Sunday, April 30, 2017

APRIL BLOG FEATURE: Erinn LaMattery from Off on a Whim



Beginning in California, I embarked on a journey around the world, eventually settling into life in the foothills of the beautiful Mt. Koya in Japan. This beautiful little town has been home to my family of 4 children for over 16 years, giving them a peaceful and secure upbringing.

Okunoin Cemetery at Mt. Koya, my place of peace


Besides the birth of my last child, this town has also been home to Off on a Whim, a custom made jewelry business built upon the Japanese Power Stone philosophy that each stone holds the power to support and assist you during your daily journey through life. I work closely with customers to build their perfect pieces with colors and stones that represent the challenges they are facing, in memory of departed loved ones, and in celebration of life’s victories. My materials come straight from the earth as I choose not to work with plastics, giving customers that connection to the world around them.


Desert Pearl, one of our popular items, in triple layer



So many people have played a large part in helping me move forward with this business and grow it to where we are today. Color and nature are my greatest inspiration, springtime flowers, summer trees, fall leaves, winter skies, I try to pull what is around me into my work. 


Recently  popular, Off on a Whim Tree of Life Suncatchers, 
measuring around 13cm end to end, great gifts!

This year I want to focus on creating some tutorials for YouTube and building up a YouTube channel, as well as develop a newsletter. I hope to cut back my day job hours so I can focus better on turnaround time for my work. I have plans to reach out to brick and mortar shops for some consignment and wholesale contracts, and am considering starting up workshops to teach the basics to people who are interested to make their own pieces. I'm also beginning to collaborate with other artists to create new pieces.

I started branching out in gold filled and diamond chip pieces


Isn’t free time a myth? Raising and providing for 4 children has effectively ended the luxury of free time. But when it does manage to skitter across my path, you can find me reading a book, doing a puzzle, or just chilling with a TV show. 


Contact and follow me here: 








You can order/ buy my work here! And take advantage of our limited time offer for 15% off your order on Etsy through June 30, 2017. Enter  BikuLove at checkout to apply it!