Featured Artisan: Cinlynnboutique

First off, tell us a little about yourself!

 My name is Cindy and I live in Michigan, in a Lake Michigan coastal town, with my husband and 2 cats.  I raised 2 sons and have 2 wonderful daughters-in-law and 2 beautiful grandchildren.  I've always been somewhat artistic, but not with jewelry.  My artistic was in the form of sketching and painting.  As a child, my Dad and Grandfather owned jewelry stores and were both watchmakers.  I had no interest in jewelry until I became a teenager.  But then I only wanted to buy it, not make it.

Source

 

How did you start creating your jewelry, and how long have you been doing it? My interest in making jewelry came when my daughter-in-law decided I would enjoy it and bought me the tools as a gift.  So, I decided to try my hand at it and fell in love!  I found my artistic niche!  That was about 5 years ago and I haven't stopped.  Actually I can't stop!  I'm so addicted to it!  LOL

Source

Outside of crafting, what else do you enjoy doing? 

That's not all I'm interested in.  I'm one of Jehovah's Witnesses and spend my day hours preaching and conducting Bible studies.  That is actually my first love! 

Source

Where do you get your inspiration from?

My inspiration comes from a lot of different places.  Sometimes it's color combinations that I see.  Sometimes it's other creations that trigger an idea (not that I copy other people's work.  They just give me ideas that's all).  I look at a lot of beading magazines and books for ideas too.

Source

If you want to see some of my creations, stop in my shop and take a look.  Here's the link:
www.cinlynnboutique.etsy.com

You can also follow me:
https://www.facebook.com/cindy.newell1
https://twitter.com/Beadlynn7
https://pinterest.com/cinlynnboutique/

Continue reading

Featured Artisan: Linda B

First off, tell us a little about yourself!
I'm Linda B and I'm married to my high school sweetheat and we have 3 furry
cat children. I love to watch the cats and play with them; they're very
social and spoiled rotten.

Source

 

How did you start creating your jewelry, and how long have you been doing it?

My passion is creating gemstone and glass and wire wrapped jewelry. I
specialize in Jewish jewelry and accessories, including earrings, necklaces
and beaded wire kippot (headcoverings). My inspirations come from the
shapes and colors of the beads and may be a variation of a design I've seen
in a beading magazine. Most of my designs feature some type of movement; I
love swirls and squiggles.

Source

Outside of crafting, what else do you enjoy doing?

I work full time and beading is a way to express my creativity. I remember
beading with pony beads as a kid, and was reintroduced to the art at a
women's meeting. We made bracelets with bells and ribbon while listening to
a speaker and I was hooked, or should I say wired? LOL I've been creating
jewelry for about 7 years now and online for about 4 years.

 

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Reading books is another favorite thing to do. After a long day, I love to
immerse myself in a good detective novel or thriller. I do read ebooks, but
I prefer to turn the pages on a real book. One of my dreams is to have a
pajama party at a library. Ours is by a river and has a fireplace, it would
be so perfect.

You can find me online in a ton of places - I love social media:

www.lindab142.etsy.com
www.lindab142.artfire.com
www.linorstorecom.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/linorstore
www.twitter.com/lindab142
www.pinterest.com/lindab142
www.wanelo.com/lindab142

Continue reading

Featured Artisan: Luna Jewelry

First off, tell us a little about yourself!

My name is Julia, and I am a traditional artist and jewelry designer from Central Massachusetts.  I am also happily married with two daughters, who keep me pretty busy!  

Source

How did you start creating your jewelry, and how long have you been doing it?

I discovered Etsy around four years ago or so, and while browsing around, I happened upon some really beautiful pendants using re-purposed scrabble tiles.  I became intrigued, so I found some tutorials online and tried them out with old game pieces that my mother-in-law had.  From there I bought my first set of jewelry pliers and borrowed a book from my local library called Bead on a Wire by Sharilyn Miller.  I soon found that the creative possibilities for jewelry were endless, and I just fell in love.  My idea of creating something beautiful and being able to wear it and share it with others became my passion. 

Source

Outside of crafting, what else do you enjoy doing?

I love reading, taking walks with my family, and doing yoga.  I've found that taking this time for myself every day helps to keep me centered and also keeps the creative juices flowing. 

Source

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I love nature and use what I see around me as my inspiration. We live on a historic road called Devils Elbow (no joke!). It's quiet and full of visual treats (birds, bees, butterflies, frogs, bunnies, and even the occasional bobcat).  I also love being outside with my daughters and seeing the world through their eyes. Sometimes they will point out little things that I miss, and it will spark a new creation. 

Source

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Yes- if there is something crafty that you love to do, and you dream of earning money while doing it, GO FOR IT!  I was laid off from my corporate America job in March of 2009, and I decided to open my Etsy shop that August instead of heading back into the workforce.  Some days were tough, but for the most part I have not regretted my decision. I get to spend more time with my family now, and creating beautiful jewelry is now my job. For me, it doesn't get much better than that!

Source

Links:

My Etsy shop:  http://www.lunajewelry.etsy.com
My facebook page is:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Luna-Jewelry/164072323350

Continue reading

Featured Artisan: Catarionna

Tell us a little about yourself!

My name is Catherine Somerlot, and I am a jewelry designer, photographer, digital artist and web & graphic designer from Cleveland, Ohio.

Source

How did you start creating your artwork, and how long have you been doing it?

I taught myself how to make tatted lace about 3 years ago, at a very chaotic time in my life when I needed to find a bit of calm (and a reason to occasionally get away from my design work in front of the computer!). When I was a little girl I would make friendship bracelets out of embroidery floss, so tatting naturally became very appealing to me. Learning wasn't easy...but I practiced and practiced the double stitch for a week, and by the second week I was flying! Since then I've been designing my own elegant, intricate pieces that I incorporate into my jewelry.

Source

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I am inspired by myth, folklore and literature, specifically Celtic and Greek myths. At the time I'm writing this, I'm in Northern Ireland exploring the arts and crafts industry which is quite vibrant here. Ireland has a rich history with lace making, and I've enjoyed learning a bit about how certain types of Irish lace are made. I also love the "vintage" aesthetic of the Victorian-era, which is when tatting became a popular craft.

Source

Is there anything else you would like to share?

This year I started an arts collective with my partner in Northern Ireland called Autumn Arts & Crafts. At the moment it's just the two of us combining our various skills to collaborate on new work and products to sell at craft fairs, but we hope in the future to let it grow into a craft shop, studio space and organization that takes other artists in. We strongly believe in handmade craft and supporting independent creative businesses, so hopefully we'll be able to make this dream become a reality. I am writing about our journey on our blog, http://autumnartsandcrafts.blogspot.com

Source

Extras:

Facebook: http://www.catarionna.com

Storenvy: http://catarionna.storenvy.com

Continue reading