Funny Little Bird

Be sure to visit FunnyLittleBird's http://www.etsy.com/shop/FunnyLittleBird  lovely handmade vintage jewelry shop lovingly made from vintage and found items.

by FunnyLittleBird

I have to admit that I am a completely scatterbrained jewelry designer and a lot of my jewelry is created by accident. My desk is always a mess and I frequently will set one part or piece next to another and then realize, those actually look great together. Although I do have an actual workspace, I don’t always utilize it the way one might imagine. I tend to assemble jewelry wherever I am. If I’m working on a necklace and I have to go into another room to get something, I tend to just walk and assemble. I probably picked this up from working at a bead store for 5 years where multitasking was a necessity.

I began designing jewelry while working at Bead It, a bead store in Austin, Texas that specializes in vintage and antique beads, parts and pieces. Prior to working there I had no interest in jewelry, let alone designing it. The history of my materials is what really sparked my love for making jewelry. Working there, I learned what made the pieces and beads worth more than the craft store bulk selection. I have only recently made the transition from bead (and parts) collector to jewelry designer.

I adore Etsy and my virtual shop. It’s a lot of work, and there are over 200,000 sellers on Etsy, so many of which are talented, hard working individuals. I’ve found that participating in the forums, reading seller blogs and the Seller’s Handbook are all really helpful tools. Also getting on social networking sites, joining Etsy teams and always having business cards ready are some of the best ways to increase exposure.

Being a designer, I’m not in it for the money, I can honestly say that. I want to offer people truly original creations and impress people with a little bit of history (as well as treasures to be coveted because you can’t get them in the mall or out of a catalogue). The idea of selling someone a necklace only to have them walk down the street and see someone wearing something similar seems disheartening. I get bored with trends pretty quickly and am always working hard to stick with the design that seems the least obvious. I strive for the strange and the imaginative. I am always aiming for the extraordinary.

http://funnylittlebird.etsy.com/


http://www.facebook.com/FunnyLittleBird

Nature Inspired

Be sure to visit AllureByU's etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/AllureByU where you will find her beautiful nature inspired jewelry. A great selection of modern and vintage jewelry.

by AllureByU

My name is Sue and I am from Singapore, a little beautiful island in South East Asia.  I have a belief. Life is short. Live to your fullest. If you have a dream, live it and make it happen. I hope my belief will also extend to my jewelry creations.

 

Everyone starts off differently! I got started in the jewelry designing and making business by accident. I got inspired by all the other crafters and artists while shopping and browsing through the internet. When I saw their creations on their websites and in their shops, I thought to myself how beautiful their creations are and how nice if I could create some of these myself. That train of thought ended with the determination to make my own beautiful creations! I stumbled upon Etsy by accident to begin with, but ended up being the best accident because AllureByU was born!

In learning this art, I am basically self taught. I read a lot of books on jewelry making and later bought basic tools and supplies for my creations. The basic tools are pliers, cutters and not to mention lots of patience and passion. How delicate your craftsmanship comes with experience. There are marvelous sources of inspiration, know-how, and tips-n-tricks out there. Many are available online as e-books or e-course, books & magazines.

As this is not my full time job, I do not have a proper workplace. All I need is a space for me to lay out my tools and materials and I start creating.

You find lots of variety in my shop. Most of my items are inspired by the things around me. I love nature and life. I love new exciting ideas and trying them. I do not like sticking to the same old concepts. Thus I use all kinds of themes and all kinds of different materials in my creations. I love to get inspirations from all of them. Sometimes something seemingly boring, when combine with another material, will create a beautiful piece. Let your creativity juices flow.

I love every single piece of my items because they are created with lots of love, efforts and time. I use quality materials for my creations.

 

AllureByU.
http://allurebyu.etsy.com/
http://twitter.com/allurebvu

My Teeny Tiny Apartment

Please be sure to drop by Jacqueline's lovely jewelry shop on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/JacquelineJewelry where you are sure to find handmade and original pieces.

by JacquelineJewelry

I am excited to be selling my jewelry on Etsy. I live in New York, NY and work in my teeny tiny apartment on a folding tv table and sitting on my bed. I have jewelry materials all over my apartment, but have made everything ship shape by making my storage and projects part of my decor.

I work in sterling silver, gemstones, Czech glass, as well as copper and fabric. All of my work is one-of-a-kind, but I do take commissions as long as I am given the creative freedom to add my personality to each piece.



My designs are based on my observations of the inter-relationships of materials and color. I have explored many different concepts over the years, from the ideas of impermanence and transience to the concept of the preciousness and sacredness of the everyday. Still, I want to create pieces that are accessible to a wide audience, and hope the forms and materials I use will appeal to people on many different levels. Treating each piece as an individual work of wearable art, I create timeless jewelry meant for day into evening wear.

I have had careers in production pottery, graphic design and industrial design with a sidetrack into computer programming early on. Ever since I can remember, art and craft in some shape or form has been my passion. I am a graduate of The College of Ceramics at SUNY with a BFA in sculpture and art history, an MFA in Arizona State University in environmental design, and an MID in industrial design from Pratt Institute.

 A perpetual student, I am self-taught in jewelry. I have also written two books. Graphic Illustration in Black and White and Polymer Clay; Creating Functional and Decorative Objects.

Blog at http://jacquelinegikow.blogspot.com/

http://www.evrydaydrms.com/
http://jacquelinejewelry.net/
http://www.jacquelinejewelry.etsy.com/
http://twitter.com/jacquelinejewel
http://www.facebook.com/jacquelinejewel