Mother's Day Sale!

It's been a while! Sadly I've been quite busy with other matters during the last few days and I don't have much time or energy to create and write. However, there is a very special day coming, and I wanted to start this current week in a great way; starting today and until May 6th, ALL ITEMS at my Etsy store are 10% off!!!

All you need to do is to type the coupon code 'MOTHERSDAY' (also published at my shop's page) during checkout.

I have many unique and special pieces craving for an owner at the moment and I hope you will take a portion of your time to browse my work and store. Who knows what little treasure can conquer your heart. :)

Order now to ensure delivery in time of Mother's Day!

Much love,

Wilwarin Designs.

Wilwarin Designs keeps its name

After 3 days open for voting and opinion sharing, I've decided to keep my small business's name. In fact, most of the people asked me to just keep it, each one giving great and valid reasons. Their interest and will to help made me reconsider the mistake I was about to do!

I feel blessed for all the support from Wilwarin's friends and customers. I believe I went into a mad phase of instability towards my brand's personality. But these people made me realize I should not take all my decisions based only on some awkward situations and bad reactions!

So Wilwarin Designs keeps its name. :)

"Wil... what?" - a plea to all followers

Dear friends, clients and followers,

Today I appeal to you about something which keeps tormenting me for days now: the name of my "brand", Wilwarin Designs. Without going straight to the point (because I really like the rambling), I'll start by explaining the meaning of this name.

"Wilwarin" is a word invented by JRR Tolkien, author of "The Lord of the Rings", a story that has conquered so many of us, not only for what we've seen in the movies, but also for this gentleman's great imagination and devotion. Tolkien had a great passion for languages ​​(he knew about 16 languages​​!) and drew on his knowledge to create whole new tongues ​​and writing systems. Nowadays, his most famous are the Elvish languages​​: Quenya, based on Finnish, and Sindarin, based on the Welsh tongue. Well, "Wilwarin" is a Quenya word. It means "butterfly" and is the name of a constellation in the world of Arda (Tolkien's "secondary world", which features the famous Middle Earth). This constellation was created by the Queen of Stars to welcome the Elves when they first came to the world. It is presumed to be related to the constellation of Cassiopeia, perhaps because of its shape, which resembles a butterfly flapping its wings.

"Rivendell", an illustration by John Howe.

The butterfly, in turn, is associated with the spiritual nature of Man as a symbol of the soul, lightness, transformation and new beginnings. As the caterpillar is born to later become a butterfly and live a whole new life, flying and watching the world from a completely different perspective... We too go through certain situations in our life that provide us opportunities for learning and inner growth, letting us go further.

It was precisely this symbolism that inspired me to name my "brand" and fan page. But the mere word "Butterfly" sounded too trivial to me, and I could not find any related expression which pleased me. So I turned myself to Quenya (not that I know the language! :P) and decided to use the word "Wilwarin" for its imaginary and dreamy aspect - just like my small world of jewelry. It was a whimsy word, different from most I have seen, and I simply like(d) it.

However, something I had never thought of has happened... Initially, my small world started to grow and expand, far beyond my expectations. It was no longer the "little corner" it used to be in the beginning... people started asking me what name I used and what was the address of my blog; and everytime I answered "Wilwarin Designs" I would always get an answer which sounded like "Hmm... excuse me?". Especially from my portuguese clients and followers, because we don't even use the letter "W" in our language... so the word "Wilwarin" can be really hard to read sometimes. A small knot began to pinch my chest as I saw myself more and more forced to spell this name, letter-by-letter. And, truth be told, I have reached a point where I shudder at the thought that tomorrow someone might ask me (either for the first or fifth time) how to spell the name of my jewelry business!

I came to the conclusion that "Wilwarin" is indeed a beautiful, different word, with a wonderful meaning - but a complicated one. It was a good word when I used to work more for myself than for others, never thinking that someday I would go so far... if you know what I mean! ;) But now that I've reached the "small business" level, I find an original and, simultaneously, appealing name extremely important. So now I'm considering a simple (or not!) alternative: a name change.

Considering the pros and cons, a name change at this date may eventually bring some (if not quite) confusion for those who are already accustomed to see this site as "Wilwarin Designs." It would involve some boring changes like changing the address of this blog, closing my current Etsy shop to create a new one (since Etsy does not allow store renaming), a new e-mail. Finally, my biggest dilemma would be my Facebook page, in which case URL changes are not permitted either (although I can rename the page itself) - but frankly, that page means too much for me to simply delete it and start all over.

On the other hand, I believe that my small business needs a name that has to do with the business itself and not just me. The name must be the face of the jewelry I create and not just simply mine... so I'm considering the following name: Belladonna (Designs).
 

"Belladonna" is featured in the scientific name of the belladonna lily, Amaryllis belladonna. It is a bulbous plant that can bloom more than once a year and is closely related to virtues such as pride, elegance or grace. It also features a wordplay in portuguese, since "bela dona" means "beautiful lady". In the end, I believe this word conveys what Wilwarin Designs is all about - the natural elements (since we're speaking of a flower) and the exquisite Vintage flourish (related to the symbolism of this plant and the wordplay itself)...

Amaryllis belladonna. Photography by Dmitry Baranovskiy

Therefore, and since this business is not only about me, nor my jewelry, but about all of us, I send you this plea. Until the evening of this Wednesday, the 25th, I'm open to your opinions and suggestions. I've created a poll on Facebook where you can reply directly to the question "Keep the name 'Wilwarin Designs' or change to 'Belladonna Designs'?". You can also post directly on my page's wall. If you do not own a Facebook account, feel free to send your opinion by e-mail or simply leave a comment on this post (do not forget to sign up!).

By helping me with this small "dilemma", you will be qualified to win a 10% DISCOUNT coupon for a future purchase! As an acknowledgment, after the decision is taken, I will award 10 coupons via the website random.org, from the names of those who give their contribution (portuguese and foreign alike).

I therefore hope you'll take a moment in the coming days to reflect on this (long) text you've just read so patiently ;) and the meaning of both names which are in dispute over here. A thank you in advance!

Much love,

Wilwarin Designs.

A stirred week

I believe the title says it all huh?

It's been in fact a very tough week and I've seen it pass so quickly. Last weekend brought me delightful news of my very first international order, via Etsy. Needless to say that I've spent like 2 days totally ecstatic about it. ;) It is a pure blessing to see people following your small business and trusting it enough to give it a try.

"Selfless Love", a vintage inspired ring in antique silver & rose quartz, now departing to the United Kingdom! Thanks again to the buyer. ;)

As I waited for the order's transaction to be processed, I've worked on brand new thank you cards (Photoshop'ing can be pure slave labor at times, I tell ya!) and started searching for gift boxes for packaging. I usually send my orders in pretty organza bags tied with a bow, but in this case with such a long trip, I was afraid the bag would not be enough to protect it. Of course my country is not towards the most simple things like plain kraft gift boxes, unless I make orders of 100€ or more - well ye, there's nowai I can afford that. So after hours of searching through the portuguese web and catalogs, the simplest solution comes again to my head: Etsy. Damn, that place's got everything. And so I shall start improving my packages' presentation soon enough. :)

Sadly I haven't got much free time for creating, but I've managed to add some pretties to my Etsy store since Easter. Feel free to have a look if you haven't yet. In the meanwhile I plan to spend some quality time this weekend, playing with my beads and ribbons and cabochons...

"SILVER MOON", a fabric flower brooch made out of silver satin ribbon, with fluffy grey natural guinea feathers, a silver-plated stamping and a grey freshwater pearl. It is for sale HERE.

That being said, I'm off to rest, longing for the weekend beading. Have a nice weekend!

Much love,
Wilwarin Designs

Rainy days are back

I hope you've had a wonderful Easter, replete of wonderful food and wonderful company!

Now that the holiday has passed, I'm back to my projects... I have so many things in my mind, I don't even know where to start. Last weekend I had to remove all my beading materials and boxes from the table at the living room, because of Easter day, and it is my intention to take the chance and move everything to my house's upper floor (the old office room). While it is raining outside, I am going through some massive cleaning and organizing so this new space of my own can get the perfect ambience - and thus, I can improve my productivity.

I have many other purposes for the next couple of weeks - besides beading of course! - like some Photoshop'ing for new banners and cards and ordering my first couple of jewelry displays. They are certainly coming in handy already... and my last month's income allowed me to finally grant myself a small reward... yay! :)

Just thought I would give a heads up before heading back to work; and hoping to bring you many new whimsical little treasures in the next few days!

A detail of a custom made necklace, featuring a bird's nest with tiny turquoise beads and artistic wire, wire-wrapped around an antique brass tree branch and finished in a tendril shape, plus czech glass heart shaped leaves and a patina little bird. It is SOLD.

Much love,
Wilwarin Designs.

Easter's knocking on my door

Spring has always been a very inspiring season of the year to me. I love watching the trees slowly getting exuberant and lush with leaves again, wildflowers blooming in the lawns, fields and at the edge of the roads, the swallows observing us from atop the street cables, with their curious yet graceful looks. Since I was a child, I've seen this season as an epitome of the "miracle of rebirth" - what was absent and dormant is now coming back and awakening in pure harmony again.

However, it seems like Spring has gone for some vacation today. It's so cold, cloudy and (very) windy around here; too cold and cloudy and windy to go for a relaxing walk even. So today I took my day for some pre-Easter house cleaning. And fighting against it, as I am allergic to house dust... I'm so exhausted the only thing I feel like doing right now is snuggling at the warmth of my bedroom.

In the meanwhile, one of my latest orders of supplies has finally arrived... it's brought so many cute little treasures, including some basic findings I was in need of, new ruffled peony cabochons (in several amazing colors), antique brass connectors and leaf filigrees, plus a sweet little birdcage in antique brass... and many others.

A greater look at some of my new supplies, as described above...

And while I get to play with these, don't forget to check on my Etsy store for a few new additions, even if just for the kicks...

These cute, vintage inspired earrings are called "INNOCENCE", blending the warmth of a latte tone with the aged yet freshly looking filigrees with patina. Perfect for the discrete yet sophisticated girl or lady! They are for sale HERE.

I hope I'll be able to enjoy another sunny day soon enough but, until then, there are still many things to do until Easter comes for real. I still have a final custom request for my sister-in-law (will take care of it tomorrow) and intend to help my mother with the rest of the cleaning, plus baking and such. And doing my best to contain myself from eating too many Easter almonds and cheese!

Our Easter almonds bowl here at home... featuring dark chocolate, sugared and lilac coated milk chocolate (my very favorites!) almonds. I wonder how long they will last... ;)

That's it for today; thank you again for stopping by and taking a few minutes of your time to read!

Much love,

Wilwarin Designs.

It's a lazy Sunday

After a busy rushing week working on Easter custom requests, I just felt like slowing down for this weekend and relax... soon laziness took over my entire body and mind. Normally it isn't really my thing as lazy days tend to make me feel anxious and depressed... I have the need of keeping myself busy in some way - sometimes people will even find me doing more than a single task at the same time! But sometimes (more like every 3 months *giggles*), I'll surrender and spend the day in total drowsiness.

Today is one of such days. After two weeks of splendid sun and unusually high temperatures considering Spring's just arrived, the weather is changing. The sky is cloudier and the air slightly colder (well, it is vernally normal now)... and I've never known exactly why, these weather changes always bring my most apathetic size to the top. So today is a lazy Sunday. I've spent the entire afternoon reading, watching Coyote Ugly on TV and sipping green tea with a fluffy cat at my feet - and I do not regret it, not today! I've also have the honor to be the first person to taste a new chocolate truffle recipe by my Mom...

Okay, they don't look exactly like truffles but I can assure you that anyone would cry for more... yummy!

But besides all the laziness, I still have had the time and will for a new, totally special little crafting... I've just listed this vintage inspired and sweet looking birdcage pendant/decoration piece, which makes a wonderful gift for a little girl or a gracious, shabby chic lady...

This birdcage, named "HOPE", features a swinging bird on the inside and cute dangling trinkets. It's openable, being able to hold a little treasure or solid air fresheners like pout pourri. Perfect to hang on a little girl's room or your car mirror as a freshener holder! It is for sale HERE.

Next week I'll be busy again, finishing many other projects I've had to hold because of custom requests, shopping for new supplies and preparing myself for Easter. This means, between some other things, cleaning the entire house. Even if we're not spending the Easter holiday at our place and however I'm not much into christianity myself, but I do respect my Mom's faith as highly as I can.

So now I'm off to relax a little bit more and get myself ready for this new week!

Much love,

Wilwarin Designs.