hajimemasite

I dread thinking of ways to start off a blog. It’s awkward, isn’t it? I don’t know you, you don’t know me…you probably don’t even know I’m here. This is why I signed up for this blog days and days ago, and haven’t posted anything until now.

The Japanese have a splendid way of introducing themselves: “Hajimemasite”. It means, “I’m meeting you for the first time.” If you think about it, this holds true no matter how you feel about that particular first meeting, and it’s something that two people can absolutely agree upon as they meet, no matter how different they may be. In a world where people seem to have so many issues and picky differences and “but, I’m a…” “and “but, he’s a…” that hinder smooth social interaction, this is sheer genius.

So, hajimemasite! (It’s pronounced ha-jee-me-ma-she-teh, no emphasis on any syllable.) I am nénuphar.

In no particular order, I am a beadweaver, a chainmailler, a doumbek player, a French speaker, a flamenco dancer, a mom to a precocious eight-year-old, a school volunteer, a retail worker, a knitter, an admirer of various and sundry aspects of Asian art and culture, a fast typist, and some other things that are much less interesting. But these things don’t mean much when they’re listed, they’re only fun when they’re presented in posts…I’m just mentioning them by way of hajimemasite.

Do have a look at my Etsy shop - click on the pretty jewelry at the right, and it will take you there. Let me know what you think - suggestions, requests, or just reactions. Since I am fairly new to chainmaille (relative to my beadweaving history), I'm trying to measure interest in various chainmaille pieces I'm thinking to make, so I invite you to take the poll at the bottom right of the page.

Speaking of my shop…here’s a shout out to my very first Etsy customer! She purchased a pair of my colorful aluminum and brass chainmaille earrings, in fact - they were the piece most often viewed in my shop. I have not been long on Etsy, so I’m absolutely stunned that I’ve made my first sale in just over two weeks. You know who you are, first Etsy customer, and I salute you.

Now it’s time for me to press a button and hopefully see all this text on my blog, and press more buttons that will make this blog look a little more lived-in.