Diary Installment 32
Wow, has Fall hit like a hurricane. The trip to Italy was amazing – I’m going to tell you all about it – and now I am back recovering from our killer “Plan Ahead Sale.” We are shooting holiday product, looking at colleges with Tiki and thinking Thanksgiving, Hannukah and CHRISTMAS. The news has me in such a tiz over the supply chain issues that may (will?) affect Christmas so drastically that we need to order every gift for every person you know – like, Right. Now.
Before I hyperventilate, let’s talk about Italy. To be honest, days before the trip I almost cancelled because I was so stressed about leaving work, leaving Tiki, really uncomfortable with the idea of letting myself let go and relax. The one thing I knew is that Mr. Jane Win needed a break. He works so hard on every front and makes my life so wonderful – he just has a patience level and constant steady demeanor that has gotten me through the craziness of the last year, and he needed some time to relax. So I got my headset in the right space and let myself get excited about going on a trip. Gentle reminder – let yourself relax every once in a while. I have a tendency to ‘beat myself up’ with nothing being good enough, worrying in the middle about the night about things I can’t control – maybe that’s the norm for a small business owner and mom stuff BUT…I really give myself a hard time. Allowing myself to relax and enjoy the trip was such a gift and we literally had the BEST vacation we have ever had. Woo hoo!
You all know Capri is my favorite place that I have visited year after year. I had never been to Positano and was blown away by the beauty. See below for a list of hotels and activities for both Positano and Capri. DM with any questions!
Back to reality, we landed and got ready for the Plan Ahead Sale. It was a huge success and I LOVE YOU for actually planning ahead. I have a sense (lol strong feeling) that many of you were shopping for yourselves and that’s A-OK. Listen. Spoil yourself! We have so much fun new product and tons more coming for the holiday season. We can't wait for you to see it and shop!
Lately, the news has been on repeat about the supply chain in disarray and the effect it will have on the holidays. From our perspective – it’s all true. The production of product (anywhere in the world) is screwy. The shipping is unreliable. Here’s the good news: we knew this was coming and we have made sure we will be in stock on all of your favorite pieces (think Original Coins, Carved Hearts, Letters & Zodiacs galore) We have everything hidden away in our showroom NOW. We have all the chains, reams of tissue. The only thing I am afraid of running out of are gift boxes because the news now says there is a shortage of paper. Something to worry about in the middle of the night 😊. Never fear, we will get our gorgeous boxes made!
The take away is YES, there will be things that you can’t get, but you will be able to get jewelry from Jane Win. That is balanced with – we LOVE UPS. They have been so good to us getting packages to customers. We do expect December to get slower. So while we will have the jewelry to ship, you should consider ordering early as we can’t control the package once it leaves our showroom. So let’s all stick together this holiday – we will do anything to get jewelry with meaning to you and your friends.
This week has been madness. I met with Instyle Magazine on Tuesday and we went through holiday AND 2022 products. Yesterday, we shot all of the holiday product with the most incredible photographer and model. Our gift guide will be launching November 1st! The new pieces coming in November and December are very, very special. I am agitated not telling you everything this second – but spoiler alert we have made the most beautiful BELLS (yes, bells – there is a wonderful story behind them). We have so, so many giftable pieces. We have some incredible surprises that we will throw in along the way. We will have packages shipped quickly and perfectly wrapped. We will NOT have any massive sales. I know it sounds silly, but you will be able to count on us 😊…we are so excited to make people smile this holiday with meaningful gifts that we are not going to let anything stand in our way. If you are reading this, you probably already know this but our email newsletter and Instagram are seriously the best places to stay in the loop on all things new product. Please please sign up and drop a hint to your girlfriends/husbands/kids/whoever with whichever Jane Win piece is on your wish list this holiday season.
So…bring on the madness and all the fun that comes along with it! Here is my brief on Italy…if you need a change just take a 10 minute day dream and look at these hotels. You may find yourself booking a well-deserved break 😊.
xx, Janie
All Things Italy
I won’t go through every little thing but feel free to email with questions. We rented boats for the day – so fun, and you don’t need my recs as there are a million options. You do need reservations for dinners! September was the dreamiest time to go, weather was perfect.
We flew direct into Rome, vaccinated and with negative covid tests. It was a piece of cake as long as you have all of your documents. The best thing we got was a travel covid test that you do on video so you get a pdf that the air carriers accept. It’s called BINAX and you have to order them online. Follow instructions EXACTLY and you won’t have to go to a testing site when traveling. Here is a review of some options https://www.afar.com/magazine/cdc-approves-at-home-covid-tests-for-international-travel
Positano
Hotel In Positano: Le Agavi
I know I know eeeeeveryone says you ‘must stay’ at Le Sirenuse. I get it, it is very fancy. Honestly, that is not quite for me. We adored Le Agavi which was slightly out of town, a 10ish minute walk. Get ready for stairs like you have never experienced before. There is also a shuttle, but Mr. Jane Win and I like to get in our steps. Le Agavi was a DREAM. The most stunning views I think in all of Positano. A private beach club – which is a game changer. You take stairs, a funicular, and then an elevator through the cliffs down, down, down to a private enclave on the Mediterranean that was so special. I could not recommend this hotel more highly, it is heaven.
Cooking Class in Positano: La Tagliata
Mr. Jane Win and I had a BLAST cooking with Peppino and Antoinette at La Tagliata. It is a working farm in the cliffs surrounding Positano, so the ‘class’ stars with gathering the tomatoes, the zucchini flowers (that you later stuff and fry) and the EGGS. I chickened out (lol literally) and Mr. Jane Win had to move the hen to retrieve the eggs. You cook and eat and drink wine almost all day. It is an incredible ‘bang for the buck’ and was fun as a couple, but it would also be so fun with a family. Loved this experience.
Capri
We took a private boat from our Positano Hotel to Capri and explored along the way. A perfect day spent on the water, stopping for lunch in a tiny town.
Hotel: Hotel Mamela
We have stayed in so many different places in Capri, from hotels to VRBO for the whole family. This time we stayed at Hotel Mamela. Our room was STUNNINGGGGGGGGG – just drop dead beautiful with a view of the pool and sea. Two balconies, a living area and bedroom. It was in a spectacular location to walk to everything. Loved it.
Activities
Mr. Jane Win and I love to walk and hike so we took the bus over to Ana Capri and hiked up to Mont Solaro. There is a chairlift if you don’t want to put in the work. It is well worth the adventure to hike as you have incredible views along the way, including goats playing in the rocks on the cliff. Incredible!
Beach Clubs: Of course there is the most famous La Fontelina. We always go and spend the day and have lunch. It is beautiful and Insta-worthy for every “I’ve been there” picture. So do that. BUT ALSO, go to a beach club in Marina Picola. It is a fraction of the price and no ‘attitude’. I loved our day there so much – we were right on top of the rocks, eating yummy sandwiches in our chairs. It is not as fancy but you just don’t need fancy when you are sitting on a rock on top of the Mediterranean. We went to Lo Scoglio Delle Sirene but there are 4ish options.
Dinner: Get reservations 😊
Our favorite Pizza is Ristorante Da Giorgio, get a table by the windows. Eat pizza until you can’t move. It is the best ever.
Favorite spot with a view is Le Grotelle. Mr. Jane Win and I spent the most wonderful evening with a bottle of wine watching the moon rise over the sea. It is stunning. A bit of a walk to dinner but 100000% worth it.
And So. Much. More. Many of you know that Italy is my favorite place and inspired the very first Jane Win piece that I designed (more on that here). Check out my Italy packing list if you need vacation inspo or if you want to daydream about your next vacation.
