Friday’s Featured Artist – The Jewelry Box!!!

I had a lot of fun getting to know Brenda of The Jewelry Box in this weeks interview!  She’s not only a fellow member of the Eastern Washington Etsy Team – she’s a fellow jewelry artist!  I love getting to know other jewelry artists and having the opportunity to both be inspired and, often, to learn from them.  I hope you love getting to know her as well!

Before we get started, I just have to share the opening lines of her shop announcement, because it’s so perfect for her store!

“Feel free to rummage through my jewelry box. You may just find that perfect gift or something you can’t live without.”

1. Tell us your story – what got you started in this business?

In 2006, My Mother gave me some containers filled with beads, findings, and supplies. Well..not knowing anything about jewelry, I put them away, until it got closer to Christmas, and funds were very tight. I pulled out the containers, dusted them off, and made earrings as gifts. Everyone loved them and even commented on my “talent!” So then, my beading and jewelry making adventure began, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

2. Do you make any other crafts?

Yes. I do a little sewing here and there making curtains and pillows. I make my own business cards, earring cards, jewelry tags, and gift boxes. I also like to create magnets and greeting cards.

3. What’s your favorite piece you have up on etsy right now?

Hmm…right now, I would say my “Amoura” necklace, cause it was fun making it, and I love the way it turned out. My utmost favorite is “My AvantGarde” necklace, but it’s not listed right now, cause it’s being featured in the 2009 January issue of “Bead Trends” magazine. Something I’m very excited about!

That is really exciting Brenda!  I’m happy for you! – And here’s her “Amoura” necklace folks!

4. Where do you do your work and what do you listen to while you work?

I create in my newly painted craft/work room in my basement. I listen to music mostly…94.5FM, and sometimes, I will listen to certain tv programs.

5. Tell us a little bit about the teams your on and the benefits to being a member of them.

I’m on 2 Etsy street teams; Eastern Washington Etsy Team and Artisan Beaders Street Team. I enjoy the camaraderie, and I like to participate when I can. I’m an Admin for the Eastern WA Team’s Flickr site, and I’m participating in the Friendship Boxes event. I’m one of the authors on the Artisan Beader’s blog, and an Admin on our ProBoard forum. I’m also one of the “minutes” takers for our weekly chat meetings. I think the benefits of each team is the friends I make, promoting each other, the fun events, and the inspiration I find.

6. Tell us one random thing about yourself!

Oh wow…this is a hard one. Okay…I was a single Mother for the first 16 years of my son’s life. It was hard and stressful at times being both Mom and Dad, but if I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing!

Wow – a single Mom for 16 years is something to be really proud of accomplishing!  Kudos Brenda!  And now for my favorite picks from her shop…

Aren’t these Cascading Earrings Just Gorgeous?

And they’d go well with this bracelet!

You know us girls, we just wanna have some fun!

And I know you’d make a splash in this piece!

Some major changes in my life.

Ok, most of you who know me through the worlds of etsy and this jewelry blog don’t know my about my life outside of that world.  I know some of you are aware that I have health problems, but I tend not to talk about them in this setting that much other to mention sometimes when I’m not feeling good.

The short story is that I have chronic, life-threatening, asthma and severe allergies as well as a host of minor issues.  I’ve always gotten through it pretty well, but this last year has been a different story.  Simply put, my body doesn’t like living in this part of the state.  It’s been a wild battle full of doctors visits, shots, medicines, steroids, and lots of frustration and fear.

My doctors have been suggesting for awhile now that we move home.  I fought against that for a long time because this is the best college to enable me to pursue the program I wanted too.

Well, I’ve finally decided to stop fighting.  I thought by now, with all the treatments I’m going through and medicines I’m on, that I’d be doing a lot better.  I’m not.  I have been doing some better over the summer, but not enough.  And, in the last two weeks, I’ve had several really serious asthma attacks again.

So after some long talks with my husband and our parents we’ve decided to move back to the other side of the state.  We’ll be moving in the next month and I’m going to take some time off from school just to heal.

What does this mean for the jewerly/etsy world?  Several things.

1. I’m going to have to step down from my Eastern Washington Etsy team because I no longer will be living in that region.  This is tearing me up because I really love every one on that team and all that I’ve been able to be a part of to strengthen and encourage the team!  I’m sooo going to miss you guys!

2. In the next few weeks, as we get moved, life will be hectic.  I still have a week and a half of the day class that I’ve been doing and now I’m adding this one top of it.  *sigh*  I’m not going to stress too much about packing because our parents have told me they can do it all if necessary, but it does mean if I have energy I’m less likely to be working on things jewelry and etsy related and more likely to be preparing for this move.  So things will be a little crazy for me in that world for awhile…

3. I’m going to keep free shipping up in my store until we’re settled in at home because my ability to ship will be kinda erratic here for awhile.