Happy Anniversary to US!

Blog Anniversary

Hello everyone! July 16th marks my one year anniversary blogging. This journey has been a wonder for me. I started out with very little confidence that I had anything to write that anyone would want to read. Thankfully, I made a commitment to my brother, which you can read about here. This commitment kept me going.

My first few months of writing were filled with a lot of frustration and a little bit of ranting. Who knew that research could take so much time? Who knew that I had such high standards for myself? Who knew that it would pay off in the end? I started this out knowing absolutely nothing about English queens and not much more about jewelry. I gave myself impossible deadlines and had no patience for my process. Once in awhile, I would give myself a break and write about something without doing any research, like I did in this post.

Esther & Jen's Blog

Then I had a breakthrough conversation with my sister-in-law, Esther, of Seattle Moms Deal Finder. She gave me some pointers and tips. These tips, combined with my increased understanding of the ebb and flow of my personal writing process, gave me the permission I needed to not only take you on a journey of these historical queens and their transformation, but also to share more of my own transformation with you as a blogger. I wrote about that here in this post about research.

Fashion Across the Eras

And after one whole year, I have nearly finished three eras of jewelry, the Georgian Era, the Regency Period, and the Victorian Era. It has been an education for me on so many levels, and I can see by my readership that many of you have enjoyed the journey with me. I hope you will stick with me in the coming year as we explore the Edwardian Period and then slowly make our way into the latter periods of jewelry history, when choosing the queen will be a little more exciting and challenging.

Thanks for reading! I wouldn't be here today without your support and your encouragement along the way! Next week, I'll share highlights from the Georgian Era.
~Angela

Vacation

Vacation

Hello dear readers! I hope this Monday morning finds you well and happy. I have finally succumbed to the reality that the month of July is too full to give these posts my full attention, and by now I'm sure you've discovered that I can't write a subpar post. I am taking a few weeks to wrap up some things here at home, take a trip to my home state, and begin researching in earnest about our new queen, Queen Alexandria of the Edwardian jewelry period.

I will return with my promised post on the Arts & Crafts movement on August 11th. I will be scheduling posts for the next few weeks with links to the highlights of the past year.

Peace to all of you!
~Angela

Gold Mining

Vein of Gold

Research...the slow and steady crawl toward learning something new and being able to translate it into something worth your time and energy. I have discovered a small, but shiny vein of gold in the Arts & Crafts Movement of the late 1800s, and I'm following it diligently in hopes of finding the mother lode to share with you. I appreciate your patience as I dig through the debris.

More Home Decorating

I just started my research for the next jewelry period, the Arts & Crafts Movement. Since good writing is founded upon good research, and since good research takes time, I've decided to show you more pictures of our house today.

The Office/Guest Bedroom "Before":

The Office/Guest Room "After":

The Kids' Bedroom "Before":

The Kids' Bedroom "After"

 The Guest Bathroom "Before":

The Guest Bathroom "After":

My amazing decorator, Armina Wylie, has flown north for the summer. Standby for more pictures this fall!

~Angela

For Everything There is a Season

For Everything There is a Season

I'm sure some of you noticed that I did not post last week. I didn't want another week to go by without a word from me. Our family has lost a very important friend and father figure. He was in the hospital all last week, and his passing today was peaceful and painless. I am grateful for that. In honor of his life, I am practicing some moments of rest and silence from my usual labors. Next week will be a better week for writing!
~Angela

Projected Project

Breathe Deeply

Hello everyone! I'm sorry that I missed you last week. I made a huge push to finish my office before my parents came to visit this week. The hard work of organizing my home is finally finished. All that remains if finishing touches, which I can languish over for the next several months.

Breathe a sigh of relief with me as I ponder the effects this will have on my writing and on your reading. Though I don't have a new post for you on Queen Victoria, I do have some research perking in the wings. That means that I will have a post for you next week.

I will be introducing the Aesthetic (Late Victorian) Period and the final years of transition between Queen Victoria and Queen Alexandra. This period is filled with renewal...a renewal of intricate and delicate jewelry, a renewal of hope for a nation left too long in mourning, and the renewal of innovation in science, medicine, and the arts. I look forward to delving quickly and deeply into this part of Queen Victoria's reign.

For now, I leave you with a photo and a quote:

Late Victorian Brooch

"The late Victorian Period, known as the Aesthetic Period or Movement (1880-1901) was a direct response to the overindulgent fashions and to the stuffy formality and strict protocol of the Grand Period. And after 27 years of mourning, even the staid Victorians had lamented enough. During the Aesthetic Period a sense of fun and lightheartedness returned to jewelry. Whimsical motifs such as griffins, dragons, crescent moons and stars, butterflies and salamanders, were crafted into jewels of astounding beauty." ~Judith Anderson

What Can I Say?

What Can I Say?

I have had so many plans for this post. Alas, they have all come to naught, and it's already Thursday going on Friday. Therefore, I'm here, checking in with you to tell you that I don't have anything to say about the Victorian Era today.

I do, however, have plenty to say about my home...it's a wreck. At the risk of sounding like a whiny child, I'm just going to say that our garbage disposal started backing up night before last. Our landlord fixed it as promptly as he possibly could, and it's working fine right now, but the evidence has piled up on the counters and frankly, it's just overwhelming.

So, I'm actually here writing this post, which has up until now taken a backseat to my daily life this week. And the truth is, I'm procrastinating the inevitable...I'm going to have to tackle that mound of dishes. Right now, I am imagining my crown...it's firmly planted upon my head, and I am standing regally with excellent posture.

Piling Dirty Dishes

I am looking at the pile of dirty dishes, and I'm saying to myself, "You are a queen. You can do this." I'm under no true delusion here...I can't do it all at once. I'm sure of that. But the other day I found a tactic that worked well for me. I started with the worst dishes first. I set a timer and washed the pots and pans for fifteen minutes. The next day, I spent another fifteen minutes, and lo and behold the whole kitchen was sparkly and clean once again...something that had not happened in over a week!!!

So what am I trying to say here? What is the message to you? The message to you is that I didn't have time to research because I just didn't have time. Things are building up in my business, and the pull to work on the things that are actually paying me money right now is strong and hearty.

What to Do?

Also, the importance of working well...keeping my priorities (hubby, kids, and home) in check...is weighing heavily upon my heart. I cannot in good conscience leave my blogs to wilt and wither after all the hard work I've put into them, but I also cannot continue to update them weekly with fresh research whilst working on income-generating projects that will actually help pay the bills.

So I'm going to do something different when I don't have time to do fresh research here. I have written so many posts that I love on here, and I thought to myself, "Why not just start capitalizing on the work I've already done and also gain the benefits of the link backs?"

Click Here for Photo Credit

So here is one of my favorite posts, which happens to be about one of my favorite men. (Since I'm in a very sentimental mood, you'll have to put up with a sentimental link back.)

Until next week, I wish for all of you to meet with success in all you put your hands to this week!

~Angela