Journey of a Jeweler

a journey into fashion decorating style and life with jeweler lisa lehmann

Lisa Lehmann Designs, formerly StudioJewel

family life

On turning 50

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And so it happened. The calendar turned the page. The days turned to months and years. 50. 5. 0. Five 10’s. Fifty 1’s. No matter how you add the numbers it always comes out the same. I have officially arrived at the halfway point of life. It seems like yesterday I was sitting on a swing in my backyard wondering what it would be like when I “grew up”.  Would I get to be an artist? Or a teacher? Or maybe a veterinarian? Would I play sports and win medals? Would I learn to sing and be in musicals on Broadway? Would someone love me and want to marry me? Would I have children of my own?

I was a dreamer. I AM a dreamer. But life can be cruel to the dreamers. Put that square peg back in the round hole before you get hurt. Don’t push the boundaries. Conform. Follow the rules. Be like everyone else. And I tried. Oh, how I have tried. And where has all of that gotten me?

It’s not that I’m scared of aging, maybe not terribly excited, but not scared. And I don’t fear the number. What does cause me to sit back and reflect is the question in my head, what have I done in 50 years? Have I used my time wisely? Have I made an impact? Did I spend too much time dreaming or not enough? Did I love well? Did I miss things? Then I reflect on the many many blunders I have made. So I guess this day is causing me to think. To look back. To dream ahead.

lisa lehmann designs handcrafted jewelry [Read more…] about On turning 50

On being a mom

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This thing called motherhood is not for the faint of heart. As we approach what is considered the mother’s day rush in my business I have been quite reflective of late.

As a young girl, I loved children. Babies. Toddlers. Littles. I dreamt of being a teacher and a mom. Having small lives of my own to care for. To love. It was as much of my planning as my career path.

This thing called motherhood is not for the faint of heart.

When we got married and found ourselves expecting within the first 8 months I was surprised, a bit overwhelmed…but never scared. No one could have told me what it would be like to grow a life inside me. To feel his feet pressing against my ribs. Watch his tiny head roll across my belly. I found myself staring at my swelling middle – mesmerized and overflowing with love for this child I still didn’t really know. The day he arrived I found a love I didn’t know existed. Watching his gaze meet mine. Cradling to my breast. Flesh of my flesh. Bone of my bone. A part of me. A mother’s love is fierce and beautiful.

I poured myself into motherhood while trying to balance a very busy graphic design career. I read every book. Followed “all the rules”. I wanted to be so present. I celebrated every milestone. Wiped that ever running nose. Threw ball after ball after ball. And then. Six months later I found myself expecting again. And then again. And again.

Each pregnancy gave me that same sense of awe and wonder and love. Each felt like the first time. Just when I thought I couldn’t love anymore…I did. These gifts. These children. Such a part of my heart and soul. A part of me walking around outside of my body with their own set of emotions and feelings and personalities. Sometimes it just seemed surreal. [Read more…] about On being a mom

The love of a parent

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Parent love. Being a human almost always dictates that you were a child….first. Someone’s child. Maybe you had a mom and dad. All families look different. But that really doesn’t matter. A family is family and you grew up somewhere.

Being a child is somewhat an odd thing. Because no matter what age you are, you are ALWAYS someone’s child. But those rolls change so much over the course of a lifetime, don’t they?

no matter what age you are, you are ALWAYS someone’s child

As an infant, you are completely dependent on your mother. For food. For clothing. For every basic need. You clearly would not survive without someone taking care of you. For most of us that is our mother. We grew in her womb. We heard her voice first. Felt her touch first. Looked into her eyes first. She was our first love.
And then toddlerhood. Oh, how we begin to idolize those or that parent in our life. They seem like rock stars to us. Larger than life. The sun rises and sets with them. The love that flows from them to us? It feeds us, sustains us, contents us.
 
In elementary school, we start to push and pull a little bit. More of a push, then run back! A little bitty scratch sends us running to mama. A slight tummy ache, we need consoling. We just are starting to explore our boundaries a bit. How far before we need to come back to that security we depend on. We still need them for so so much. We rely on them. They are our world.

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Memories. Regrets. And shining brightly.

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There will be pivotal memories in life that are so vivid and clear in your mind. Some of those memories might be from your childhood. Your youth. Maybe your college years. It could be so long ago, but something you may bring up often or reminisce about. And then there are things we call regrets. Or shoulds. Or “I wish I”. Or I think of things I thought were going to play out differently. Do you know what I mean?

making memories. The things we remember, good and bad, are our memories to cherish.

summer 1972 – I actually remember this moment baking with my mom…sitting on the kitchen counter.

For instance, I thought I would have a gaggle of college friends that I gathered with year after year. Maybe spent summer vacations with or winter holidays. But it didn’t work out like that. And sometimes I beat myself up wondering what did I do wrong? But I didn’t. Life just played out differently.

I need to reflect at the people that have come into my life since then. The people who have made my life better. The people who have been friends through different seasons. Those are the memories I created and continue to create. Those are the things in the now that I will remember five, ten, twenty years from now.

And what about the memories we are making right now. The stories we will tell to our grandchildren, or nieces and nephews about when their mom and dad were younger and the crazy things they did.

That is the thing with memories. You don’t know when you’re really making one. Oh sure… we see all the things on Pinterest and read all the blogs that tell us to “make a memory”. And yes, I think you can facilitate that. But what REALLY makes a memory in your mind? Is it something you conjured up because you dictated a scenario? That my friends is a recipe for disappointment.

Maybe it occurs when you allow yourself to truly be. Be in the moment. Enjoying the present. I really don’t know. I don’t have an answer.

take time to collect memories. they are so precious to us.

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Graduation. Letting Go. And stepping stones.

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It’s that time of year. All we hear about is graduation. Tents pop up in people’s lawns.  Open House signs everywhere. So much celebrating.

This year it’s near and dear to my heart. Again. Time number three. Daughter number two. I feel like I’m watching time whip past my eyes and only once in a while it comes into focus. Everything moves so fast.

But. Instead of being sad and wistful. I’m choosing to be giddy and excited. This time in her life unlike any other. It’s her first big step out of the nest. It’s a step towards independence. It’s a step towards spreading her wings. Finding her voice. Following her path. It’s a stepping stone towards her future and I’m thrilled for her.

The stepping stone band is perfect. It marks a journey. NOT a destination.

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