and shoes in winter. Boring!

 

With a double wrap around strap and buckles it adds to the quality, and because I bought a size 11 so I had the extra toe room which so many shoes don’t offer me these days, it means I can still get my orthotics in them. I’ve worn the short ones a few times as long as it isn’t wet or raining just so I can protect them.

 

I’ve really gone on a binge with good shoes this year. As I mentioned in one of my first posts in February, 2016 is the year for buying shoes and bags as I wanted to buy better quality, leather, suede, and get into some funkier looking patterns and designs. I’m bored with black and am still culling shoes and clothing, selling through The Style Store here at JDS and a few things here and there on ebay. Why not get money for them, when I keep my stuff in great condition.

What have you guys spent your hard earned money on so far this year, and are you updating to better quality products?

 

MY STYLE: Cats and Fish

Not much to do this week, running around wise, lots of visitors for mum as usual, and only two appointments for me one after the other on Thursday. I ran from the doctors to the chiro. I then ran to the chemist then the bank where the guy behind the counter commented that I hadn’t co-ordinated my jewellery with my clothes this week because normally I do.

I nearly laughed, I had a green watch on, but I was actually matching the panthers to the studs ON the top instead of my jewellery to the colour. The girl behind the other counter laughed and asked if he was giving out fashion advice now. What a weird conversation to have with a guy, but then, I have lived here for nearly 22 years, moved in the day the shopping centre opened, so everyone who’s here knows how I dress.

 

OUTFIT #1

TOP: Millers, from 2014, $5 on sale, bargain!

JEANS: Kmart, normal ones

BOOTS: My blue suede which you will see in more detail in Thursday’s post.

JEWELLERY: left hand bangles from chain stores, all panthers from ebay, I made the earrings. There is a brooch that goes with this but I don’t wear them any more.

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OUTFIT #2

TOP: op shop in 2003, it was free. I used my glitter paint to outline the fish to make them stand out. Then I made a jewellery set to go with the top. Didn’t wear it as I was just running up to the shop to post some stuff off.

JEANS: Kmart, $7, several years old, as above

BOOTS: Blue suede, more details on Thursday.

 

MY OBSESSIONS: Trixie Belden

Huh! Got ya there. Bet you thought I was gonna talk about Nancy Drew!

Well, that’s for next time.

I also have an obsession with Trixie but have not bought anything for years and have probably never mentioned it. Finally, I was able to get the box set of paper dolls. It’s not the first paper dolls of Trixie that I have, I also have a book and there are two other collectible paper doll books out there to get. Amongst other things!

MY STYLE: Three Weeks of Fashion

It’s been busy, I’ve taken two weeks off to write up my song lyrics that I wrote many a year ago and am still not finished, and I’ve had to run around dealing with taking mum back to the hospital for blood tests and check ups. Talk about hectic. And since it’s winter here in Aus, it’s been cold, except for late last week when we had 22 degrees celcius. warm and toasty. Okay, so here we go.

OUTFIT #1

TOP: Many a year ago I bought this in Big W (like Walmart) for about $20. Gotta love a good mutley tshirt.

JEANS: Kmart $7 from about 2013.

BOOTS: Spendless Shoes boots, $40 from 2014.

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OUTFIT #2

TOP: Ebay, many a year ago, love the figure running away with the pieces of fingerprint.

JEANS: Kmart

JACKET: Mock suede trench style from Millers in 2010, for $15

JEWELLERY: Lovisa earrings.

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OUTFIT #3

TOP: Girl top from Kmart in 2012 for $15

JEANS: Kmart

BOOTS: Spendless Shoes

JEWELLERY: Jewel Divas mask set except for bracelets on left hand and rings.

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OUTFIT #4

TOP: Kmart from 2013 for $8

JEANS: Kmart

BOOTS: Salvation Army in 2015 for $49.25. Been wearing these a lot this winter.

JEWELLERY: Lovisa earrings and chain store bangle, both old.

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OUTFIT #5

TOP: Kmart from 2014, $7

JEANS: Kmart

BOOTS: Spendless Shoes  Boots

JEWELLERY: Jewel Divas

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OUTFIT #6

NEW YORK TOP: Crossroads in 2014 for $15

KIMONO: From Alley, in 2013 for $24.94

JEANS: Kmart

BOOTS: Spendless Shoes (I live in these boots in winter because they fit my orthotics and are good for running around in)

JEWELLERY: Jewel Divas necklace and bracelet stack, Lovisa earrings and rings, Ice bangle, 

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OUTFIT #7

TOP: Ebay from 2009, its a Take Two brand top

JEANS: Kmart

BOOTS: Salvos cowboy boots as above

JEWELLERY: Jewel Divas star bracelet and long necklace, ebay collar necklace, chain store earrings, rings and bangle stack.

 

Jewel Divas Style is 7, the 10,000 hour limit and why I may be finishing up online!

I am currently on a writing holiday but I had to post this. It’s Jewel Divas Style’s 7th birthday this month and one of it’s last.

I have had to make some decisions over the last year about what I really want out of my business. With my time and energy being sucked out of me caring for my mother and monstrous issues I’ve had to deal with in that region, my own battle with health issues, my lack of ability to throw any energy I have left into any semblance of business that I have, is almost impossible.

There have been many factors against me and my little business from the get go.

No markets to sell at, no stores to sell wholesale through, a mother who was crippled, a car that conked out when you drove around corners, plus many other things.

The mentor I saw back in 2013 never understood these things. He called them all excuses. Clearly he had never known the emotional and mental weight of caring for a sick parent.

While I did get my designs into bead magazines, getting them into normal magazines was another thing. Being a designer with one off pieces was never going to get into a magazine unless I sent them pieces to keep, and even then that didn’t guarantee getting into magazines. I’ve looked at sending to tv show hosts, and other places, all to no avail. Clearly it was all against me and so I gave up trying.

I’m sure the universe had other plans for me, not helping me make my business a success was the start. But then we never know unless we try. It’s statistically proven that many first businesses don’t work. Basically we don’t know what we’re doing so it all goes to pot.

I’ve struggled. More so with the weight of my mother and her care, which is why I’m surprised I even found the time to make jewellery or write books. What I do know, is that I do not have the energy even for my blogs and websites much longer. And it’s been this way for a few years now.

Social media became a bore for me about four years into it. I started with , after I had legally set up my jewellery business and made my first collection. Later that year I set up this blog on Blogspot as Jewel Divas Jewellery because the name Jewel Divas was already taken. My jewellery website debuted in September 2009 and I struggled to update the blog with new jewellery and accessories, so I decided to make it more about the jewellery I made for myself, plus talking about other things instead of just trying to flog jewels. In 2011 I changed the name to Jewel Divas Style and made that change across all of the social media I had set up. Jewel Divas got an official Facebook page, followed by Pinterest and Instagram, but I haven’t used it. So really, what’s the point?

In May 2013 I migrated from Blogspot to WordPress.org and basically had to start again. In Jan 2016 it got a template makeover and while I love the layout I struggle with the upkeep. The first few months of this year I had plenty to talk about, as plenty had happened over the summer holidays. But now, as we’re in July, and I’ve taken the school holidays and long weekends off, I’m finding social media more of a burden than fun. As I have done so for the last few years.

Trying to keep a posting schedule for the blog, and then having to keep up across SM sites, with “professional bloggers” telling us we need to post five times a day on all of our channels is time consuming for those of us who actually have to make products.

I don’t worry about SM when I’m writing or making, it doesn’t even come into my head. It was definitely the furthest thing from my mind when my mother was sick over summer. I did post kaftan pics every day but then I had shot some of them ahead of time, so I only needed to jump on for half an hour a day to catch up on emails and sales and post the pic.

I’m tired. Emotionally, mentally, physically, even as I write this, and it’s only Feb so I’m months ahead and yes, I’m still tired now. I’m tired of my life not being mine. I’m tired of doing all of this shit on my own.

I was describing all of the washing, scrubbing, cleaning I’d done to my sister when mum was in hospital in December and she said, “welcome to my world”.

Except, and I thought about it later, I’m not in her world. I don’t have a husband buying me homes or a gold iPhone or paying my bills. And that’s when I realised she doesn’t, neither do my other siblings, come close to living in my world.

We all have households to run. Admittedly mine is not run well. 

The vacuuming rarely gets done because my back can’t tolerate it (we’ve had a monthly cleaner since April to do this), the beds get changed less, and generally, I don’t have the energy to give a fuck about the house. She has a couple of part time jobs, but I have a business to run which involves more than making product, which I didn’t even get a chance to do over summer, and I need to make sure it’s running well over all of its platforms and pages, plus I have a sick and crippled mother to care for.

I have become physically crippled myself doing this job. The years of bending, lifting, turning has taken its toll on my body and I am constantly crippled by stuffed discs and sciatic issues. I am physically tired all of the time due to not sleeping well because my ears are on the constant look out for my mother getting up in the middle of the night. There were nights I got maybe four hours sleep. There were nights I barely got two, and that came in intervals across the night.

They were not the ones scrubbing up diarrhea, rinsing vomit from buckets in the backyard, wiping up urine and shit from carpets. There is a big difference between doing this for the children you give birth to and the parent you end up caring for, hence why I wrote the book a few years back.

All of this has been a factor in slowing down. I’ve been thinking that the universe is testing me and how much I can take. But it has made me tired and on the verge of a breakdown. Nobody cares about my mental health in all of this, least of all my physical health. Nobody wants to help, family or health care professionals.

I knew in Feb, as I wrote this, that this was going to be the year for biting people’s heads off. If the times over Dec/Jan taught me anything, it was that nobody gives a shit about sick people or their carers. My family didn’t and don’t, the hospital didn’t, doctors don’t.

In 2015 I had so many health care professionals tell me they couldn’t help me get mum off or on beds for testing because they didn’t want to hurt their back that I started saying back to them, “we all have back problems”, or, “we all have stuffed backs”. Meanwhile, I was trying to turn my mother over on the bed and suffering for it and they just stared at me.

That’s the problem. As a carer I have no help. When I ask for help they say they can’t help because they don’t want to stuff up their back, so I get no help and my back stuffs up more. That’s why I’m a cripple myself. I wouldn’t be surprised if by the time I’m 50 I’ll be on a walker or stick because of my back issues.

My chiro has done a great job of fixing a lot of those issues, but sadly, humans are all susceptible to the same lower back issues when lifting weight and bending and turning. We get stuffed up.

Just one more reason I cannot continue much longer.

So, this is the blog’s 7th birthday. It may only last three more years. Making that ten years in total.

Why ten years?

It all has to do with the 10,000 hours to success. Or in some people’s cases, it works out to about 10 years. If I don’t have success by the ten year limit, that’s it, I’m done. I’ll have given it all I had but by then I doubt I’ll have any more.

In July 2006 I wrote my first novel. It’s now July 2016, ten years since I started writing books. Time’s up.

In February 2008 I wrote my second book and in Aug I started the legal side of my jewellery business and made my first collection in Oct. In 2018 it will be ten years. There’s two years left.

On Jan 1st 2009 I started my author blog then this blog on July 22, and then went live with the first Jewel Divas store in Sep. In 2019 it will be ten years. There’s three years left.

Hence why December 31st 2019 maybe the last time I blog or even post on social media. Unless of course, I continue using every year I wrote a book, such as my fourth novel 2013/2023, my non-fictions 2014/2024, when I started writing children’s books 2015/2025, my novellas 2016/2026. Not sure I can keep blogging until 2026!!!!!

So I’ll either give it three and a half more years till 2019 when I’ll be 45 and a half and it will be ten years for this blog.  If I don’t have success by then, then I’ll give up. Or maybe wait until 2024 when I’m 50 and keep it at a nice round figure. I’ll definitely be done by 50. But that’s 8 more years.

I have exerted more energy in the last ten years writing, making and trying to run a business than I probably exerted in all my previous years. Except maybe for when I was line dancing because that was a lot of energy. But then I didn’t have the health issues, the business, the blogs, or a crippled mother to look after way back then.

I’m posting twice a week now and will probably keep that schedule for the next three years. It allows me time to write or make jewellery as well as keep across my other sites for maintenance and upkeep. What I’ll do at the end of my ten years is not known yet. I’ll decide then if I’m alive. In the meantime, I’ll stay on and try and make it more fun.

Yes, fun is what I need back in my life.

Happy freakin’ birthday to me!

 

RSL ART UNION: Draw 338 is now open

RSL Art Union draw 338 is now available. For tickets, head to their website here and get in the draw today.

This time round, it’s a gorgeous Gold Coast hinterland home with pool, five bedrooms and a kitchen bar. All fully furnished, rates paid for one year. Plus, you get a merc and gold bars.

 

 

I’m off on another writing holiday!

I will be posting the latest RSL Art Union draw on July 16, so look out for that, plus a special blog birthday post on July 22.

 

BOOK STYLE: Megan Hess

Tomorrow I will be back on another writing holiday for two weeks while the school holidays are on. But for now, I’ll catch you up on some other books I finally managed to track down.

Megan Hess. 

I bought her Fashion House book back in Feb 26 2014.

 

And when she released two other books plus notebooks and cards, I knew I had to have them. But since all of my local book stores closed down I had to track them down online and wait until I had the money to buy them. Just as with Rachel Zoe and Selina Lake last week, I had to wait until I had the money to get them. And were they worth it!

The Dress, Coco Chanel, and Fashion House notebooks and cards.

The inside drawings in the books are fabulous and add a lushness to them.

Whereas the gold and silver edges add a richness of quality.

For anyone who loves fashion, these books are a must.