An Interview with Birgitte of Sew Danish

Another in my very intermittent interview series…

Birgitte is the owner of Sew Danish, an Etsy shop focussing on textile art. And she has some beautiful stuff.

Tell me a little bit about yourself — your life story, one might say.

Where to begin? Life is great and very exciting. I’m Danish, but currently living in England in a beautiful old town with my American husband and our very old ginger cat. I’m a registered nurse and has been working in the operating theaters doing open heart surgery for many years. In the mid 1990 life changed a bit and I decided to apply for a job in Saudi Arabia at a hospital. My goal was with in a couple of years to make a saving so that I upon my return to Denmark, could start working part time as a nurse and at the same time pursue my lifelong passion of crafting by finally doing a formal craft training.

In Saudi (of all places) I met my wonderful husband. After about three years we moved to England. Shortly after our arrival to England I embarked on 5 years of contemporary craft training. I did City and Guilds part 1 and 2 (now diploma) in patchwork and quilting, as well as courses in contemporary hand and machine embroidery. The courses and its tons of assessments were all based on developing your own designs from your chosen design sources, through design work, sampling, to the finished product. Very very exciting and a fantastic eyeopener for me. I have been crafting since very early childhood. My mum taught me to knit when I was 6 years old. I loved it and has been crafting ever since. Being given the knowledge and tools to develop your own designs and then taking the designs in to hand-on techniques was pure play time. Very very busy years, but loved every minute of it.

After 7 years in England we moved to Virginia to the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains close to my husbands family. In Virginia I did a couple of farmers markets as well as local craft fairs which was a great way of being involved in the local community. It definitely helped me settling in and feeling grounded. But since life is wonderful unpredictable, we are after 2 years in the US now back in England, living in the same superb town. Shortly after our return I was invited to join two great contemporary exhibiting textile groups, which keeps me very busy. Lately I have taught quite a few workshops as well.

You do so many different things in your shop — dyeing, felting, sewing, weaving. They’re all textile-based, though. When did you start playing with textiles? What fascinates you about them?

I love working with with texture. I find it very intriguing building surfaces up from scratch using lots of layers. I love experimenting with anything that can be dyed or in one way or the other having colour added to it. Most of my work are textile based, but I often combine fabric and paper, layering, sewing, distressing, a bit of paint, beads and wire to finish. I have been a traditional quilter since the early 1980 ies. Now and then I still make a traditional quilt and I absolutely love the very tactile sensation when handling a quilt, but I must admit I that the freedom in playing and working with your own designs appeals to me greatly. The mixture of listings in my shop reflects that. I cannot help playing, following yet another idea of mine that has to be put into practice. Lately I have been exploring the possibilities of working with velvet. When designing I always tend to end up being very true to may Scandinavian roots and for the most part end up with quite simple, clean designs and very often in light to medium colour.

Given all of the different textiles you work with, do you play with reused or recycled items at all? Old clothing, napkins, curtains, anything like that?

Part 2 of my training was focusing on experimenting. You would for example take a traditional technique like lets say folded patchwork. Then you were expected to play and makes samples in as many ways as possible to explore the possibilities of that technique. Like working it in lots of different types of fabric, plastic, paper, work with scale, texture, overlapping, embellishing with stitch, beads, wire…..what ever.

During all this playing with techniques I early on started using things that I had accumulated over the years. I love going to flea markets (car boot sales in the UK), antique fairs, thrift shops etc. and over the years I have picked up stuff that I thought I couldn’t live with out, but didn’t really know what to do with. A lot of these items went in to my work and still does. I find it very satisfying recycling, reusing and re-purposing things. I love the soft, worn, washed look that old fabric has, as well as old cotton sheeting and tablecloths dyes beautiful. Most of the beads that I use for embellishment are from discarded/broken necklaces. When being given a bucket of flowers I’m love the flowers, but are usually (even more) excited about the cellophane wrap which can be coloured, melted, stitched…. the insides of some envelopes has beautiful delicate patterns that works wonders in design work when looking for adding a subtle pattern. By using recycled items in my work, I find that my finished pieces avoid having a store bought look as well as it usually has the benefit of keeping the cost down, especially when making larger exhibition pieces.

How did you decide to start selling your work, and how is that going for you?

In February one of the textile groups that I belong to, had a very well received exhibition and I personally did really well from our sale table. That combined with having sold well in the US, as well as gotten a fantastic response and feedback on my things from my customers, encouraged me to take the plunge end May and open my shop http:www.SewDanish.etsy.com . Being totally in the stone age regarding anything computer related, it has been a very steep computer learning curve. But great fun. I had expected to have had a bit more trade by now, but I’m positive that eventually more people will find me and sales will pick up. I’m spending quite a bit of time trying to find my way in and out Etsy, WLE and Indie. A lot of fun and I have met fantastic people, but it is surprisingly how much time it takes.

What sort of marketing advice might you give to someone who’s just starting out?

I’m still relatively new seller on Etsy. I opened up my www.SewDanish.etsy.com shop about 2 1/2 month ago and I must admit that I hadn’t really given it a whole lot of thoughts how I would promote my shop. I’m not that good on the computer, as I rather want to spend my time crafting, so I must admit that I learned a lot setting up shop. But it wasn’t until I had listed some items, that I actually started spending time in the Forum and realized that a lot a work was to be done to try to direct people to have a look (and hopefully buy) at your shop.

I have found the Forum an absolutely fantastic place to get info. I now try to be active in the Forum when ever possible. I have a page on WE LOVE ETSY where I do a bit of blogging and meet a lot of great people. I’ve signed up on Indie public, but haven’t been as active there as I would have liked to. Life has interfered. My email signature with a link to SewDanish follows every email that I send out, making it easy for people to click and have a look. I have had business cards made with photos of my work and are always carring some with me to hand out to people or pin where ever possible.

If any of you should happen to visit Denmark, then do bring a lot of cards. In most supermarkets, usually right by the entrance door, there are notice boards where people can put there cards and fliers. I kicked my self when I went there last month, as I had forgotten that that was the case, and ran out of cards. Whether it gives you any customers I don’t know, but it is worth the try. As a whole I don’t find it all that easy to promote my self. It is not really my nature to be pushy and seeking to draw attention to my self, so that as well as been an interesting aspect of setting up shop on Etsy. Having said that, since I am proud of what I’m making, I think it makes it a easier to over come and accept as something I have to do if I want to succeed on Etsy and any other site I might join in the future.

It sounds like you’ve had a lot more formal training in your craft than most of us indie folks — how do you think it’s affected how you work? And would you recommend formal training to the rest of us?

When doing my City and Guilds part 1 and 2 in Patchwork and Quilting as well as the contemporary machine embroidery course, there was a huge focus on developing your own designs from scratch. Part 1 we were taught art and design work, worked through a whole range of various hand and machine quilting techniques, as well as various dying and surface decorating techniques on how to colour your own fabrics.

Every other week we had a sewing technique alternating with art and design work. Prior to this course I hadn’t done any art/design work and to be quite honest it took me a few times before I got my head around to what I was supposed to do. And then I had FUN. We were by the art teacher introduced to a string of various design techniques always working from our personal chosen design source. The design source could be a piece of bark, a seed pod, a photo of stacked tiles…. what ever that appealed to you and matched the design briefs. Very very exciting and a huge eyeopener. On the sewing days our quilt teacher trained us in taking our developed designs and translating them into stitch. It was very exciting, challenging and such a different way for me to work. I felt that I took a huge leap forward in my crafting, and discovered an unknown side of my creativity.

I now recommend to anyone, if given the opportunity, to do a design course. It gives one a huge freedom and satisfaction to be able to take any given object or photo, go through the design process, choose the design and decide what is needed to translate it into a finished piece with focus on colour, texture and technique, so that the finished stitched piece is as true to your chosen design as possible.

As you can see, Birgitte’s work is really beautiful — when I’ve scraped up a little money I plan to buy a few things from her myself. In the meantime, I hope y’all are willing to go and have a look — there’s plenty there I haven’t shown you!

Interviewing Denille of Denille E.O. Designs!

I’ve owed Denille this interview for quite a while and what with one thing and another have only got round to it now. My apologies!

Denille runs Denille E.O. Designs, featuring awesome painted wooden pendants, jewelry, and art.

Some of her pendants are sold solo, ready to be strung from a chain of your choice and worn; others she makes into bookmarks, purse clips, and even wine charms.

I interviewed her a while ago, and here’s what she had to say:

Why wood?

I experimented with different materials for the pendants, but had the best outcome with wood. I just like the effect on wood created by the transfer process I use.

Tell me about the experimentation — I’m especially interested in the way you think about your process and the materials you use.

When I first decided I wanted to “make” stuff to sell, I didn’t yet know what that would be so I just played with all kinds of materials. For example, I experimented with clay, fabric, thread, different papers, lots of paint, pretty much anything you can find at a craft store. Finally, I started messing with wood, and it looked the best with my transfer process.

It just felt right…does that make sense??

So you decided to make things before you knew what you were going to make — the complete opposite of how I got started! Have you always been the creative sort? Were you the kid with finger paintings all over the fridge at home? The nook with popsicle sticks and Elmer’s Glue?

I have always been creative, but didn’t realize that I wanted to pursue art until my senior year in High school when I was forced to take an Art Appreciation class. That was the year we got a new teacher and she decided that each era we learned about, we’d also have to create something. I LOVED it, and have been “artsy” ever since! I even decided to get my degree in Fine Arts. :o)

What got you started?

I LOVE making stuff…it’s just a lot of fun for me. And I’ve always wanted to have the ability to work from home so when we start a family, I can be here with the kiddos. I know people who are able to make a good income creating and selling their products online.

So, a year ago I decided to take out the crafts stuffed in a drawer and started making random items. I believe you have to enjoy making whatever you’re selling, and be proud of it. After a LOT of experimentation, I realized I enjoyed combining digital design with paint, and then taking those art pieces and turning them into modern pendants. Not everyone wants to buy art because it can get expensive. But how neat is it to be able to wear art?!?! That’s essentially what I’ve done: I’ve taken my art and made it more affordable and “wear-able”.

And most importantly, I truly enjoy the entire process! And of course, people can still just buy the art if they’d like to.

How long have you been doing this, and how has your business grown in that time? How do you envision it, say, five years from now??

Well, technically, I’ve been doing art for a LONG time, but officially making and selling products since June of 2007, so about a year. I’d love to just see denille e.o. designs continue to grow and morph into whatever it needs to be. It started out as one thing, and has already changed according to both my needs and others’. I don’t know where it will be in five years, but I’m excited to see it, whatever it may be!

Have you ever considered going full-time with your shop? Or do you want to stay with teaching art and website design as well? How do you balance the three?

I love all the things that I do, and it helps me not get bored, so I’ll probably continue doing at least 2 or more things along with making items for my shop. :o)

How do you decide what you’re in the mood to play with today — paint, stones, or wood?

The products I enjoy making the most right now are the wood pendants and bookmarks. I’ve got the process down to an “art”. However, I really like creating the designs for the pendants, too.

I decide to paint on a very random basis. Sometimes I’ll get inspiration during the day or in the middle of the night, and I HAVE to paint that ideas at that precise moment. It’s fun!

Where do you find your inspiration, your ideas?

Gosh…there’s SO much out there. Other artists, magazines, photos, and just everyday life. I see things I like everywhere, and sometimes they are cool enough that I need to go draw or paint, or just make a simple little design for a pendant or bookmark. :o)

I’ve seen a lot of artists and writers talk about particular brands of journals being the ‘right’ one for carrying around for just such inspirations — do you carry a journal? Sketch on napkins? Write on the back of your hand? I used to keep a Palm Pilot by the bed for jotting down writing ideas in the middle of the night…do you have any equivalent?

I do have a journal that I use for sketching and collecting, but if I don’t happen to have that the moment inspiration strikes, I usually jot a little note down of what I was thinking to help me remember. Lost ideas are the worst!

Denille has a blog as well — you may remember that she interviewed me for it quite some time ago! She makes some truly lovely things and I hope you take some time to check out her work.

An interview with Nikki of Bastille Blue and Norsecraft!

I don’t entirely remember how I stumbled across Nikki of Bastille Bleu. Might have been through a hearting on Etsy, might have been through a blog link somewhere or other; the facts fade with time. But I’ve admired her beautiful lampwork beads for a while now, and I figured it was about time for me to give her a little more exposure.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that she also runs an Etsy shop called Norsecraft, and that she’s a fellow member of the Society for Creative Anachronism!

For the sake of those of you who don’t already knew what I do on the weekends, I began the interview there.

I note in the profile for NorseCraft that you’re a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism — can you tell me something about that?

I am one of probably 30,000 or more members of an organization called “The SCA” (aka Society of Creative Anachronism, initially started in Berkeley, CA in 1960’s) which recreates daily life in the European Middle Ages from 600 to 1600 century. Currently there are many groups (ie; Kingdoms, Baronies, Shires, etc) all throughout the United States and Europe, and on any given weekend, members get together and camp for events and larger “Wars” (which typically can go a week or more), dress in medieval clothing, learn skills used in the middle ages (ie; card weaving, lampworking, carpentry, scribal arts, dance, armored combat/archery/rapier, singing, cooking, costuming, storytelling [aka bardic], heraldry, etc), hold one-on-one tournaments and mightly battles, participate in courts held by the King and Queen of the land, and simply enjoy the camaraderie of those who also enjoy history and recreating the past.

We are like a very large extended family. No matter where you go, your bound to find someone who is in the SCA, and I think the exciting part is that when you meet a stranger on the street and find out he/she is in the SCA, suddenly smiles are exchanged… maybe even a hug…. and its like meeting a long lost brother or sister! It’s a unique, very memorable, and can be …. a life-changing experience.

You do a lot of different things — not many people have two shops! Lampwork, weaving, origami — how do you keep up with it all? And how do you decide ‘what am I going to do today’?

I chalk it up to being hyperactive with a little attention deficit mixed in, LOL! Honesly…. I have a true love affair with “learning”! When I was a young girl, one of my teachers asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I gave her a list of occupations, to which she replied, “You can only pick one”. I was very confident that she was wrong, and I grew up doing and learning a lot of different things, especially if it was artistic. How do I decide “what am I going to do today” is whatever inspires me at the moment!

I know there’s got to be more things you want to learn. What’s on your list of ‘things I want to learn to do someday’?

I would love to learn PMC3 (silver clay) and make my own silver pieces, learn fusing glass, and maybe even making pottery!

How did you get started with making glass beads?

I actually took a class about 9 years ago, but at the time I couldnt afford the kit and somewhere along the line, forgot about making glass beads. Then last year a friend of mine was selling kits, so I bought one from her and I’ve been making glass beads ever since.

Where do you get your ideas?

My ideas come from thoughts of what I like and what I think others might like, from books, movies, nature, life in general.

What’s something that’s inspired you recently — something that just made you put down what you were doing and go for the torch? (Or want to, if you were too far away to actually start).

Believe it or not…. Watermelon. I was eating the most juiciest watermelon and the idea hit me like a ton of bricks! Watermelon beads!

How did you decide to start selling what you make?

Well, I began simply giving my stuff away as gifts… a birthday here, anniversary there, but I was making so much stuff, more than I could give away or “gift out” that a close friend of mine said, “Wow….You make cool stuff.

Do you sell locally at all? How’s your local indie arts scene?

At this point I dont sell locally. I’m just starting to get my studio built and so I can produce a greater volume of beads and learn to play with some hard glass (boro) for pendants, which seem to be the “hot thing” in the local shops.

She makes truly lovely things — be sure to take a look! She also has a blog, so wander over there to see what she’s talking about, too.

Rose Works Jewelry

As part of my ongoing interview series I spoke with Ruthie of Rose Works Jewelry.

She makes a plethora of different kinds of jewelry — from simple earrings to complex and beautiful creations made with woven seed beads.

How did you get started with making jewelry?

I got started making jewelry when I graduated from Middle School. My Bible Study group leader taught the three of us who were graduating from her group how to do chain-link jewelry as a “going away” gift and activity. I didn’t really do much with it though until the last few years because of money and time constraints.

So what got you started again? Just had time to pick it up? Or was there an outside provocation as it were? And what inspired you to start selling it?

I was inspired by a variety of things to get back into doing bead work. For one, I took a vacation to stay with a friend who was living in Arizona at the time. Her room mate made jewelry and taught me a few new techniques that inspired me! Then a coworker who worked with seed beads gave me a magazine that had some designs in it. After a lot of frustrating stops and starts, I fell in love with it! I love how the seed bead projects are cheap, but they take up my time for awhile :) So over the last two years I’ve started making a lot more jewelry. Then, 6 months ago, I started getting really sick. I have severe asthma problems. I’m getting better now, but while I was spending hours sitting on the couch not able to do much of anything I started weaving beads with a passion. It was something that made me feel better about myself because I was still accomplishing something but I wasn’t moving much and that helped my body heal.

As for selling, I’ve been thinking about it seriously for about a year now. It’s an idea I’ve had in the back of my mind for years as I ran into various crafty people and visited art fairs, but I was always a little daunted by the start up costs and creating a beginning inventory. Before I moved away to college this last fall I splurged and bought a bunch of supplies so I could start working up an inventory. Then, when I got sick, I created a LOT of things! I gave a bunch to friends, but it also got me in the pattern of creating. A friend introduced me to etsy and the rest is, as they say, history!

That’s as good a way to get started as any — we all have to take the plunge somehow! Have you done any shows, and are you considering doing them? What’s the indie art movement in your area like? Is there one?

I haven’t done any shows yet, but I really want to! If my health continues to improve (long story) then there’s a chance I’ll be doing one in August. I’m also going to contact the gal in charge of our local farmers market and see I could maybe squeeze in one weekend if they end up with an extra space. I’m a little nervous about it, but I want to try!

What are some of your favourite types of beads to work with?

I love swarovski crsytal and African Opals! I probably spend the most time working with seed beads though, because their cheap. I do love my hand woven projects and I use them as a chance to relax because, once I’ve gotten the basic pattern started or figured out, it doesn’t take much thought.

Bead weaving boggles me — it seems tiny and fiddly, but you seem to enjoy it quite a bit. Where do you get ideas for your patterns? Do you work them out on graph paper first, or just on the loom? And what’s your favourite thing to watch on TV when you’re weaving?

First to clear up a common misconception…I don’t use a loom. I don’t even know how to use one! All the designs I do are hand sewn, bead by bead. The bracelets I have for sale are done using a technique known as brick-weave, and usually take 5-6 hours to complete.

I get my ideas for patterns from a variety of sources. In general I just keep my eyes open for patterns that I think I could translate into beads and then pull out my pencils and graft paper and play around until I’m happy! One of my latest designs (not woven yet) came from a pair of sandals a girl in my class was wearing…

I watch a lot of different things! I’m a hard core Bones and NCIS fan. I also will watch a lot of cartoons with my husband because then we’re still spending time together even though I’m working. I also watch old shows on-line, movies, and whatever else catches my fancy that day :)

I’d love to see a tutorial on how to do bead-weaving without a loom — I can’t even imagine how you’d do that. Any thoughts on combining your two passions and teaching bead stuff from time to time?

I think I’d be too nervous to do an on-line tutorial…but you never know! Right now I have so many ideas of my own that I’d like to work on and expand that I don’t think I’m ready to take that step, but you never know what the future might hold :)

Why teaching? And why Spanish?

Teaching. Well the funny story about me and teaching is…for years I swore I’d NEVER be a teacher! However, I went to school part time while working in fast-food management, pursuing a business degree, and decided that it was sucking away my soul, and I would end up hating myself if I went down that road! I’d always wanted to learn Spanish because my grandfather is a Cuban immigrant, but I had never considered teaching it. When people had suggested to me that I become a teacher I always thought along the lines of Elementary School. I love kids, but I would go CRAZY as an elementary school teacher! One day I realized that most of my life thus far, and especially the highlights, had involved teaching in some way shape or form. So, eventually, I decided to pursue teaching Spanish at the High School level. It’s been a long road to get here, but I’m happy. :)

My mom taught for a while — I have some understanding of the joys (and stresses) of the job. Do your kids know about the jewelry you make? And if so, what do they think of it?

I’m still going to school so there’s no kids yet to see my jewelry :) My class mates have bought some though!

Ruthie has a blag as well; it’s over at http://roseworksjewelry.wordpress.com/. She talks about her own work there, as well as others’; every Friday she features a fellow Etsy-er. Go on and have a look!

An Interview with PlaysWithBeads/ElegantByDesign

I’ve been meaning for a while to start a series of interviews featuring various indie folks like myself. Well, I’ve finally got off my butt and done one — and I have a couple more in process.

This one’s with Mary, proprietress of two Etsy shops: PlaysWithBeads and ElegantByDesign. I’ll let her explain in her own words, further down, why she has two shops:

How did you get started playing with beads (so to speak)?

This answer is sort of complicated but I’ll try to make it make sense:

Shortly before Christmas 2007 my coworker came in with a really cute charm bracelet on and I asked her where she got it. She told me she made it. We talked a little and she told me she would show me how to make them but we never really connected or had a plan. So during Christmas break (I work at the university) I bought some books and some beads and wire and started teaching myself to make jewelry. I loved it right away and it became a passion, sort of a therapy. I made several things during the break and even gave 5 Christmas presents of jewelry I had made. The response was very favorable, which just fueled my fire :)

Shortly after Christmas a couple different people suggested I try selling my jewelry on Etsy. I had never heard of Etsy but I checked it out and fell in love with the site and the concept. I opened my first shop (this one-playswithbeads) and sold a necklace within a couple weeks. That felt AWESOME! I found that shopping for beads and supplies was almost as fun as making the jewelry and soon had spent several hundred dollars (that I didn’t really have) worth of supplies, tools, and books (to be followed soon by a decent used camera and used laptop computer). I justified all this by telling myself that I would sell the jewelry and at the very least it was all a tax write off. I was really developing an interest in the elegant and beautiful jewelry made with pearls, crystal, sterling silver, etc and began thinking I wish I had a more elegant name than ‘playswithbeads’ so, since you can’t change your shop name on Etsy I decided to start another new shop with a name that reflected the image I wanted to portray. I called my shop Elegant by Design (elegantbydesign.etsy.com) and really got into the jewelry making aspect.

Sales on jewelry were slow and every once in awhile I would put some beads or stones on to sell and it seemed like they would sell right away. I started thinking maybe I could supplement my income by selling supplies and beads. So I re-opened my original shop-playswithbeads- to sell just supplies, and it is the shop you are familiar with. I ended up buying quite a bit from my coworker (the one who put the idea in my head in the first place) who was liquidating her stash, and also found some really great deals on some online websites. Now when I buy beads and supplies, I decide up front if I’m buying them to make jewelry, or buying them to sell. I’ve been very happy with the response to my beads shop but I still love LOVE to make jewelry. I’ve taken a bit of a break the past few weeks as I’ve been moving and traveling but plan to make some new stuff as early as next week!

Does it bother you to sell beads you could be making jewelry out of — or do you only sell the ones that don’t appeal to you?

I guess I sort of answered this question above. I probably sell beads that are actually nicer and more appealing than the ones I keep because I feel they are marketable. :)

You’ve made a quick start — do you see your business continuing to grow? What are the chances it’ll turn into what you do for a living? Would you want that?

I would love to see it continue to grow to be a nice supplemental income. But I LOVE love my job and have said in the past that even if I won the lottery I would still do what I do because it is very rewarding and I have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of college students every single day. But someday I am going to have to retire (in about 20something years) and would love to have my business to the point that I could make and sell jewelry fulltime after retirement.

Ahh! A tidbit about the rest of your life! It’s clear you find it fulfilling — what do you do for a living? How did you come to it? What would you want people to know about what you do?

I’ll try to make this brief (I don’t think I have a brief answer to anything, to tell the truth).
In 2002, at the age of 37, I decided to go to college for the first time. I wanted to major in Psychology and then get a master’s degree in counseling. I had always wanted to be a counselor, as long as I can remember.

I was married and in a pretty good place to be able to quit my job and focus on my studies. At the beginning of my second semester my husband asked for a divorce, (that’s another LONGer story) so I was on my own with 4 kids, 3 still at home, the oldest was in college with me, we started together and graduated on the same day. Very cool…

Anyway I had to find a job so I looked for openings on campus. In our classified section there was an ad for a Peer Advisor. I wasn’t sure what that meant exactly (I hadn’t been to an advisor personally) but from the job description, it sounded like something I would enjoy and would give me experience working one on one with people, much like I would be doing as a counselor. I applied and was offered the job the same day. And from the beginning, though I had a LOT to learn, I loved it. I knew I had found my niche. I worked there for four years, and as my graduation day approached, and since only students can be peer advisors, I knew my advising days would soon be coming to an end. I was very sad, and at the same feeling slightly unsure about what my next step would be. My desire to be a counselor had waned some, and my attachment to the college, the students, my coworkers, etc, had increased a lot. There is not a counseling program at BSU except for school counseling and that was not what I wanted to do so I would have had to transfer.

To my surprise, the week before I graduated in May 2007, my director informed me that there would soon be 3 openings for professional advisors in our office and she asked if I would apply. I was thrilled, I didn’t even have to tell her yes, she knew the answer. In the meantime, since it’s about a 3 month process, she offered me a temporary professional advisor position through the end of the year (last year).

During my summer temporary status I had the opportunity to work with one of the VPs of undergraduate studies to implement a new program for at risk students. Students who fail two semesters in a row are placed on academic probation (after the first semester) and then dismissed from the university for one semester. I had the pleasure of contacting these students and inviting them to participate in the pilot Facilitated Early Reinstatement program, which meant they would be able to return without having to sit out a semester, be given their financial aid (if they were otherwise eligible) would have regular advising, and would be enrolled in a class that would help them get back on track. I was initially the one who contacted them, then was invited to co teach the class. That was the turning point for me in my career. I felt this program was created just for me to facilitate, and during that semester, I had applied for the permanent professional position, and from 106 applicants, I was selected, along with two other awesome individuals.

I am the At Risk Student Program Coordinator at Boise State University, as well as an academic advisor. I now supervise other peer advisors. I just completed my first semester of facilitating the program and teaching the class on my own and had fabulous results. The students bond like they are family, and I feel like they are all my kids. They are all 21 and under, and have so much potential and so much to look forward to in their future, but often just need a little extra guidance to get everything in place.

In a nutshell, that’s me. See why I love my job? It’s like I get to adopt about 20 new kids every semester but I don’t have to feed them or buy their clothes. :)

What’s the tool you use most often?

I use pliers, wire cutters, and most important, a VERY good craft light (I’m not getting any younger and neither are my eyes) hehe

I won’t ask you where you get your beads — that’d be cheating. But where do you go to shop for tools? A big chain store? Small local ones? Online? Where would you recommend people new to jewelry making look?

This is funny because when I first got started I had no idea what difference the tools made so I bought some needle nose pliers and wire cutters at a pawn shop for $1 a piece. They were old and rusty but I had no idea what I needed to get started. Shortly after that I found a great deal on a set of jewelry tools at Joann’s (craft store). Now I keep my eyes open for good deals on tools that I need. And if you sign up to be on Joann’s mailing list they send coupons for 40-50% off any item in stock about every other month or so. I take advantage of every cost saver I can.

I don’t usually buy tools online because of the cost of shipping. In fact that is why I offer free shipping in my Etsy shop because it doesn’t make sense to buy something online and pay more for shipping than I could actually buy the beads for in person. Sometimes the shipping makes the over all cost unreasonable. To a person new to jewelry making, I recommend they buy the basic tools, according to what they want to make, then add more tools as they go, or when a project calls for something more specialized. I spent about $10 for a mandala (for making rings), used it once, and discovered I really didn’t enjoy making rings so now I have a nice mandala that hangs on a hook. I just thought I needed it, so I bought it.

I am really lucky to live in a town (Boise, Idaho) where there are several craft and bead stores, not to mention WalMarts, etc where I can go for my beads, tools, and supplies.

And speaking of your local area, do you sell locally as well as on Etsy? Craft shows? Consignment at local shops? How’s the indie art culture in your area?

So far, I have only done two craft shows because my schedule has been really busy lately. I moved and traveled for work within a weeks time. I’m still in the process of moving and haven’t made any jewelry since the beginning of May :-( I plan to do more craft shows this summer, though. A local diner is having a Farmer’s Market type thing in their parking lot every weekend through October. Their rates are pretty cheap so I think I’m going to go that route. Also, once in awhile my Etsy Street Team (Idaho Indie Works) has events and more often than not, they are free. Actually the two craft shows I have done have been with them. Which brings me to the next part of your second question. The Indie Art culture in Boise is booming. People in our community are very “Green” oriented and really support local eco friendly business and the small mom and pop, home made, etc shops.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell me (and my vast listening audience) about you and your business?

I guess one thing I’d like to add is never to stop growing and learning new things. I have always claimed that I don’t have a creative bone in my body but when I learned how to make jewelry (at age 42) I realized I was wrong and that I’m still “teachable.” I found a passion in creating and I have noticed a difference in my daily life. Because I no longer think of myself as being not creative, creativity seems to blossom where I least expect it (although I still can’t draw a stick figure) lol. I just think everyone should continue to explore new things and develop passions that will get them through these trying times.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my story. It’s been very enjoyable for me.