a merry mishap giveaway and Q & A!

hurray, for the first ever giveaway and Q & A! and i couldn't have been more lucky than to have a merry mishap be my first.

jennifer from a merry mishap is a multi-talented artist, curator of a lovely blog & equally lovely etsy shop, wife and proud mama of an adorable little guy. oh and she's just an all around cool gal to boot!

Q&A:

Q ~  do you consider yourself a jeweler, artist, designer, crafter, or all of the above?
A ~  I've never thought of myself as a jeweler, that's the funny part!
it just sort of happened this way. I used to be so put off at the idea of making jewelry, all the little pieces of metal and fasteners was enough to make me avoid it altogether.
Initially I wanted to try this geometric shape with polymer clay, something I've worked with before, and if it turned out nice. The response to my blog post about them was so positive that I decided to keep it going, as long as people are still responding to them.
I suppose I would consider myself a curator or an artist. I've spent several years taking art related courses and my husband is an illustrator so it's a passion we both share. If you understand good design, or love to create it, it's easy to appreciate it in all forms, interiors, architecture, fashion or craft.
Q ~ any inside scoop on what you're working on next?
A ~ Right now I'm just trying to keep up with orders. I want to keep the shop simple, not boring, but manageable. I'd like to do one thing really well rather than to spread myself thin. That said, I made this charm bracelet last week and I'd like to try making some more!
Q ~ any advice on how to balance home life with work life? being a mama is a ton of work and on top of that you are running a blog and a shop, how do you find time to do it all and are you left with any time for yourself?
 A ~ I'm no expert at balancing my different responsibilities, sometimes things are neglected. I do prioritize and my son and husband come first. I usually try to get up before my son to answer emails or relist items, publish a blog post. Once Israel is awake, I stay away from the computer, I don't want him to have the back of my head memorized! Then I utilize nap and evenings to finish up my web stuff.
I also try to involve Israel in the house cleaning, and he loves it! This morning we organized the bathroom cabinets and I had him put all of my nail polish bottles in a box for me while I emptied the trash and sorted beauty products. He also likes to hold the dust pan while I sweep, it's this one from ikea, so he's able to stay out of the dust and still feel like he's helping.
And if life ever gets too hectic, I call my mom to babysit!

~ thank you so much a merry mishap for being my first and for the lovely geo earrings in the giveaway! aren't they perfect for spring!
to enter to win the grass green geo earrings (first pic) just leave a comment and i'll pick a lucky winner (at random) on friday, best of luck!
all photos with white background are via a merry mishap.

my special order geo gems! yeah, she does special orders too!