A few weeks ago I had the privilege of doing a business profile on a dear friend, Hope Handschuh.  Hope has been an independent jeweler for Premiere Designs Jewelry for almost 8 years now.  I must admit, I’m not what you would call a jewelry-lover by any stretch.  But I bit the bullet & went to one of Hope’s shows that was to benefit an organization that fights human trafficking.  Can I say, “WOW!”  I was blown away by the ease at which Hope made it look to be put together, polished, finished??  Even in a t-shirt & jeans!  The jewelry isn’t cheap, it’s quality.  And being in the quality photography business myself, I value the quality of products a LOT more these days.  I want something that’s gonna last through drops, bumps, spills, and being yanked on by small children.   The pieces I’ve gotten from Hope definitely fit that bill.  And I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS get compliments on the set whenever I wear it.  And if you know me, you know I wear it a LOT!

If you don’t like reading, then watch the 5-minute video below.  I took a few hours over at Hope’s house to capture a taste of what she does in her business.  And for those of you readers out there, go below the video for some detailed info on Hope, her life, her family, & her business.  Oh yeah, and some PHOTOS!

Meet Hope!  A loving wife to Josh & wonderful mother to four beautiful children.  Hope has been with Premiere Designs Jewelry for almost 8 years, ever since her oldest son was 6 months old.  Why jewelry?  As Hope says, it’s fun to play jewelry with other women, making them feel beautiful, while at the same time bringing in extra income for her growing family – Josh & Hope have just added Eliana to their family through adoption & hope to do the same to with another son this summer.  With four children to clothe, feed & care for, you & I both know it almost always takes more than one income these days.  And over the past 8 years, Hope & Josh have added 40 women to their group of independent jewelers, helping them achieve their financial goals as well.

And as I have known for a good part of my life, Hope is a social butterfly! She thrives on being with & around people, and being a jeweler for Premiere allows her to meet & interact with so many.  And she’s darn good at the jewelry thing too!  I mean, man, she got ME to wear jewelry!  I almost feel under-dressed when I leave without my one set…my bling bling!  Take a look at a few of the combinations of jewelry Hope put on her lovely sisters in about 15 minutes!  She’s amazing!

Why am I doing this business profile?  Well, I thought the same question when I started thinking about this idea late last year.  What do I want to show?  Why do I want to do this?  Well, here’s my incohesive thought process.  I’m a wife.  I’m a mother.  I’m a small business owner.  How do I get more name recognition?  How do I get my name out there?  How do I get hired?  How do I get people to know what I’m capable of?  How do other women, wives, mothers do what I am trying to do?  Then it hit me…just ask them.  And so this idea, this vision, of featuring women who own a small business, who run families, who are a busy & sometimes scattered as I am, was born.

I hope you enjoyed this little taste of Hope’s business.  And I hope even more that you’ll just consider having her for your next girl’s night, super bowl party, wedding shower, etc.  She’s amazing, quick, knowledgeable, and will make you feel beautiful.  And men, ahem…a special day is coming up where you might want to give your women some bling!!!!  Call Hope (443.994.7937).  She’ll bring over some pieces for you & your male friends & help you pick out what’s best for your woman.   You will not be disappointed – I guarantee it.

This is my husband, Josh.  He’s my other half, my better half, my more patient half, my “I’m a better gift giver” half.  He just has a lot of talents & one of them is completing me.  I love him.  This image is one I captured of him working this evening on his laptop.  He has a regular job, where he goes in to an office daily, meets with clients, fixes their home automation issues, builds the home theater of their dreams, programs remotes that do everything but change diapers, etc.  The work you see him doing here is his other passion:  creating apps.  Josh has probably been one of Apple’s biggest fans since I can remember.  Yes, at one point in our marriage we owned a PC, but it was short lived.  He brought me over from the dark side (or to the dark side) very early in our marriage.  And it’s almost been 7 years now and I am continually impressed at his knowledge.  Not only can he talk Baltimore, but he can whip my tail at scrabble almost any day of the week.  He’s also had more hair colors than anyone I know.  He has me tied for the number of ear piercings.  He’s gotten more tattoos than I care to image the pain for.  He’s got two daughters that dote on him.  And now he’s ventured into his own small business.  You never cease to amaze me, Josh Sroka.  I love you, my renegade.  You are like no other & that’s what I like about you.

Okay, so have you ever felt really really super busy that you can’t seem to figure out what to do first?  Well, that’s about how I’m feeling now.  My poor wedding clients don’t have their photos yet, I have 3 mini sessions & about 4 family sessions in my queue, and at least one more family session in the wings.  Don’t get me wrong here.  I LOVE being busy.  I LOVE being blessed with so much business.  And I LOVE LOVE LOVE meeting & reconnecting with all my clients (aka friends).  I just had to let out one hefty scream over the internet, take a deep breath, & hunker down.  I’m okay now!  (Oh, yeah, and we went on vacation to Disney World about 2 weeks ago, so I’m getting pressure from a 4-yr-old to process her photos with the princesses!).  Here’s a little of what I’ve been working on…..