First off, tell us a little about yourself!
My name
is Catherine, I’m a 28 year old report analyst by day, happy homemaker by night,
and a wife and mother to a gorgeous but wild 20 month old around the clock. I
live just outside of Los Angeles and love everything about Southern California
life.
How did you start creating your jewelry, and how long have you been doing it?
I made my
very first piece of jewelry in elementary school when my oldest brother
introduced me to wood, seed beads, and fishing line. I used to think I was the
coolest thing walking around in my very own necklace. At that point was when I
first stepped foot into the wonderful world of Michaels Arts and Crafts store
(I’m pretty sure my mother didn’t like it as much as I did). I learned there
were all kinds of things besides seed beads. I’ve tried my hand at many things
over the years—beading on a loom, lanyards, crocheting (that never worked out),
little figurines and beads of polymer clay, decoden, does webdesign and
blogging count? The list goes on and on and spans almost 20 years! I then
discovered Downtown L.A. and the aisles and aisles of beads, I can honestly say
I was in bead heaven. When I got pregnant I lost my willingness to trek through
the crowds and smells of sewage and bacon wrapped hot dogs, all that is DTLA. I
started sewing and began making clothes and accessories but as my daughter grew
I lost my desire to make baby things. I went back to my first true love of
jewelry making about a year ago. I started with friendship-style bracelets with
embroidery thread, rhinestones, and chain. When I found my bead case amongst
the things still stored at my parents’ home, I began beading again and I
haven’t looked back. I opened my online shop after endless prodding from my
loved ones, first on Etsy and now on Storenvy.
Outside
of crafting, what else do you enjoy doing?
I was
going to say chasing after my toddler but then I saw the keyword “enjoy”-
picking up rice and watching Mickey’s Clubhouse all day isn’t so enjoyable. I
am also a Polynesian dancer though I haven’t performed in a couple years. I
began when I was 7 years old, even before I picked up my first bead. Polynesian
dancing is not only a great workout but you also learn about the cultures and I
made a second family with my group. The food is pretty amazing, too. I also
love to be able to pick up a book and read when I can or grab a sketchbook and
pencil and scribble away. I have one tattoo of a single plumeria with
basketweave waves which I designed.
Where
do you get your inspiration from?
When you
live in Southern California, there’s inspiration all around you! The beach is
one of my main inspirations, the sand between your toes, the shells strewn all
over, the ocean, and the gorgeous sunsets that you get the perfect view of. The
colorful costumes from my days in dancing play a role, too. I use a lot of
shell, wood, and stones in my beading, things that bring you back to nature. I
can see my jewelry on the beach or outdoors at a park. But sometimes you just
can’t resist the shine and bling of glass and rhinestones! You can never have
too many rhinestones nowadays. Take the jewelry shopping or for a night out on
the town.
Is
there anything else you would like to share?
The
thing
I love about handmade jewelry is that everything has their own special
touch
and you know the person put a lot of care and thought into each piece.
My shop is named after my daughter, Khloe, and I won't tie her name
into something I wasn't proud of. I
never send anything that I don’t love myself to anyone else so when I
know that
someone else loves my creations I know I’m doing something right! I
learn
different techniques and discover gorgeous new beads everyday and I look
forward to growing my line of accessories.
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