HAPPY MOM FRIEND MONDAY Y’ALL!!
The weekend is over – which totally sucks! I feel as though I need a weekend from the weekend. However the silver lining is Mom Friend Monday! I’m SUPER excited to introduce y’all to this week’s mama! Meghan Layne is a wife, mama, dentist, blogger, and jewelry designer – basically she does it all!
Making mom friends shouldn’t be complicated (though it often is) and in this case it was so easy! I met Meghan in a blogger pod on Instagram and we immediately clicked! Not long after we met did I learn that Meghan designs the most amazing jewelry pieces! Her sense of color and style is classic, yet fresh and fun. So when it came time for a wee coffee date – it was only logical that I chose one of her pieces to wear!
This antler necklace has become my new go to accessory! I wear it with everything! It’s big enough that it doesn’t get overshadowed by my now giant bump, and yet simple enough that it isn’t too loud. Fine balance, which Meghan’s pieces meet perfectly! I love the neutral tones – though Meghan uses a lot of fun bright colors in her pieces as well!
However, I have learned something – I can’t wear it to mass…I did last week and Bastian was so entertained by what he calls the “monster necklace” that he started using it as a stabbing device and making “monster” noises. So – lesson learned!
I’m so thankful that we get to hang out with this amazing mama this week – so grab your morning cup and lets chit-chat!
MB: Hey Meghan! So glad to have you here at Shell and Olive for Mom Friend Monday. Getting to know you these past few weeks has been such a treat! You are a wife, mama to the cutest little girl, and own your own jewelry brand! Was jewelry design something you always had an interest in?
Meghan: Design wasn’t exactly what I was interested in from the beginning. I’ve always been an accessories junkie. I love that a statement necklace or amazing earrings can transform the LBD (little black dress) you wore to church last weekend into a fun cocktail party look for your college friends wedding. My jewelry armoire has always been as big as my closet. In high school I worked in an accessory boutique in my very small town. I actually ended up managing a few locations throughout college. Anywho – the owner was super creative and talented at everything she did. The store sold costume but also higher end handmade jewelry. So she taught us all the jewelry making basics and we would have these competitions where we all got to make pieces of jewelry to sell in the store. And the girl who sold the most of her designs would get a bonus. So yes it is something I’ve known how to do for…10+ years {wow 😳 that’s depressing 😂}.
So fast forward X number of years and I wasn’t able to practice as a dentist {yes I am a dentist by profession} due to the demands of my husband’s career. We experienced an unexpected move in the middle of baseball season and were living in a one bedroom hotel with a 10 month old. To say I was having an identity crisis is an understatement!! My mom asked if I could make a few wire bangles for her friend’s birthdays. And I knew enough about jewelry making that I pretty much figured out the rest. But in the process of ordering supplies I stumbled upon these gorgeous arrowheads and semi-precious stones. So I decided to make a few necklaces for myself which I would wear and kindly say a simple “thank you” when someone complimented me on them. For months I kept my little hobby a secret. I honestly felt kind of silly being a dentist living in a one bedroom hotel room “playing with beads” as my husband called it. ha ha.
My sister-in-law was my first customer once I sheepishly told her about my new endeavor. I decked her out for a trip to wine country and she {thankfully} took enough photos to support my secret Instagram account for a few months. Finally, just before the holidays my mom and sister basically blackmailed me to publish my ETSY shop to friends and family or they were going to do it for me. I was completely shocked when it basically “blew up” over the holidays and hasn’t slowed down since.
So I guess to answer your question {since that was a bit of a tangent}, no, designing jewelry was not something I was always “interested” in. I somewhat accidentally knew how to do it. And I’ve always loved jewelry myself. But once other people start finding joy in something you made with your own hands your “interest” suddenly starts to grow! It’s like they are validating your good idea and nothing feels better than that!
MB: That is such an incredible story! I love how your “playing with beads” has become such a successful business! I’m pretty sure I’ve favorited everything in your ETSY shop! It’s all so fresh and fun! Where do you draw your design inspiration from?
Meghan: I’ve always followed a ton of fashion bloggers on Instagram. I’m not necessarily the most fashionable chick out there because I try to be aware of the way things fit my body and let’s be honest – not all fashions are good for every body type. However, I’ve always felt like I had a pretty good idea of what was in style. And jewelry is so universal {which is also why I don’t think you can have too much! That and shoes!!}. So I will notice a trend amongst bloggers and magazines and think “oh I can totally do that!”. For example, tassel earrings. They are everywhere right now!! Big statement earrings. So I will reach out to the jewelry suppliers I order from and find tassels of different textures and sizes, earring posts, connectors, etc. and put together something that I would wear. So it’s kind of my own spin on what I feel like are current trends. Other things are just personal favorites. I’m a turquoise junkie! It NEVER goes out of style. So my very first design {and best seller} was a huge jasper arrowhead on “turquoise” beads just because I wanted one for myself {I don’t use real turquoise because it is so insanely expensive and that’s not practical for most moms who want to keep up with the latest jewelry trends. But I do use a semi-precious stone that is similar}. So my inspiration comes partly from whats trending at the moment and partly from my own personal style – and what I want in my own jewelry armoire 🙂
MB: That’s such great way to think of it though! Following the current trends while incorporating your own spin is the perfect way to stay relevant and yet have your own distinct look!
For those that don’t know you – Meghan is married to a pro baseball player – what’s it like trying to balance being a wife, a mom, run a business, all while trying to keep up with you husbands crazy work schedule?
Meghan: Oh Lord! What’s it like? It’s like a 3 ring circus {hence the name of my blog…Cirque du SoLayne}. I have to give credit to coffee. And wine. Lots of coffee. And lots of wine. ha ha. No but seriously, I’m just like everyone else out there. Juggling a thousand things. Hitting the ground running each morning. Crashing into bed late at night. And praying a LOT along the way that I can keep up….or at least pretend to keep up!! ha ha. Tom gave me some great advice many years ago and I repeat it daily!! When I was struggling in my first year of dental school he says to me, “Babe! You fake it till you make it! You think I honestly believe I can strike out a .500 hitter when I step onto the mound? No way! But the only way I will give myself a legit chance is if I stand up there and act like I can!” So that’s what I do! I fake it till I make it. ha ha. I just run around all day like a chicken with no head, trying to keep up, and hope that if I pretend I’ve got it all together long enough that maybe one day it will all come together! But I’m not holding my breath. 😉
But in all seriousness – if you’re wondering if I have nannies or assistants I do and I don’t. We move so much that my daughter isn’t enrolled in school. So she’s home with me all day. I do try to find a reliable babysitter in every city we live in so that is relief for a few hours each week. And we aren’t close to family so they are no good to me {ha ha don’t worry – that is intense sarcasm}. But I did hire my first “assistant” for a 2 month trial period. She was/is amazing! Now that we’ve moved, her and I are trying to work out the logistics of how she can work from afar. But she is patient with me and I am just thankful to have a millennial in my life to teach me how to use InstaStory and make pretty graphics for my page. I’m not quite sure I can afford a full-time employee just yet, so for now I work during nap time and at night. And most days I do run around the house putting orders together or sending emails while chasing an 18 month old. It’s not really ideal but its a learning process and I’m trying to go with the flow and enjoy the ride.
And the moving 3 times a year. Yea! That’s not exactly conducive to running a business. But thank goodness my supplies are small-ish and Tom helps me secure them for each move. And I’ve found that if you are just honest with your customers they totally understand! For example, right now I’ve got 5 orders and 2 boutique orders “ready to ship” but they are packed in a car somewhere that is being shipped to our new home. So I send apology emails and most everyone is super understanding. And although I wish I had this beautiful jewelry studio where I could hang designs and inspirational sketches on the walls and invest in a tall table with a high chair with great back support – I’d also rather do this in less than ideal conditions than not pursue this at all! So I just make a spare bedroom in 3 different houses work.
MB: Girl, you are incredible! First off, it’s amazing to hear that you have such a supportive husband! I feel as though so many husbands would see it as only a hobby, something of less value than what they were doing. Yet you have his full support, helping you however he can, as all husbands should! *Take note fellas* Second, your attitude towards it all is inspiring! Where others would simply say – I can’t – you say I will! Hopefully one day you get your dream studio!
If you could plan your ultimate mom friend getaway where would you go and what would you do?
Meghan: Wow! This sounds amazing! Sadly my girlfriends and I tried to plan this for 2 years straight and never could pull it off. So they came to visit me during spring training and we improvised. It wasn’t our “ultimate mom friend getaway” but it was a weekend with my girlfriends laughing and remembering crazy college stories. BUUUUUT if you gave me the chance to build the “ultimate” getaway — I think it would be a women’s only resort. Does that exist? If not, I think I’ve found a new business endeavor. ha ha. But I’m imagining something like a Sandals but just for women. There would be lots of diffusers spouting out lavender fragrance, the most plush loungers by a pool, an endless supply of coffee and tropical drinks, and no husbands and no children! ha ha {is that bad to say?!?!} Oh and a spa. Unlimited massages!! That!! Definitely that!!
MB: Can I go with you?! That sounds incredible! Layne Resorts and Spa sound pretty amazing if you ask me! Throw in fountain drinks that are filled with champagne, and we have a perfect getaway location!
So as always, if you could impart some mom wisdom on our readers, what would it be?
Meghan: Oh man! Mom wisdom? I don’t know if I’m worthy of giving any mom wisdom. ha ha. I would have to say LAUGH! Laugh at your kids. Laugh at your husband. And most importantly, laugh at yourself! I am the WORST at taking things too seriously. I want everything to be perfect. I want to be on time. Well dressed. With a well-behaved kid. A clean house. A home cooked meal. And a happy husband. ha ha ha ha ha ha. Isn’t that funny?!?! Just the sound of all of those things together seems like some absurd fairy tale! But when we are caught up in the moment we criticize ourselves if all of those things aren’t done. We get down on ourselves. And that creates crabby, stressed out, ornery moms and wives. And who in the world wants to be around that? No one! So just laugh! Laugh a lot! Your kids will remember the fun times! The times they laughed with you! They will never remember how clean your house was. Or how perfect your outfit was for that parent-teacher conference. And by the way —— life is WAAAAAY too short to not enjoy the snot out of it! So just laugh! A lot! {and ps —- I need to take my own advice!}
MB: That is the best advice and some I need to take more often! It’s just so true! Sometimes, ok, most of the time, things don’t go as planned and I think, I can either cry or laugh. Laughing is a whole lot more enjoyable if you ask me! Meghan you are such a trip and this was so much fun! Thanks so much for joining me today!
Y’all how amazing is she?! I love her drive to succeed at something she is passionate about while still being the best wife and mama she can be! None of us can be the perfect wives or mothers, but we can be the best version of ourselves. That’s what others deserve. But most of all, that’s what we deserve. To be the best version of ourselves, no matter how crazy life becomes. If that means the house isn’t spotless – who cares! Like Meghan said – your kids won’t remember that. What they will remember is the laughter that filled their childhood.
Make sure you subscribe to Meghan’s blog, Cirque du SoLayne, and follow her on Instagram, @meghanwlayne! Then everyone head over to her Etsy Shop and check out all of her amazing pieces!!
She is so cool and her jewelry is beautiful!! So glad you featured her!
She’s so great and yes, love her pieces!
The jewelry is stunning! Thanks for sharing.
It’s so beautiful! Glad you loved it!