04.18.08
Posted in Uncategorized, jewelry, fun, hand crafted jewelry, shopping, site promotion, interviews at 7:36 am by KellyM
Meet Amy Lucid, Owner of www.lucidjewelry.etsy.com.
Where are you located? Indianapolis, IN.
What do you design? I design gemstone, pearl, shell, crystal, and other natural materials, beaded and wire-wrapped jewelry for men and women.
Where/How did you learn this? I am self-taught through books and magazines. I have only taken one wire-wrapping class where I learned how to make findings.
Where does your inspriation come from? My inspiration comes from nature, the seasons, clothing and interior design, just to name a few.
What do you do to combat creative block? I browse through my binder collection of beaded designs from magazines, and/or go bead shopping.
Where do you design your creations? I started out on my bed and now from my couch, usually with the tv on in the background.
What does your work space look like right now? Covered with beads and beading supplies.
How does your family feel about what you do? My family supports me and occasionally purchases jewelry as gifts for others.
Best advice you received when starting your business venture? That I really need to market myself in as many ways as possible.
Favorite part of owning your own business? That I determine the success of the business and take pride in my own work that I am promoting.
Least favorite? The large amount of time that I spend marketing and networking, when I could be making more jewelry.
How do you relax? Beading has become a way for me to relax. It forces me to slow down and concentrate my attention in a creative and expressive way. I also enjoy meditating and massages.
Favorite color? Purple and green.
Does this color show up in a lot of your work? In jewelry, it is usually oranges, blue and green combinations, or green and brown combinations.
If there were more hours in the day, what would you be doing? Making more jewelry and taking more pictures (photography is another passion).
A sample of Lucid Jewelry products. For all products, please visit Amy’s website.
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04.13.08
Posted in Uncategorized, jewelry, hand crafted jewelry, shopping, site promotion, interviews at 11:04 am by KellyM
Please meet Gail Harding, Owner of http://polkadotandpersian.etsy.com.
Where are you located? Edinburgh, UK
What do you design? Jewellery
Where/How did you learn this? Edinburgh College of Art
Favorite Artist who inspires you? There is lots of art that I like, but not all of it directly inspires me. However, I love: Andy Goldsworthy, Charles Rennie Mackintosh watercolours, Gustav Klimt, Cynthia Cousins, Maurice Sendak, Arthur Rackham among many, many others.
Where does your inspiration come from? I always find this a strange question for me…I don’t get inspired to make something in particular, like I don’t look at a tree and go “ooo, I’m gonna make a necklace about that”, it’s more that I get inspired to make and create in general. I get inspired to be creative in my own way by many different things. People who are excited about what they do and are honest and truthful about it inspires me a lot.
Where do you design your creations? I have a room in the flat which is the “studio”.
What does your work space look like right now? I share this tiny room with my boyfriend who is a musician, so my end of it is tidy in a maximalist kind of way, but the rest of the room is a mass of guitars and cables. I have lots of stuff in a small space so there are piles of little boxes containing various things and lots of bottles and tubes and tools. I have just put up a new pin board as a mood board and am slowly filling it. My large jewellery work bench takes up most of the space.
How does your family feel about what you do? I think they think it’s great. I’ve never asked them specifically, but they are all very supportive and enthusiastic.
Best advice you received when starting your business venture? Keep records! Write things down so you don’t forget how you made something and take pictures of all your work - even the things that you think aren’t worth selling.
Favorite part of owning your own business? The feeling that I am not working for ‘the man’.
Least favorite? No money.
How do you relax? Sleep, bed, wine, friends, reading, music, and cleaning. Really, giving a bit of my flat a good tidy is a calming thing for me.
Favorite color? Turquoise.
Does this color show up in a lot of your work? No, well occasionally if I use ribbon, but generally not.
If there were more hours in the day, what would you be doing? I’d make more jewellery. I’d also read more, I have a huge list of books that I want to read but never seem to have enough time for.
A sample of Polka Dot and Persian products. For all products, please visit Gail’s website.
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04.07.08
Posted in Uncategorized, fun, hand crafted jewelry, shopping, site promotion, interviews, bath and body, clothing, handbags at 4:09 pm by KellyM
Meet Yvette Estime, Owner of www.bellepourlavie.com.
Where are you located? Coral Springs, FL.
What do you design? Handbags, jewelry, shoes, bath products.
Where/How did you learn this? I am a self taught crafter. I mostly read books on the subject.
Favorite Artist who inspires you? Dali. All my work has double meanings and very symbolic.
Where does your inspiration come from? I love the ocean so most of my work has an aquatic theme. I also love astrology. My twin sister and creative parnter also inspires me.
What do you do to combat creative block? I read. Also, I am a watercolorist, so I sometimes paint.
Where do you design your creations? In my bedroom, everything is piled in a corner. I really need more space. LOL
What does your work space look like right now? Sewing machine in one corner, 3 containers of fabric, a 3 drawer stand full of beads and another full with essential oils.
How does your family feel about what you do? My mom thinks it’s a fascinating hobby and my sister (also my parnter) wants to turn it into a more successful business.
Do you have any advice for someone looking to make their own creations using this method? Try not to be discouraged if no one takes to your work right away. It’s a process.
Best advice you received when starting your business venture? Well, I think the best advice was stay away from craft shows. Always try to consign or wholesale. If you must sell, try trade shows.
Favorite part of owning your own business? Doing what I love and getting paid for it.
Least favorite? More than 8 hour work periods.
How do you realx? Music.
Favorite color? Purple.
Does this color show up in a lot of your work? In the form of Amethyst.
If there were more hours in the day, what would you be doing? Making more handbags! They take the most time to create.
A sample of Belle Pour la Vie products. For all products, please visit Yvettes website.
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04.03.08
Posted in Uncategorized, jewelry, shopping, site promotion, interviews, paper crafts, clothing at 8:02 pm by KellyM
Please meet Annie Weihrauch, Founder and Designer of www.modern-material.com
Where are you located? Online, based out of Columbus, Ohio.
What do you design? Paper, Apparel and Accessories.
Where/How did you learn this? I landed a job right out of college as a packaging and accessory designer for Bath & Body Works where I learned a lot about retail and fashion accessory design. I have taken my experiences and translated them into my own vision.
Favorite Artist who inspires you? Gwen Stefani. She has defined our generation as a style icon.
Where does your inspiration come from? Rock & roll, fashion magazines, and other designers.
What do you do to combat creative block? I’ll give myself a few days to catch up on things I neglect such as cleaning and organizing, and then I can’t wait to get back to what I do best.
Where do you design your creations? Living room, studio, hallway, kitchen, bedroom, basement….every inch of my house is covered with something I’m working on! It drives my husband crazy!
What does your work space look like right now? A disaster.
How does your family feel about what you do? They are very supportive.
Do you have any advice for someone looking to make their own creations using this method? Start small and dream big.
Best advice you received when starting your business venture? Networking. I’ve met so many great people with great connections along the way.
Favorite part of owning your own business? Actually doing something with my designs instead of archiving them in a folder titled “old” becasue they weren’t chosen to move forward.
Least favorite? No free evenings or weekends!
How do you relax? Taking a trip to Hawaii will be the first time I’ve had to relax in months.
Favorite color? Depends on what it is going on. Black or white if it’s on me. Aqua if it’s on my walls or my umbrella.
Does this color show up in a lot of your work? Absolutely. It’s the foundation of my brand.
If there were more hours in the day, what would you be doing? Designing more.
A sample of Modern Material products. For all products, please visit Annie’s website.
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03.26.08
Posted in Uncategorized, fun, shopping, site promotion, interviews, paper crafts, Glass at 8:00 am by KellyM
Meet Emily Goodwin, Owner of www.emelegifts.com.
Where are you located? Crete, Greece.
What do you design? I make handmade cards and home decor gifts, such as painted flower pots and decorative glass jars which make great candle holders! I have plans to add magnets and keychains to the site in the not so distant future. Some items are one of a kind. I also do custom work.
Where/How did you learn this? Through books and magazines and also by trial and error!
Where does your inspiration come from? I have more ideas than I know what to do with, but each one gets noted down so that I can come back to it. Most of my business ideas come to me when I’m just going to sleep so that I have to put the light on and write/sketch them down before I forget. Always keep a pen and paper by your bed!
What do you do to combat creative block? Usually I’ll just move onto another project or spend more time doing website things or concentrate on my photography until the creativity comes back. It always comes back eventually.
Where do you design your creations? The spare bedroom is my workspace for creating. The laptop and random pieces of paper sit on the dining room table for when I’m doing website things, promotion etc etc etc.
What does your work space look like right now? Messy!
Best advice you received when starting your own business venture? I’m not sure I received any, but here’s something I soon learned. Build a website and they (visitors) will come is a lie! you have to work hard to get visitors and then to get those visitors buying.
Favorite part of owning your own business? Being my own boss.
Least favorite? Not having a “regular” income every month.
How do you relax? I always seem to be doing some form of work as I love what I do, so, “Huh, what’s relaxing?” But I guess I do the usual…Watch TV/films (not horror, I have nightmares!) I read a lot and love taking photos. Photography is my hobby, although it’s slowly turning into another business!
Favorite color? Purple, yellow and green. Impossible to choose just one!
Does this color show up in a lot of your work? Not so much in my work, but I have a purple and yellow website!
If there were more hours in the day, what would you be doing? Everything that I love-Website design, crafting and photography.
A sample of Emele Gifts products. For all products, please visit Emily’s website.
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