Surprise... I'm pregnant!🤰🏼  

And I'm over half way to the finish line already.  My husband and I are so excited to welcome our sweet baby girl this July! Right now I'm focusing on streamlining our production and fulfillment processes leading up to the due date so that when she arrives I'll be able to take a maternity leave. That was a nice way of saying that I will be fine tuning my ability to delegate tasks to others, ha!

If you have ever started a small business or created something on your own you can probably relate to wanting to control everything about it. Some people are naturally good at delegating and not holding on to all the hats that go into running a small business, which is great. I'd say I'm half and half. Some tasks I can give away super easily and others I keep holding on to. All that to say, our baby girls arrival is the perfect way to push me out of my comfort zone and truly wear the founder and designer hat of the business. Exciting times! 

Being a mom is something I knew I wanted ever since I can remember. I immediately treated myself to the Mama Necklace and matching Mama Ring in solid gold to celebrate. 💘 

The change is exhilarating versus daunting (for me) and I know that life will be that much more complete with her in it! Each day has taken on new meaning for me lately, I'm soaking up going for workouts without a care and cooking for me and my husband. I'm realizing that the little things that I normally take for granted will be a bit of a luxury when our girl arrives, not in a bad way but it just is what it is! Instead of being sad about the things that are changing it's actually made me appreciate them way more and it's made me take action on a few things that I've been putting off...

Ahem, this is where I introduce my mini-bucket list! 

The first major thing that I knew I had to check off my bucket list was taking a ceramics class. Specifically throwing on the wheel. Pottery in general has been a long time love affair of mine. It all started when I went to a summer camp when I was around 10 years old and one of my activities was in the art room and I landed on the wheel throwing clay. It was a magical time and I was hooked from day one. To me the fact that you can sit down with a blob of clay and turn it into something within 20-30 minutes was incredible and so gratifying! I continued throwing on the wheel and doing hand building for years--all the way through high school and into college. Ultimately, creating a career in fine art ceramics didn't seem like the right path for me so I didn't pursue it but my love for the craft was always there.

So long story short I started a wheel throwing class at my local art center and I have learned an incredible amount plus been having such a good time. One thing I did this time around was create a Pinterest board for inspiration of what I wanted to focus on making when taking the class. When I did pottery in my teens, I didn't have a vision of what I wanted to create so I had no starting point. I think that's one of the bigger reasons why I backed off from pursing a career in ceramics. It seemed like all the artists in my fine art classes had these grand ideas with big significances attached to their projects when what I really wanted was to create pieces that were utilitarian -- something that could be used and have a purpose and function in your everyday life. 

As I start the super fun "nesting" phase of prepping for our baby girl, I'm going back to this art form with a refreshed view of what I want to surround myself with in my home. I'm focusing on creating vases, bowls, mugs and catch all dishes with a floral theme for the finishing touches. You can follow along with me on the KDJ Instagram (@katiedeanjewelry) to see videos of me in action on the wheel.

Anywho! I'm rambling. Let's move on to bucket list item number two!

Make our Wedding Album

Talk about another overdue project, ha! My husband and I got married in 2018 (five year anniversary is coming up!!) in a romantic château in the South of France. More on that here and in the digital Brides Magazine feature here. We had an incredible photographer, Amanda K, and we have all these amazing, timeless photos but the idea of picking favorites to put in an album always overwhelmed me. It's so hard to pick!! I'm determined to take this on and complete it before July because not only do those photos deserve a front row seat in the spotlight but I want our little girl to pull out our wedding album whenever she wants. I looooved and still love looking at my Grandparents and parents wedding photos. Always so special. 

The last thing on my mini bucket list is pretty simple but something I can't believe I still have not done since we moved to FL and that is:

Spend the day at an Art Museum

I know, I know. So simple you may say but can you remember the last time you packed a bag with your favorite book or magazine and some snacks and went to an art museum to spend the day looking at art and taking breaks to read and snack?  The last time I did this was in early 2020 when my husband and I were on a trip to the East Coast. We went to the MET in NYC and it was glorious (picture of us on the stairs of the MET from that day below!). We had the best time. We've been to art museums all over, I remember on our honeymoon in Paris going to at least three different museums and each time walking out feeling incredible. Art is so cool because everyone perceives it in their own way and has their own opinion of it. I always feel inspired after soaking in a bunch of art from different artists. 

Well, that's it for now ❤️ 

Between researching strollers (can we talk about the number of stroller options out there, holy moly!), our birthing class and making sure we always have enough jewels in stock to supply you with, my plate is full -- in the best way. 

I hope you enjoyed this personal post and had fun reading my mini-pregnancy bucket list. Thanks for tuning in! 

XOXO, Katie