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

"Balance Myself by Creating"

Check out Lilzo's lovely etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/Lilzo and her "Promotion Giveaway" - with a purchase of any two pairs of earrings from Lilzo, you'll get one felt item of your choice from the picture below!

Hi! My name is Jacqueline, but I go by Lilzo. I'm half Chinese and half white, and I live in California, although one day I'd like to live in either NYC or Shanghai, China.

If I'm not creating jewelry, I'm probably either studying, dancing, or training at the combat club. I have kind of a hectic schedule with everything I do, but I always make time to balance myself by creating, whether it's polymer clay, baking, or of course, jewelry. My designs aren't planned, but I keep a file of images that inspire me and that helps my ideas get flowing. A lot of my work is done late at night, when everything is quiet and I can relax.

I'm a friendly & outgoing person, and I run my shop as an efficient but lighthearted and inviting enterprise. Feel free to contact me anytime through Etsy's convo system, and I hope you enjoy my work. =)
x Lilzo x

Jenny Hoople and Her Bunny

by jennyhoople

My name is Jenny Hoople, my business is Authentic Arts http://www.jennyhoople.etsy.com/ . A few years ago, I saw job's tears for sale in Johnny's seed catalog. The description said that it was a natural bead, so I thought I'd try it out. I ended up with a whole tin of seeds, but they were so light that when I made a necklace with them, the clasp kept coming around to the front. So they sat, unused, in my basement for a few years.

This July, my mom and dad were visiting and my mom, as usual, wanted to stop by a craft store. While I was waiting for her, I kept walking up and down the bead aisle thinking about what would go well with the grey job's tears. I bought a few things and made a necklace. My mom liked it so much that she asked me to make her one, and since I had materials left over, I just tried to come up with as many different designs as I could. Well, when I got done with that, I had to buy more materials and really, I couldn't stop making necklaces! A lot of things were coming together in my life, bringing me to this, so I jumped on it and started selling them. I decided to use knotted silk because I like its history, it's more romantic! I choose "natural" materials (stone, bone, wood, shell, silk) because even when altered by human hands and arranged and strung by them, the beauty of the processes that formed them breaks through and dazzles me. It's so fulfilling to finally be able to use my creative side (B.A. in fine arts, millions of crafty hobbies) as a part of my livelihood. You can see from the picture that my workroom is...the coffeetable in my living room! I sit on the bean-bag chair. Please note the neglected fishtank and my small bunny helper under the table :)





















I've always needed to work and live in the same space, I need to be where the action is!

Simplicity, Texture, and Experimentation

Simplicity, texture, and experimentation are what drive Heather's gorgeous jewelry designs. She has sold through galleries and shops for many years. She personally designs all of her jewelry and her designs are hand-made using various techniques of metalsmithing. She is currently running a SALE on all items till Oct 1st with FREE shipping. Be sure to stop by her Etsy shop http://www.hgjewelry.etsy.com/

Heather Grandmont Jewelry 2009

Simplicity, texture, and experimentation are what drive my jewelry designs. I enjoy working with many materials but feel especially drawn to metal. Color is one aspect I miss most with what I do but jewelry does lend the ability to add color in the form of enamels, beads, and mixed media. Most of my designs are developed through playing with different forms that I already have made, and sometimes from my sketches- but mostly by putting pieces together till I like what I see. I love metal that has that raw, organic, makers-mark to it. The look of old, worn, time brought to the present. I studied art at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. I was a double major in metalsmithing and painting. I was lucky enough to have received many awards, scholarships, and recognition while attending, both for my painting and metalwork. I haven’t painted in a long time but have managed to continue my focus with jewelry and design. Being an artist you have to get creative with finances which sometimes mean working a job other than your art. I’ve tried numerous times to make it full-time but because of health insurance or cash flow have found myself working at different places part-time such as The Cleveland Institute of Art, Kohl’s, and my current job as a dental receptionist. These jobs have provided me with connections and a group of supportive friends. Without them I might have become a hermit. About a year and a half ago I had a son with my husband Marcus.

I decided to take a short break from my business during pregnancy and right after because I wanted to focus all of my time and energy to my new family and health. I was still in stores during that time but had cut way back. It helped that I had a lot of inventory on hand. Now my little guy is a “little” older and I have been able to sneak down to my studio during his naps and at night. I have been getting that creative bug- you know the one that sticks in your head 24 hours a day till you allow yourself to play again! It feels great to be back and being a mom! Etsy has become a great place to find fantastic artists who are supportive and enthusiastic, not to mention all the great stuff you can buy! So if I find myself in the studio full-time again I won’t have to worry about becoming a hermit. Thanks for everyone’s support and encouragement.