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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

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July 8, 2012

Talking “Shop”

Have you ever wondered what goes on “behind the scenes” of a small business?
Or maybe you’re curious about how someone comes up with their product designs?
We know we are!
There is just something about buying a product and knowing the heart and soul of the creator behind it. In our opinion, it makes those purchases so much more meaningful!
So, we thought it would be fun to talk “shop” with our At the Picket Fence Sponsors and get to know the talent behind the products.
This week we are welcoming Tahra from:
She has some of the most beautiful and unique pieces of jewelry in her shop and we have so enjoyed having the opportunity to promote her talent!
So, let’s talk shop with Tahra, shall we?

What led to your decision to start your own small business? 


“I had been making jewelry for myself for a couple of years and had people tell me they would buy it. I also felt like this was a creative outlet for me since I am a homeschool Mom. I’d also like to add that I’ve met some really awesome people through having my jewelry business.”

Sterling Silver Textured Domed Earrings with freshwater pearlsSterling Silver Textured Domed Earrings, Wire Wrapped Freshwater Pearls

From where do you draw inspiration for your products? 

“I’m really loving metal work. But, I feel like I have a variety of jewelry in my shop. Whatever I like, I make and put in my shop.  When I am stressed, I sit down at my desk and just create.  I think those are the times that I do my best work. Sometimes, I will have customers ask for something (custom work) and when it turns out really great that is exciting.” 
Hand-stamped Copper Mommy Necklace
Handstamped Copper Mommy Necklace, Sterling Silver Angel Wing, Turquoise Bead


What do you feel has been your greatest accomplishment as a small business owner?
“My greatest accomplishment has been showing my five children that they can accomplish whatever they desire!” 

Cherry Quartz Necklace with Freshwater PearlCherry Quartz Necklace Freshwater Pearl Sterling Silver Peachy Pink Wire Wrapped Bead Ball Chain

What is one of the challenges you face as a small business owner?   

“Well, getting my husband to help with the accounting and getting the advice I need regarding the books. I like to have tidy record keeping!” 

Lime Green Jade Amazonite Bracelet with Artisan Sterling Silver BeadsLime Green Jade, Amazonite Bracelet, Artisan Sterling Silver Beads

 
What advice would you give to someone interested in starting their own business?   

“I would tell them to look around in their market to see what others are offering to always try to have the extra edge. I would also tell them that the customer is always right. Great customer service goes a long way. I have some customers that I’ve had a long time(returning customers) just because I’ve gone the extra mile or added a little something extra for their continued business.”

Citrine Nugget Necklace with Amazonite Rondelles, Freshwater Pearls and Swarovski Crystals Citrine Nugget Necklace Faceted Amazonite Rondelles Freshwater Pearls Sterling Silver
What has been your favorite piece you have designed and why?

“I am working on a new piece to put up in my shop.  I think I have a little bit of this and a little bit of that in my shop.  I like variety because I feel like I can cater to many needs rather than just one specific need.  So, here’s a little surprise of what’s to come.  I have made a rustic wax stamp seal fine silver initial necklace.  This necklace is fine silver, which is almost 100% silver (99.99%) and it boasts a vintage look.  Here are some pictures of my favorite piece yet.  I will be able to offer these soon in every initial either oxidized or bright silver.”

Thank you so much for sharing your insights and experience with us Tahra. 
Having worn your jewelry and receiving tons of compliments each time, we can say first-hand that the quality and care you put into each piece is obvious to all!
We hope you will pay Designs By Tahra a visit to see more of her beautiful jewelry items and we so appreciate you joining us for this edition of
Sponsor Spotlight~Talking Shop with our Sponsors!

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6 Comments Filed Under: Sponsors

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Heidi @ Decor & More says

    July 7, 2012 at 4:24 PM

    I love that she sees value in what she is teaching her children by being a businesswoman and dreamer! Headed to check out her shop!
    xo Heidi

    Reply
  2. Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking says

    July 7, 2012 at 5:45 PM

    Oh her jewelery is beautiful. Thanks for introducing her!

    Reply
  3. Eclectically Vintage says

    July 7, 2012 at 5:57 PM

    What fabulous jewerly – love that oxidized silver charm! And love the fact that she’s showing her kids that they can do whatever they want!
    Kelly

    Reply
  4. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says

    July 7, 2012 at 8:17 PM

    So nice to meet Tahra and learn more about her business. Her jewelry pieces are just beautiful.

    Reply
  5. Stacy Curran says

    July 8, 2012 at 12:12 AM

    Great article/interview – thanks for sharing and or the introduction!
    Stacy

    Reply
  6. Deneen@dreaming-n-color says

    July 8, 2012 at 2:03 AM

    Beautiful jewelry!

    Reply

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I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 y I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 years now and every year I ohhhh and ahhhh over the blossoms like it's the first time I've ever seen them. I gush and I take photos (that look exactly like the ones I took the year before and the year before that) and I make my family come outside and look at them with me which you know they just LOVE to do. 😉 I think that is one of the main reasons why I love spring so much. On the one hand, it's predictable and yet, on the other hand, it still feels like such a surprise after the long months of barren branches.

And yesterday, as I was staring at the gorgeous blossoms for the umpteenth time, I couldn't help but think that I hope this is how I feel when our lives return to some semblance of normalcy.

I hope that the predictable feels special and that the typical feels anything but. I hope that I ohhh and ahhh over the simple things I've realized I've taken for granted. And, most of all, I hope that feeling doesn't go away for a very, very long time! 💗
Are you living with great expectation friends? Bec Are you living with great expectation friends? Because He is risen!

Happy Easter from my home to yours!
Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to be a different kind of Easter for sure but some things don’t change. Have you been baking and getting ready for tomorrow? What’s one thing on your menu that you have to have every year?
If this is Good Friday, why doesn’t it feel so “good”? It all seems backward doesn’t it?

What could be good about the unspeakable pain he suffered? What could be good about the shame and betrayal?

Easter Sunday is so joyful, bright and cheery. Shouldn’t that be the day we call “good”? It just feels so much better!

But, I don’t know how to rejoice over His resurrection, unless I have felt the pain of His death. I have realized that in life the sweetest victories are the ones which were realized after a pain-filled journey.

And, so it is with Good Friday. I know there will be victory over death, but I can’t skip ahead in the story.

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew what he would experience. And he knew why he would go through it. He did it for me. He did it for you.

Do you know that? Have you felt it down in the very core of your soul? 
Sometimes it makes me squirm a bit. Why would anyone do that for me?

Well, because, I can’t do it for myself!

There is nothing I can do to earn that kind of love and mercy.

That is why it is called GRACE.

His grace is freely given. We don’t have to pay for it. He paid the price for us already.

Do you remember that movie from years ago called “Ransom”? A couple’s young son was kidnapped and the parents went to hell and back trying to find him and pay the “ransom” demanded by the kidnappers.

Well, Jesus is our “ransom”. (1 Timothy 2:6) His life was the payment.

Why is it called “Good Friday”? Because that wasn’t the end of the story….
.
…It was just the beginning!
Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house that’s become the landing zone for ALL THE THINGS! 🙋🏻‍♀️🤪 I’ve never been more thankful for our rarely used dining room table as it’s become command central for school books and laptops and games.

Where are things collecting in your house right now?
“Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every si “Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every single one of these emotions has made their way through our home in recent days and, my guess is, they have in your home too.

I SO needed this reminder today from the new book ‘Adore’ by @sarahagertywrites.

Adoration isn’t just sitting at His feet gazing longingly with stars in my eyes. It’s bringing my fears and my sorrows and gray roots in my hair that desperately needs to be colored and my messy house and all of the things that threaten to send me over the edge right now and laying them down before Him, soaking up His word and His presence so that when I stand back up, I am changed for having spent the time adoring the ONE who is... Healer, comforter, peace-giver, deliverer, redeemer.

What do you need to bring to Him today? I’ll share mine in the comments and I’d love to hear from you too!
I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole lockdown thing began, I’ve come to appreciate this time of day even more.

It feels the most...normal. Daytime is strange and foreign right now. My husband has taken over our home office, I’m suddenly taking over the responsibility of managing my kids’ distance learning and let me just say that teaching 7th grade algebra to my daughter is hugely ironic since I struggled with math all the way through school. I’m trying to do my own work but it feels utterly futile with the constant interruptions which take precedence right now. In the daytime, I’m constantly reminded of how upside down life feels.

But, in the evening, I cook dinner like I’ve always done and we gather around the table like we’ve always done and we laugh and tell stories and then clean up and play games or go on a walk or watch a show. And that feels SO gloriously normal.

So now I love evenings even more than I ever did before and I’m so grateful for this little chunk of time where the rhythms we established years ago are helping to sustain us now when so much of life feels outside of our control.

What feels ‘normal’ to you right now? Whatever it is, keep doing it. 🌿
When I was in college I would frequently call home When I was in college I would frequently call home and pour my heart out to my mom, sharing with her all that was happening in my life in that completely unfiltered way that you can talk with the person who potty trained you. These phone calls usually took place at night and my mom would patiently listen as I vented frustrations about professors, roommates, boyfriends and the food in the cafeteria. And, inevitably, they would end with my mom saying, “Everything seems worse when you’re tired. Try not to overthink things or make any major decisions tonight, especially when you are feeling emotional.” Dear friends, may I pass along this advice to you today?

If you don’t absolutely HAVE to make a decision right now, I want to encourage you to wait until life gets back to normal. If you are finding yourself over-analyzing relationships and family dynamics, I want to encourage you to remember that everything seems more dramatic when looked at under a microscope. And, let’s face it, being homebound with our loved ones non-stop makes us all feel like lab rats in an experiment.

If you are tempted to quit a job, start a business, start homeschooling permanently, stop homeschooling permanently, move to a new city, buy a farm, quit pursuing your dream, join a commune or make any other major life decision just…wait. Because, if it is in fact the right decision, it will be made even clearer once our lives return to their ‘regularly scheduled programming’. Instead, in this strange season, let’s all just take a deep, collective breath and let it out slowly, releasing the anxiety that threatens to overtake us. Let’s help each other maintain some perspective and not slip into a posture of over-thinking every little thing in our lives. Let’s remember that the enemy of our souls would love nothing more than to use this time when things feel dark to manipulate us into thinking that aspects of our lives are worse than they actually are.

My prayer for you in these days is that you will have the clarity to know what is true and that you will be filled with peace even while we live in this season of so many unknowns.
Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking thes Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking these days! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m trying to avoid gaining the #corona15 but my daughter and I LOVE baking together and it does help to pass the time plus it counts as a science lesson right?

If you’re able to find flour in the stores (for the love people please stop overbuying!) and you’re doing more baking at your house too you need to add this apricot bread to your list of new recipes to try!

Normally I’d point you to my blog for the directions but I’m going to do you a solid and leave the full recipe in the comments.

What have you baked so far during this time of social distancing? I’d love some new ideas!
There are a LOT of people out walking in our neigh There are a LOT of people out walking in our neighborhood right now (but still social distancing!) and she decided that she wanted to bring them some joy and put a smile on their face when they pass by our house. Also, the square with ‘say no to coronavirus’ is priceless. 😂 I just love her so much!
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