Hey there, please welcome Rachel of RoseAndRaven. She was nominated winner in the Product Spotlight for the month of July. You'll get a chance to learn a little about the artisan behind these lovely creations.
First off, tell us a little about yourself! I'm married with two teenage sons and I live in Norfolk which is a beautiful county in the UK.
How did you start creating your artwork, and how long have you been doing it? I've been involved in the world of beads and jewellery making for several years now. I started off making bits and pieces of jewellery which I used to sell on Ebay. One day as I was browsing for beads I came across some gorgeous handmade glass beads. I was so enthralled with these that I set about finding out all I could about how to make these fabulous little glass treasures. I got myself a kiln, torch and lots of glass and set off on my lampwork beadmaking adventure. I've been making glass beads for around five years now but I'm taking a break for while and concentrating on my jewellery making again. I hope to create a range of lampwork jewellery soon.
What do you love most about your craft/business?
I love being surrounded by beads and shiny things! I also love the freedom that being self employed brings although it can also be a bit stressful when sales are slow or you've lost your mojo!. I love that I can get to create whenever I want!
What is your most treasured possession? Hmmm..well my family and my little cat are the most treasured things I have in my life although they're not technically possessions. I'm really not very materialistic so I don't have many 'things' as such. As long as my loved ones are safe and well and I have my memories that's all I really need.
Where do you get your inspiration from? My current range of jewellery is really inspired by nostalgia. I love vintage advertisements and illustrations - I find the the soft muted colours really inspiring and evocative. I was brought up around vintage stuff as my Dad was (and still is) an avid collector.
His collections ranged from postage stamps, coins, tea cards, cigarette cards, old advertising magazines, tin toys....too many to remember!! I try to recreate a little of that nostalgia, romance and quirkiness in my pieces.
When I make my lampwork beads I tend to go with whatever comes. Sometimes it's colour that inspires me and sometimes it may be an emotion. I find melting glass is quite therapeutic in that respect.
Outside of crafting what
else do you enjoy doing?
I'm quite boring really! I do actually find it quite difficult to switch off sometimes so I enjoy getting out in the countryside for walks to clear my head.
As we're only 20 miles or so away from the sea we often take a drive and have a wander around some of the lovely picturesque Norfolk coastal villages.
LINKS:
Lampwork beads Flickr gallery
