Interviewing Julie-Ann of JulieAnnsJewels:

Earrings, Sterling Silver, Olive Pearls- JJs

1…You are jewellery designer. I believe you have many other commitments also. Please tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Julie-Ann and I am in country Victoria in a little town called Nhill. We are the midway point on the Highway between Melbourne and Adelaide.
I am a wife, mum to 4 kids and nanna to one. My children have their own problems that hubby and I have to deal with. We have an autistic son, a daughter with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (mixed connective tissue disease), a son with dyslexia compounded with a language disorder – which brings a lot of medical and professional appointments.
I am an Avon representative and have been for the last 20 years. I’m also a member of Business Nhill – our local town’s business group. I am co-leader of an ebay team and admin on the etsy down under street team (DUST). I list on ArtFire, Etsy & MadeIt with blog, facebook, flickr, myspace, plurk, twitter type promotions.
I love to teach the recorder to the primary kids at one of our local schools and have done so for 8 years now. Other school commitments include: Parents & Friends treasurer; classroom help on Friday mornings; and I’m on the secondary school chaplaincy committee.
I am also on our church’s Parish Council and treasurer for the last 10 years or so. I also do the weekly pew sheets for church.
I love to play clarinet and read – when I can find the time!

Bangle Bracelet, Sterling Silver, Crystal, Red Tiger’s Eye – JJs

2…Please tell us more about your role on DUST (down under street team).
I joined DUST not long after I joined Etsy, way back in June/July 2007. I am the contact person for new members. Australian Etsy sellers can contact me with questions and requests to join the team, I then send an email with all the relevant details. Once the new member has joined the team’s forum, I receive an email to activate their account, after doing this I send a convo back to let them know their account is activated and include a few helpful links.

I also organise the teams Chit-Chat threads, each week on the Etsy forum and fortnightly on the DUST forum.

I instigated the monthly Sale and organise the promotion thread for that in the Etsy forum’s and try to do an item/seller of the day at least a few times a week. It’s a great way to show the Etsy community what we Aussie can do when we band together.

The only other thing I do on a regular basis is to organise the DUST Swap bi-monthly. We have a sign-up month and then the fun begins when I pair up the partners and the swapping begins. We have had many happy swappers and DUSTers learn a little about each other through the swaps.

Necklace, Rose Quartz, Swarovski, Sterling, Rhodium – JJs

3…Can you tell us a little about how you became a jewellery artist?
I went to a craft group in the early 2000’s; the craft was beading Christmas Decorations with plastic beads. I was able to read the patterns and make the decorations without any extra help even though I had never beaded before. So I bought some beads and started playing and the rest as they say is history!

4…How would you describe your jewellery?
Perfect for all occasions from casual day wear to a night on the town. Colourful, elegant, fun and probably comical at times.

Bracelet, Sterlling Silver, Prasiolite, Adventurine, Pearl, Lampwork Beads – JJs

5…What does creating mean to you?
It’s my time out, time away from the responsibilities’ and duties of daily life; whether it’s family or other organisations.

6…Is there anything you would like to add?
You can find me here…
Blog, ArtFire, Etsy, MadeIt, FaceBook and Twitter

All my links are always on my blog…
Always open to a custom order, contact me through one of my sites above.

Caitlin, nice to be interviewing you for the DUST team blog!

Melinda the Monkey

Please tell me a little about your product – what do you make, how do you do it, and why do you make it (inspiration, fun, whatever).

I make lots of different things actually, but my favourite things to create are children’s clothes and soft toys. I think one of the reasons that I love to make these specifically is because I have lots of younger brothers and sisters, and I have always enjoyed making things for them. Seeing the delight they had in using items I made inspired me to make them for other children too.

Scrap Bed Quilt

Is crafting your fulltime occupation, or do you have a dayjob, family or other daily responsibility?

No I would love if I could craft all day every day, but that’s just isn’t the reality. I help with homeschooling my siblings, teach a RE class at a local school and lots of other home type duties too.

Dot The Dinosaur

What do you think makes your product stand out from the rest?

It’s so hard to find nice little girl dresses at the shops – that’s why I think mine (but also other handmade dresses) should stick out. I try hard to choose pretty materials that will attract any little girl’s eye and I make sure they are sewn carefully so the dresses will last for ages.

Where do you sell, and where can we find you? Please include websites, regular markets, etc.

I sell on etsy and on madeit.

Please tell our readers something quirky or funny about yourself.

Hmm, something quirky or funny – let me think….. I suppose I have lots of quirky little habits. One of them being that I will only ever eat off the same spoon. We have lots of different brands of spoons, but there is only one that I will ever eat off. I will search through the whole drawer to find it and if I can’t find it and it’s dirty I will wash it up just so I can eat off it. Weird I know

Round Apron Dress – Size 2

Thanks so much for taking the time to be interviewed, it has been lovely getting to know you and your craft better.

1. Tell us about yourself (where you live, your family life, where you grew up)
My name is Michelle or Mich for short. I’m a mum to two beautiful girls
aged 7 and 3. My husband is Bolivian, we met in London, married in London and decided to settle in Melbourne after a trip to South America. I’m the eldest of 3 girls and now live a few suburbs away from where I grew up after living overseas for a couple of years and trying out a lot of different suburbs in Melbourne. Life is busy but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Vintage Teal Hoops – Vintaj Earrings
2. What are your inspirations for making your beautiful jewellery?
I find inspiration everywhere, from nature, to my girls drawings and art
work, to old movies, books and magazines. Generally designs pop in my head any time during any given night which makes it hard for a restful sleep.

3. What are you favourite materials to work with?
My favourite materials change all the time, right now I’m really enjoying
working with vintage components, I also get a kick out of mixing different metals together.

Full Bloom Locket Necklace – Ivory Lucite and Vintaj Brass

4. I’ve noticed that you use a lot of vintage supplies and beads in your jewellery – where do you find such great items?
I spend a lot of time seeking out great supplies from around the world and I have found a few really good suppliers that are helpful and friendly who are also a joy to deal with.

Turquoise and Crisp White Roses – Hair Pins 2x Sets

5. What is the number 1 thing that you know now, that you wish you knew when you were a new seller on Etsy?
When I was a new seller I felt like a little fish in a big Etsy pond and
very alone, but after a while I made myself familiar with other Melbournian sellers and later joined the Etsy DUST Team. It’s good to know there are groups you can join where you can give and receive support.

Vintage Mulberry Swirl – Oxidized Sterling Silver Earrings
6. When you’re not creating or selling, how do you spend your time?
I’m constantly running around after my girls with Kinder and School,
sports, parties and general house maintenance. I’ll also be helping my
husband a lot more this year with his business.
I enjoy catching up with friends and family, reading, writing and listening to music. I dream of travelling some more.

7. What’s the nicest thing anyone has said about your jewellery?
Ooooo this is hard to answer because any compliment is always nice to hear, but the most sentimental would be my first Etsy feedback which I was thrilled with at the time, (and still am quite chuffed about)

“My mother received this & she says it’s absolutely beautiful! Incredibly
fast shipping too :) Can’t say enough good things about this transaction. . .”

8. Where and what would you like to be doing in 5 years time?
It’d be nice to stay here in Eltham, Victoria and own our dream home.
I’d love to have a handmade/craft shop, where I could sell things that I
make and have other arty/crafty people sell their goodies too.
Above all else I hope that my family and I remain healthy and happy – if we have that, I’ll be very content.

I was thrilled to interview the lovely Christina from Billy Mac Clothing. She may be fairly new to the DUST Team and Etsy, but look out for her and her gorgeous creations.
I predict only good things for this lovely clothing designer from Sydney.

1. Tell us about yourself (where you live, your family life, where you grew up)
I live in Sydney with my husband and my 2 girls who are 3 and 18 months. My house is quite hectic – the girls are both very active and determined and I run 2 businesses from home so there is always something going on and a mini-drama to deal with. I’ve always lived in Sydney, I moved around a lot when I was at Art School so have experienced life in quite a few suburbs but home for now is the North West of Sydney. I grew up in a reasonably large family – 3 older brothers and I was the only girl, and the youngest! My Dad gave us all nicknames, mine was Bill and as our surname started with a Mc, I became Billy Mac.

2. Describe yourself in 5 words.
Creative, stubborn, ambitious, honest, cuddly

3. When and how did you first start creating/crafting?
I’ve always been artistic. I was always drawing, painting or dancing as a child but when I reached high school I knew that this was it, Art was my ‘thing’. I went to UNSW, College of Fine Arts for 4 years and when I graduated moved around in a few different jobs within magazines and retail advertising where I was amongst very creative people but I wasn’t being creative myself. In the back of my mind I knew that I was still an artist but I had pushed aside the ‘making’. After having my 1st child I started my own graphic design business which meant that I took the lid off my artistic self again and after having my 2nd child I started billy mac clothing. It has been so fantastic to use my creative skills again – with billy mac clothing I am creating my own work and not channeling my artistic side through my clients work. It’s an absolute joy and my kids have great t-shirts to wear.

I found after having my girls that there were fantastic garments for babies, but then for around the 2 years up age group the reasonably priced garments were either printed with Disney or Bratz Dolls licensed images or they were attempting to make girls in particular, dress much older than they were. I needed to find t-shirts for my toddler to wear to Pre-school that I wasn’t too precious about if she got paint on them, had her shoulders covered in case of sunburn when she was playing outside, but also made her look like ‘the coolest kid in town’! I couldn’t find anything within my price range so decided to focus on making my own.

4. Where is your favourite place in the world?
My favourite place in the world is wherever my family and friends are, and hopefully there’s good wine and nice cheese there … and if there’s not, I’ll bring some with me!

5. Where would you like to travel?
It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that my dream is to travel to Europe. I’ve been dreaming and talking and planning my trip for years and years but life keeps getting in the way! My husband works for Qantas so there’s no excuse. Our trip will be a little different now with 2 little girls in tow but we will definitely be going to Europe before they start school. Top of the hit list is Florence, Rome, Tuscany, Paris, Barcelona, London …. I could keep going but they’re the obvious big cities for most travellers!

6. Describe your business in 5 words.
Cool, retro, quirky, bold, fun

7. Where do you create your items and what materials do you use?
My studio is at home, I have a room at the back of our house which at the moment is chaotic as I’m preparing to sell at my first markets. All my designs are done on a Mac using Adobe Illustrator. The design part is my favourite part of the process, they are then printed via a couple of different methods depending on the design and heat pressed onto the garment. All of my t-shirts are 100% cotton and are printed with sturdy vinyl or digital prints. I’m experimenting with a few different print methods and weighing up the options between quality but still trying to keep costs reasonable. I’ve been focussing on short-sleeve t-shirts square cut for the boys and a gorgeous puff sleeve for the girls, but now that the weather is getting cooler I’m expanding the range to include long sleeves, baby onesies and am trying to decide if hoodies might be the way to go?

8. Where and what would you like to be doing in 5 years time?
In 5 years time my girls will be 8 and 6 … so they’ll both be at school (will this mean I’ll have some free time?). I’d love to be living somewhere near the ocean and near great schools for my girls. I imagine my days will be filled with school drop offs and pickups; and running my graphic design business and billy mac clothing in between. I’m hoping the hard work that I’m putting in now will reap rewards in the future and that life will be a little smoother! Oh and I’d love our house to be filled with all the gorgeous paintings, and homewares and pretty little things that I picked up during our travels through Europe.

Hi Ange – it’s nice to be interviewing you for the DUST blog.

Please tell me a little about your product – what do you make, how do you do it, and why do you make it (inspiration, fun, whatever).
I make jewellery I love it. My tagline in my store is that I go to my happy place while hammering, I am rapt in wire wrapping, and I find beauty in beading… it really is true! I find it therapeutic to be absorbed in detailed wire wrapping, and love getting my frustration out by hammering something

Is crafting your full-time occupation, or do you have a day job, family or other daily responsibility?
I wish! No, I work full-time as a policy advisor in Government, as well as run a spray tanning business (quick plug for Ange’s Spray Tanning!). Obviously this psychotically full working life will change when we have kids, but I will always find time for jewellery making.

What do you think makes your product stand out from the rest?
Well, I think I have good taste and make my pieces to a high quality standard. In all my work you’ll see neat wire wraps, lovely quality components – sterling silver, gold fill, and high grade gems. Also, all my silver is recycled – I buy from a manufacturer that creates new wire out of recycled sterling. So while I don’t push the eco-friendly angle so much, it is inherently eco-friendly.

Where do you sell, and where can we find you? Please include websites, regular markets, etc.
I’m on etsy (http://www.angelene.etsy.com), madeit (http://www.madeit.com.au/angelene) and zibbet (http://www.zibbet.com/angelene). I do the odd BrisStyle market from time to time in Brisbane too. However, with my hectic work schedule online is just about all I have time for. I’d rather spend my time crafting than selling – making is fun, selling is not so much! My facebook fans have often commented on how they can see how much I enjoy what I do, through my regular updates – I share my creation process and seek feedback from fans. You can have a look at my fanpage here http://www.facebook.com/AngeleneEtsy

Please tell our readers something quirky or funny about yourself.
I was once on the cover of a magazine. Curious? I have a post about it on my blog (http://www.angelenefay.blogspot.com) – a funny story really! I did a favour for a friend who wanted some stock photos, and they got discovered on the net by a magazine, who subsequently put me on the cover, and on the inside next to the story! Tres bizarre!

Thanks so much for taking the time to be interviewed, it has been lovely getting to know you and your craft better.
Caitlin

Maddabling has recently joined the DUST team, which I am so happy about as she is a good friend of mine, and the reason I started selling my creations at Markets and on Etsy.

Maddo, aka Samara, has been a big Etsy fan for a long time and I thank her very much for introducing me to the Etsy world. I encouraged her to pop in on our Christmas In July Sale thread and she was so impressed with how friendly the team was (and that she got so many lovely prizes) that she signed up to DUST.

In Samara’s Etsy store you will find lots of gorgeous creations like

Beaded Jewellery - Cupids Kiss

Ocean Adventure

papillons dans le jardin

retro gift tags

She also recently listed this adorable bracelet adorned with teapots and teacups – As soon as I saw this I knew I just had to have it. For those that don’t know I am ever so slightly addicted to collecting teapots. This bracelet will be getting worn when Samara and I go to watch Alice in Wonderland next year. I have seen her room of supplies so if you want a bangle like this she would be happy to make it.

A Charming Tea Party

We have so much talent in our wonderful Dust Team and it so great to see it building in numbers everyday.  So welcome to Maddabling and all our recent new dust members.  Shopping is getting easier everyday – Handmade Rocks!

Note from DUST admin: Del wrote this post quite a while ago, it’s just taken me a long time to post it. Sorry Del and Samara!

There are always new people joining us here at DUST, and just like when you meet people in the “real” world, some people are a bit quieter and take longer to get to know (like me!) and some people are enthusiastic and chatty and friendly and you feel like you know them quite quickly. Meet are a few of our newer DUSTers who have made themselves right at home.

Tiffany, otherwise known as owlandfox, likes “to create jewellery from natural materials like stone, wood, pearls and silver”. Her username/shop name piqued my interest, so I asked her to share it’s origins. She says that the “wise Owl” is her husband, and the “cunning Fox” is herself – these animals representing some of their personality traits, and the fact that together they are a “force to be reckoned with!” As well as her etsy shop and being here on the DUST forum, she blogs and twitters, too!

Making “unique small scale paper sculptures and original, hand pulled, limited edition prints, using linocut and etching techniques” is how Vanessa, aka LightandShade describes her work. She tells me she first came onto this path via a TAFE course she completed which gave her experience in many art forms. The printmaking process captured her heart and now Vanessa uses her skills to make the lovely items that you can find in her shop.

Vanessa says that “trees, women and fingerprints” are recurring themes in her art work, which is obvious in the items pictured here. She’s also working on a series of corset-style paper sculptures which have evolved directly from her sculpture project in the TAFE course.
Vanessa also has a website and a blog.

“My shop is called Incalesco which is Latin for “glow”, I hope this is how people will feel when they wear my jewellery.” This is Erika’s mini-description of herself on the forum, and if you do take a look at her shop I’m sure you’ll agree that there are definitely glow-worthy items to be found there.

While costs restrict most of her current stock to sterling silver as the main metal, Erika has also worked with 9 and 18 carat gold when crafting wedding bands for herself and her husband. She also includes other materials in her work – from the traditional like gemstones and enamel, to adding colour to a piece using fabric. This in particular adds more challenge to the creation as fabric is of course not up to withstanding a metalsmith’s tools and so the rest of the piece must be entirely finished before the fabric can be added.

Erika has a blog at incalesco.blogspot.com.

Brisbane children’s dressmaker Robyn Dixon comes from a family full of artistic inspiration. This shines through in her Etsy shop, Hotfudge.etsy.com with her brightly coloured children’s clothing and accessories. Robyn’s mother was an artist as well as a dressmaker and her elder daughter is also an artist although Robyn says, “I can’t draw a straight line, so I guess I’ve missed out in that talent pool. But I do love colour passionately, so maybe that’s my
little contribution to the artistic bent in the family.”

Robyn’s work shows a dedication to designing children’s clothing and her committment of spending around 4 hours a day in her sewing room is obvious. When asked where she gets her inspiration from Robyn says, “From just about everywhere. Sometimes I’m inspired by the fabric I order, other times by colour schemes, or perhaps fashion trends.”

Having a mother who was a professional dressmaker and learning through her advice during her childhood and teen years is what assisted Robyn in her current passion. Robyn says, “I can remember as a small child accompanying her when she was buying fabric at David Jones in Sydney (yes, they did sell fabric at one time), and she would always put the fabric she admired into my hands and say, ‘Feel the quality.’” Robyn started sewing in her twenties when she owned a fashion boutique at Bondi for a short period and eventually came back to it through a love of quilting, combined with the arrival of grandchildren.

As a mother of two girls I am drawn to the gorgeous choices of fabric and there are some particular stand outs in her shop such as the Garden Party Dress and the Pink Toile Apron.

When asked what advice she would give to someone just starting out in the handmade industry Robyn suggests, “Always have a passion for what you do. It’s a mistake to think you can become successful with no emotional commitment. That kills creativity.”

Robyn also belongs to the BrisStyle Etsy Team who is holding their first market on 13 December at the Hamilton Town Hall, so if you’re in the area try to get along to see Robyn’s great items. Robyn also has a blog at hotfudge8.blogspot.com.

Review by Amanda of Polyclarific.