Today's handmade space is that of Jan from Hazelnut Cottage, who creates beautiful and inspirational hand-stamped jewelry all from a little corner of her dining room! See how she balances work life and home life below! 
What do you create in this space?
…a mess, usually! nah. here is where i create my handstamped jewelry goodies for hazelnut cottage on etsy! i sketch here too and with my computer smashed up next to my workspace, i also blog here.
Please describe what we see in the pictures a bit...
i work in this tiny leetle space a stone's throw from my dining room table. to my left are large windows and screen doors that overlook a nearby marina, and off in the distance, maunalua bay—a tiny bay in the vast pacific ocean. one great thing about my workspace is that it gets lots and lots of natural light and the view keeps me feeling refreshed and calm.
i keep most of my little jewelry components in small plastic compartments, which i (mostly!) have labeled. these boxes within boxes are great and terrible at the same time. when i am super duper busy, every single box is out and open, pendants are strewn everywhere, which invites the pee cat extraordinaire to come and have a look, who then topples the open boxes over creating a jewelry component soup on my table top! ack. 
the essence of what this handmade life means to me is that i get to stay home and raise my little ones during the day, and work til the wee small hours of the night on my artwork. they are my inspiration! everytime i get chicken-hearted to try the next scary thing, i take one look at my little guys and think to myself, “i can be brave for you...” my other inspirations are my journey with God, and my books...oh, i could not do it without my books. they are like familiar old friends and they continually fill me with new insights, encouragements and ideas. my most recent reads have been "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom and "The Return of the Prodigal Son" by Henri Nouwen. yum!
How do you feel when you enter your "handmade space"?
i'll be honest, sometimes i am so excited to get to work, other times i dread it because i really am kind of a slob (gosh. there i said it for all the world to hear! yeesh!) and because i keep MEANING to put up my children’s photos, inspiring quotes, snippets of this and that, but alas, i give myself a huge pat on the back if i can just remember to change my calendar at month's end!
Thanks Jan for sharing your workspace and your inspirations with us! I'm jealous of that incredible Hawaiian view you have!
Find all of the wonderful designs that Jan creates here in her Hazelnut Cottage shop, and keep up with how she balances her home and creative life on her blog!
