Alright so it’s maybe more of a hobby than a new business venture because realistically.. I won’t be raking in the big bucks anytime soon. But it’s like with any hobby – you start due to a genuine interest and passion. It also helps that I want something to invest some time, effort and energy into, something fun.
I’m sure everyone’s pretty familiar with Depop and Etsy, but if not, they’re basically online selling apps made up of young creatives who upcycle, recycle and/or customise. So there’s not really anything that you can’t find on these apps #NOTSPON hehe x
So I’ve finally made the first few steps towards doing something that I’ve wanted to do for ages. I’ve had ideas brewing in the back of my mind for a hot minute, and with my last teaching week at uni just over the horizon, I feel like now is the perfect time to get my little hobby up and running.
Sooo, what is it??
Well the short answer..
Freaky jewellery for my fellow freaks (solely earrings and necklaces for now).
A bit of history – so I think my interest and enthusiasm for statement earrings stems from the fact that I had both my ears stretched to 28/30mm for around five years, as during that time I wasn’t able to wear any of the witchy, wonderful earrings that I wanted to! I’ve since had my lobes reconstructed (by Helen at Holier Than Thou in Manchester – who was incred) and my scars are minimal. I’ve also had my earlobes re-pierced in the two years following my reconstruction and you guessed it.. ya gals obsesseddd with dressing up her ears.
BEFORE, DURING (lobes shrunk to around 16mm prior to reconstruction) and AFTER. For anyone who’s nosey like me xxx
In terms of naming my new hobby – loads of cool ideas came to mind when I thought about the direction and overall aesthetic in which I was aiming for. However, with my blog still being pretty fresh out of the womb, I didn’t want to be associated with too many different titles or personalities that were only going to get confusing. Thus sparked the idea to keep the name of my new venture in-keeping with my blog ‘owls & olive branches’ – see end of this post for reasoning behind the name.
So it is in my current thoughts that I will name my new shop ‘Owls & Olives’, unlike initially intended, but I like the meaningfulness yet randomness of my pre-established-ish name lol. It’s similar yet not exactly same as my blog and I like idea of creating myself a bit of a brand if you will. I’ve included a picture of my new logo at the top of this page, and this image will be the face of any of my creative platforms from here on out. Or at least until I get bored anyway.
I do plan to include more girly/feminine items to my selection, but for now it just feels right to keep it true to myself and include a few items which I consider to be rad as fuck, sort-after and designs which I myself have struggled to find on the high street over the years.
Prices will be cheap and cheerful, and will only reflect the overall idea and finalised product. Fish hooks will be 925 sterling silver and hoops and necklaces – silver plated. I will aim to post item(s) no more than two days after purchase and these will be sent via second class standard postage, or first upon request.
Gift wrapped / Bundle deals available!
Reasoning behind the name..
So shortly after kickstarting my blog in March 2018, I revamped it with a new name. I wanted something that was tailored, easy to remember and something that would compliment my content and the vibes going on in my little corner of the internet. So after brainstorming for a while I came up with ‘owls and olive branches’ which sounds random and a little odd, granted. But my Ancient Greek mythology honeys will know that Athena, Greek goddess of war and wisdom primarily (no pressure there Mum thanks) had two symbols, often depicted as an owl and an olive branch. The main symbol being the owl, a guardian of Acropolis and one which represented wisdom, knowledge and perspicacity. Legend has it that the owl sat on Athena’s blind side, enabling her to see the whole truth as opposed to only half truth, as well as giving her sight into the darkness. Pretty kwl. The second symbol is the olive branch, representing the olive tree or ‘tree of wisdom’ as a gift from the gods to the people and as a sign of peace and serenity. The AOE which can be found on the vast majority of these depictions stands for ‘of the Athenians’ for anyone who might be interested.
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Find me on:
Owls & olives
Depop
Owls & olives
Etsy
Owls and olivez
owlsandolivebranches.wordpress.com 