Q. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
A. I am a full-time, self-employed Jewellery Artisan. I was blessed with an incredible opportunity to work from home, which has allowed me to watch my children grow into the wonderful people they are becoming, and to provide a good life for the two of them and myself. I love to read, write, design jewellery and other artsy type things. I am a bead hoarder by nature. I fully believe that coffee is an essential part of life. And, I absolutely could not get through life without the few close friends that I have.
Q. How long have you been making jewelry? Describe the first piece you ever made.
A. I have been making jewelry since I was 12. I started with seed beads and fishing line. My very first piece was the ever popular beaded daisy chain. I made mine using embroidery floss and these really gorgeous rainbow colored glass beads. I can remember being really excited when I finally got it and the pattern just came together.
Q. What is your inspiration?
A. I’m very fortunate as I can draw inspiration from almost anywhere. My biggest sources come from the paint aisle at hardware store and when I'm window shopping at the mall – I just LOVE the color schemes used in store front displays.
Q. I love your chainmaille pendants! Which piece is your favourite and why?
A. Thank you so much! They were a lot of fun to create! My favourite piece would have to be the Romanov Earrings. They look like small, elegant birds’ nests.
Q. What time of day do you do most of your creating?
A. I am a night owl. Most of my creating happens between 1 am and 4 am. That’s when all my brilliant ideas occur. All of the business-y stuff gets done during the day when the kids are at school.
Q. What made you start selling on Etsy?
A. I started selling on Etsy as a way to supplement my income. I had been selling full time on eBay for years, but needed an avenue that was more geared towards handcrafted items and supplies. A friend actually mentioned Etsy to me and I'm really glad she did. I've been selling on Etsy for about three and half years now.
Q. What was the first item that you sold?A. The very first item I sold was a Beaded Watch, using Swarovski Crystals and Mother of Pearl shell beads, in bright summery colours.
Q. Do you have a work space that you do your work at?
A. I have a designated work space in my bedroom for the time being. I’m looking at studio space for the fall. I’m really looking forward to separating home & work.
Q. Where else can people find you? i.e. facebook, twitter, pinterest etc.
A.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/krystamariedesigns
Twitter: @ldunlopKMD
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/kmdesigns
Blog: www.krystamariedesigns.wordpress.com
Website: www.krystamariedesigns.com
Q. What is the most challenging piece of jewelry you've ever worked on?
A. The most challenging piece I have ever created was a Dragonscale Posture Collar. It contained over 2000 jump rings. It took over 30 hours to complete and I had to take it apart three separate times for it to finally weave properly.
Q. Is there anything else that you want people to know about you or your shop?
A. Krysta Marie Designs is my passion; it’s my life’s blood. Other than my children, it’s the reason I look forward to getting out of bed every day. I am truly grateful for the opportunity that I have to do what I love and earn a living from it. I create every single piece by hand, and my care and great attention to detail definitely shows through all of my work. Each piece is truly a labour of love; blood sweat and tears goes into quite a few of my pieces!
Thank you so much Lyenne for taking the time to do this interview! You're jewelry is amazing!
No comments:
Post a Comment