I spotted one of Corrina’s (http://corrinasmith.folksy.com) necklaces on the front page of Folksy today and went to explore her shop more. Her work uses mainly silver, both silver clay and sterling, and is well thought out and beautifully put together.
LEJ Jewellery is Jo- though I’m not sure what LEJ actually stands for or symbolises- it’s a mystery! I particularly like the combinations of colour that Jo uses in her work as well as her eye for great beads!
Who are you and where do you come from?
My name is joanne, i do many craft such as cross stitching, card making, jewellery making and i have recently started glass fusing and knitting. I live in lancashire with my husband and 2 lovely children.
What do you do in your spare time other than craft?
Spare time? whats that? no seriously i like going for walks and just enjoying the quite.
Please tell us a little bit about what you make.
I mainly make jewellery, my style is novelty although i do make some fashion pieces too. I love to make something which the chances of someone else having is slim. I have recently sold 2 VW beetle charm bracelets from one of my shops and have had an order for a spider charm bracelet. Plus pigs are always popular.
What do you enjoy making most?
I have to say bracelets as they are what i have the most of. I think lampwork beads are my favourite beads at the minute for making them with too.
What part do you dislike the most?
Having to wait until the kids go to bed before i start, i would craft all day if i could. It’ll probably be easier once my youngest starts school next year.
What are your main inspirations for making a piece?
Sometimes i’ll see a piece in a magazine which i like ie. colours or style and then i will change it so it is more my piece. I also love fairies and angels and a few of my pieces tend to be designed with that feel.
Do you plan out your designs or do you get stuck in straight away when inspiration strikes?
More often than not i will just put all my beads out on the living room floor and go from there, once everything is out i can see what works together and what doesn’t.
What are you currently making?
I am currently making some beaded curtain tiebacks, i have just made a hello kitty set and i am now going to try and make some boy themed ones.
Do you make custom orders?
Yes, i welcome any custom orders.
Where can we buy your work?
My work is available from my website – www.lej-jewellery.co.uk
My misi shops – http://www.misi.co.uk/store_info.php?user_id=467
My folksy shop – http://www.folksy.com/shops/lejjewellery
and my coriandr shop – https://www.coriandr.com/shop?seller_id=435
I discovered this relatively new shop on the homepage of Etsy today. Everything at http://shopmarmalade.etsy.com is made with fabrics and resin, two of my favourite materials. These little necklaces look like tiny embroidery hoops- I hope you like them as much as I do!
Jo makes classic and effective silver jewellery, through traditional piercing techniques and also dabbles in silver clay, resulting in some beautifully feminine and organic pieces.
Who are you and where do you come from?
My name is Jo Tinley, and I currently live in Southampton. I lived in Leicester before that, and Suffolk and West Sussex too. I’m a jewellery designer and silversmith, and I absolutely love my job! I teach jewellery making and silversmithing too, and write tutorials for my website, my blog (www.daisychaindesignsjewellery.blogspot.com) and for craft magazines.
What do you do in your spare time other than craft?
We have a 3 year old boy, so he obviously gets most of my non-crafting time. I wouldn’t have it any other way, though, and although from a business point of view the extra time when he goes to school will be welcome, it’ll come as a big shock too. I think I’ll be the one with the separation issues!
I do spend a lot of my ‘free’ time doing other crafts though. I’ve recently renewed my addiction to knitting – 4 pairs of glove, 2 pairs of baby booties and two hats so far this year, and I’ve got a few other patterns lined up waiting for me. I’m very lucky that I come from a family where arts and crafts were always valued and encouraged, and I was taught quite a few crafts at an early age.
And then there’s the work we need to do to our house and garden – it’s a bit of a project too!
Please tell us a little bit about what you make.
I design and make sterling and fine silver jewellery, and sometimes gold if a commission calls for it. My style tends to be fairly delicate looking, and based on natural shapes and patterns. I use gemstones and designer lampwork beads in my designs too. Some of my pieces are one-offs, either because of the length of time that they take to make or because the materials they’ve used are themselves unique. Other pieces are made-to-order.
As well as the jewellery I sell, I also design pieces for my classes and for tutorials. I run workshops at home – everything from complete beginner’s classes to one-to-one silversmithing tuition – and am about to start teaching a City and Guilds course at my local college.
What do you enjoy making most?
Last week I would have said making bangles as I made quite a few and find the whole process very therapeutic; this week its stone setting as I’ve nearly finished a brooch with an onyx set in the middle, and I’m really pleased with it. It really depends on what I’m working on.
What part of jewellery making do you dislike the most?
The admin – accounts, taxes, the things that no one enjoys but have to be done!
What are your main inspirations for making a piece?
Anything and everything that I see around me, from the pattern on a piece of material to the shape of a leaf.
Do you plan out your designs or do you get stuck in straight away when inspiration strikes?
Both! I have 3 sketch books – one by my bed (there’s nothing worse than having an idea just as you’re about to drop off to sleep and not having anything to write it down on), one in my bag that goes everywhere with me, and one in my workshop. I have lots of ideas jotted down in there, but still if inspiration suddenly strikes as it did with the brooch last week, I just have to get straight to work!
What are you currently making?
On my desk at the moment are 3 bangles, the brooch I mentioned, and a leaf cuff. The bangles are commissions, the brooch is a new design, and the cuff is one of the made-to-order items on my website. I sold one last week and I like to keep one in stock.
Do you make custom orders?
Yes! I love commission work, especially when I’m designing something with a client. I like a challenge, and it’s great making a piece with someone specific in mind.
Where can we buy your work?
On my website (www.daisychainjewellery.co.uk), and at notonthehighstreet (www.notonthehighstreet.com/daisychaindesigns).
I’ve also got work in some local galleries – I try to keep the stockists page on my website updated.
I also post pictures on my blog of many pieces of work that don’t make the websites as they’re destined for galleries or are commissions, so it’s always worth checking there to see is there’s something you like!
Nic is a regular on the Crafteroo forum, and shares lots of useful tutorials on her website, from cardmaking to glass pebble magnets. She is currently updating her website, where she sells semi-precious jewellery which is elegant and timeless in design.
Who are you and where do you come from?
I am Nic, I was born in Manchester and lived in Macclesfield in Cheshire most of my life but moved down to London to live with my Fiancé in 2006.
What do you do in your spare time other than craft?
Now then, how long have we got? I enjoy Medieval Re-enactment and when actively taking part I portray a 14th Century Lady of great wealth alongside my Fiance who portrays a Knight in the court of King Edward III. I collect and read books, collect playing (and other kinds) of cards and I enjoy car modding and am currently working on my 17 year old Mazda 323F. I also keep tropical fish and own two Cockatiels which take up quite a bit of my time. I also design and develop websites and am currently working on a completely new look for my Bijou Dragon website which I hope will wow the customers a little. I build and maintain PCs, play PC games and enjoy working with anything technical either hardware or software related. I have a rather time consuming addiction to Photoshop CS3 as well which can suck up several hours at a time. There’s also cooking and brewing beers, wines and Meads… there’s not much I don’t do to be honest!
Please tell us a little bit about what you make.
Well, I started making earrings as a hobby after buying some cheap ones from e-Bay which weren’t terribly wonderful. I decided I could do better so I started making earrings then moved onto bracelets and finally necklaces. Up until now I have worked in Silver Plate but I have slowly moved onto Sterling Silver and will be moving over to predominantly Sterling Silver items in the future.
What do you enjoy making most?
I enjoy making anything with Sterling Silver and either Semi Precious stones or Swarovski Crystal beads. Being a bit of a magpie I greatly enjoy making anything shiny or shimmery and I enjoy the healing aspect of certain semi precious stones.
What part do you dislike the most?
Currently I dislike inserting small pieces of php code into my new website design which clashes with some other, earlier inserted code which makes my shop disappear in a poof of electronic tomfoolery. But I really dislike trapping little bits of my finger in pliers, it makes my eyes water.
What are your main inspirations for making a piece?
I don’t tend to work from inspiration alot of the time I just generally sit down and go with the creative flow but on occasion I take inspiration from the current season and try to come up with something that will make people immediately think of say a particular season or a particular historical period.
Do you plan out your designs or do you get stuck in straight away when inspiration strikes?
A bit of both once again. Sometimes I just sit there with the beads in front of me and make whatever comes to mind but occasionally I see some special beads which require a little designing before hand but these tend to be the one off pieces I make that cannot be repeated due to say the hand crafted aspect of the bead or beads.
What are you currently making?
I am currently working on a beautiful Purple glass bead and Sterling Silver necklace, earring and bracelet set along with a Lampwork bead Sterling Silver bracelet which will feature on my new look website.
Do you make custom orders?
I do on the proviso I can source the materials needed and it is within my capabilities or area of expertise to make the item requested.
Where can we buy your work?
You can pop along to http://www.thebijoudragon.com we’re always happy to see you!
I added Kathryn to my Flickr favourites a little while back, but recently noticed her Penny dog tags on Etsy and thought it was very apt! I might even get one for Penny herself! Here’s a few highlights from her shop!
http://KathrynRiechert.etsy.com
If you have any great tips for sellers to feature, either in the UK or elsewhere in the world, please drop me an e-mail at kerry@penny-dog.co.uk
I AM A NO-REPLY BLOGGER. Sorry about that- it's a Wordpress thing. You can e-mail me though at kerry(AT)penny-dog.co.uk - I won't mind!
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