Follow your bliss

eff.Y.bee jewelry is the product of my inspiration, life experiences, passion, and what I believe fate. My infatuation with jewelry began when I was a little girl playing in my grandma's jewelry box, and this love affair has only grown more fiery as I've gotten older and become enthralled with fashion. My interest in creating my own line grew from my experience working at a boutique, where I've been inspired by and surrounded with handmade jewelry of all sorts, from artists ranging from famous designers like Alexis Bittar, to local designers, who are no less talented.

My designs incorporate elements from nature, trinkets from around the world, vintage pieces, and anything else I deem unique and beautiful. Nothing to me is more fulfilling than being able to channel my creative visions into jewelry and have others wear and enjoy my pieces as much as I do. 

In pursuing eff.Y.bee, I've found myself. I love how this is something that I can build up, design, completely create from scratch. I love not only making the jewelry, but planning photo shoots, working with other independent businesses, networking with and meeting new people, having events, and everything else this pursuit has granted me. What I love more than anything though, is the power it's given me to have an impact on others, while helping to make an impact on the world too. 

My philanthropy line of bracelets, named "Bay Lavi" is Haitian Creole for give life. Each fabric wrap bracelet, cut and sewn by hand, will help raise money to build a maternity ward in Haiti. This is a project I've been a part of through joining Students for Haiti, an organization at my University. In wanting to make my mark on the club and find a way to give back, I had the spontaneous and overwhelming idea and desire to create a trendy philanthropy bracelet that would function to both spread awareness and raise money. I spent hours over the summer with my mom, searching for fabrics, sketching out designs, placing orders, and even more hours sewing each one. There's a lot of love and passion that went into every stitch of Bay Lavi. The phrase on each bracelet spells out "kwe" which is Haitian for hope. Having the phrases in Haitian is intended to inspire conversation, and therefore awareness. I can't explain the feeling I have when I see others wearing Bay Lavi bracelets. It feels surreal to me. Going through with making my idea into reality was the best decision I could have made, and I truly believe that these simple wrap bracelets can and WILL make a difference. 

This blog is going to be a culmination of everything. I plan on uploading sketches of new designs I have for eff.Y.bee, photos of new jewelry, Bay Lavi designs and photos, updates on Haiti, background information on jewelry that has a unique story behind it, travel photos from trips to Europe, China, and hopefully Haiti in the Spring, inspirational quotations and pictures, photo shoot and look book pictures, music playlists, some beauty product reviews (since I'm a makeup hoarder), random ramblings from my life, and any thing else I think is worth sharing. 

If you take one thing from eff.Y.bee, beyond the jewelry, it's the underlying message behind what this acronym stands for; you should always pursue what you enjoy. Never get trapped into thinking "this is the way it has to be" because it doesn't. Don't settle for doing what you don't completely love, life's too short for that! We all have more power than we know, and our thoughts become reality. Until you've really pursued your dreams, there's no reason to think their unattainable. Follow your bliss, you'll be surprised where the path may lead.

Thank you to everyone who has been supportive of eff.Y.bee, it means the world and more.