05.29.08
Posted in Uncategorized, jewelry, hand crafted jewelry, shopping, site promotion, interviews, hair accessories, Home Accessories at 3:59 pm by KellyM
Please meet Diane Petkoff, Owner of www.tastyjewelry.com.
Where are you located? Austin, Texas.
What do you design? I design jewelry, hair accessories and home accessories.
Where/How did you learn this? I started making jewelry when I was a bout 8 years old. My older sister taught me how to string beads and it took off from there. Later I attended the University of Illinois and received my bachelor of fine arts degree in metals…a.k.a. jewelry. I love making things with my hands.
Favorite Artist who inspires you? Eero Saarinen, Arne Jacobsen, Frank Gehry, Andy Goldsworthy.
Where does your inspiration come from? From ordinary objects that I see around me…I see colors and shapes more than I see the object itself.
What do you do to combat creative block? I feel fortunate that I don’t really experience that. I wish there were more time in the day to get all these ideas out of my head.
Where do you design your creations? In my studio.
What does your work space look like right now? I’ve got a few projects brewing right now, some new necklaces and earrings and am working on some new techniques. It’s pretty organized and has to be since I’ve been collecting beads and supplies for 20 years.
How does your family feel about what you do? They are very supportive and love that they can come to me for gifts.
Do you have any advice for someone looking to make their own creations using this method? Be sure not to just take someone else’s idea and change it a little. Really dig deep and find what inspires you, find your own creative voice. It ensures that your products are truly unique and your own.
Best advice you received when starting your business venture? Always look forward.
Favorite part of owning your own business? Being able to express myself through my art and working for myself.
Least favorite? Paperwork.
How do you relax? I like to read cookbooks while sitting outside on a sunny day. I love cooking, it’s another way for me to be creative.
Favorite color? Green
Does this color show up in a lot of your work? Definitely, and is a major force on my website too.
If there were more hours in the day, what would you be doing? More of the same thing I do now…I just love it!
A sample of Tasty Jewelry products. For all product, please visit Diane’s website.
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05.20.08
Posted in Uncategorized, jewelry, fun, hand crafted jewelry, shopping, site promotion, interviews at 3:42 pm by KellyM
Please meet Samantha (Sam), Owner of http://the-red-jewel.blogspot.com.
Where are you located? Melbourne, Australia.
What do you design? Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings….the list goes on.
Where/How did you learn this? Self taught!
Where do you design your creations? In my dining room, as the dining room table is the biggest table there is in the house.
What does your work space look like right now? My work space is actually stored all in my linen supboard. When I need my beads out, I have to manually move the boxes from the cupboard onto the table-rather tedious, but it works.
How does your family feel about what you do? They support me tremendously! My parents buy me beads and stuff and they are just so encouraging.
Favorite part of owning your own business? You get to decide on the cost of something yourself:).
Least favorite? It’s tough work!
How do you relax? Just sitting down at the table in front of all your beads, anticipating an idea to hit you….and when it does, I can’t stop beading! I forget all my worries when I bead, it’s almost therapeutic.
If there were more hours in the day, what would you be doing? Beading. DUH!!!
A sample of The Red Jewel products. For all products, please visit Sam’s website.
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05.19.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:07 am by KellyM
Announcing the Big Sale of the Season!
For a limited time only. ALL products are a COOL 25% OFF!
Enjoy Risk Free Shopping and Excellent Customer Service.
HAPPY SHOPPING!
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05.12.08
Posted in Uncategorized, jewelry, fun, hand crafted jewelry, shopping, site promotion, interviews, handbags, Soap at 7:39 pm by KellyM
Please meet Jamie Dobbs, Owner of http://forbiddenfruit.etsy.com, http://www.myspace.com/forbiddenfruitcuiosities.
Where are you located? Knoxville, TN.
What do you design? Handbags, Jewelry, Accessories and Soaps.
Where/How did you learn this? Trial and error for the most part! I learned quite a bit of crafting from my grandmother though.
Favorite Artist who inspires you? I would have to say my grandmother, Betty Luton.
Where does your inspiration come from? Music, movies, television, books, comics….I’m an entertainment junkie!
What do you do to combat creative block? I listen to music, surf the web for inspiration, or even go through my craft stuff to get inspired.
Where do you design your creations? I’ve converted my dining room to a craft area. My family eats in the living room anyways, so it was wasted space! My crafty stuff sometimes spills out into the living room as well sometimes.
What does your work space look like right now? Super messy! I have so many tubs of fabric, and other stuff, that you can barely walk.
How does your family feel about what you do? They know it makes me happy, so they are pretty supportive.
Do you have any advice for someone looking to make their own creations using this method? Don’t give up. Keep trying until you get it right!
Best advice you received when starting your business venture? There will be dry periods when you don’t sell anything at all, but don’t give up! People will come back around!
Favorite part of owning your own business? The freedom. If I ever need a handbag, piece of jewelry or whatever, it’s like I have a whole store to choose from!
Least favorite? Sometimes I can be really shy, so selling my things in public can be a bit rough for me.
How do you relax? Listen to music, knit, read.
Favorite color? Purple
Does this color show up in a lot of your work? Most definitely. I have to constantly remind myself not to make everything purple. It’s not everyone’s favorite color!
If there were more hours in the day, what would you be doing? Crafting and writing more.
A sample of Forbidden Fruit products. For all products, please visit Jamie’s website.
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05.10.08
Posted in Uncategorized, jewelry, hand crafted jewelry, shopping, site promotion, interviews, Glass at 10:42 am by KellyM
Please meet Nichole Moraila, Owner of www.Mucha-Muchacha.com.
Where are you located? In the sunny city of Los Angeles, California. I live in a cool little neighborhood on the northeast side of the city called Atwater Village.
What do you design? I design fused glass jewelry that is sleek, fun and colorful with a Modern aesthetic.
Where/How did you learn this? I think I’ve always had a connection to glass and I’d always wanted to learn to blow glass and decided to research what I needed to get started. My research led to glass forums, which led me to a local glass supply store, which I decided to visit. Have you ever been to a stained glass supply store? It’s incredible! Needless to say, I fell in love with all of the huge sheets of colorful glass and decided on the spot that I’d like to try my hand at glass fusing.
Favorite Artist who inspires you? There are too many to just name one, so I’ll just say Colors.
Where does your inspiration come from? It comes from everywhere, but I do find that I am particularly inspired by other chicano artists. Probably because of their passion for art and free use of color. There’s no fear there, they just embrace it and I love that.
What do you do to combat creative block? I go to a lot of galleries and indie craft shows. Also, just seeing lots of color at once helps me a lot.
Where do you design your creations? I feel so lucky that I have a garage in the city. That’s where my studio is.
What does your work space look like right now? I keep things pretty tidy. You sort of need to keep things neat when you work with glass or it could get hazardous very quickly!
How does your family feel about what you do? They absolutely love it. I feel lucky that my family is so supportive.
Do you have any advice for someone looking to make their own creations using this method? For glass designers? Keep it clean. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Follow your bliss.
Best advice you received when starting your business venture? I actually didn’t know anyone else who was selling what they created when I started out. I just sort of felt my way through it. In retrospect, I’m glad that it worked out that way for me because it forced me to take chances and develop business instincts. Of course now, most of my friends are artists and designers and I do give them advice if they ask for it.
Favorite part of owning your own business? Being able to sell what I design and create. I love when people see my designs and get really excited. That fuels my love and excitement for what I do.
Least favorite? Taxes.
How do you relax? My husband and I are both beer brewers and fabulous cooks, so we enjoy hanging out with friends, drinking homebrew and eating yummy food at home or friends houses. I’m definitely a backyard party kind of chick!
Favorite color? Turquoise and Red.
Does this color show up in a lot of your work? Definitely, it’s all over.
If there were more hours in the day, what would you be doing? Creating more!
A sample of Mucha-Muchacha products. For all products, please visit Nichole’s website.
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