Tiger's River

Brown and Blue is such a soothing combination.

When i had to choose a color pallet for my kitchen, i wanted something to relax me. These gorgeous earrings match my kitchen quite well now. :)

Smooth Tiger's Eye ovals and Blue Opal Swarovksi crystals hang daintily above a long Sterling Silver chain. Aqua Quartz faceted tear drops finish these earrings off beautifully.

Sadly Inedible Jewelry

It all started when i saw these adorable PBJ sandwich earrings, and had one of my 1st impulse buys in quite some time. I had no idea when they arrived that it would be love at 1st bite (har har) (Okay, i mean sight.) Two sisters, Jessica and Susan, own a shoppe called Inedible Jewelry. All of their pieces are so adorable!!



1. How long have you been crafting?

We've been sculpting miniature foods since we were children seriously over-feeding our dolls. So, about 17 years apiece. At some point, we decided that food on jewelry was cooler than food for Barbies, and we shifted to food jewelry.



2.Did you always craft in this genre?

The moment we first tried polymer clay, we began creating miniature foods. And the foods have always been polymer clay. In terms of crafting as a whole, however, we grew up in a very crafty and artistic household, so we've been making all kinds of things our entire lives. We still both have other types of crafty projects, and we both love tocook real food.



3.Who or what inspires you?

Food! Why food? So many reasons. Food is fun, colorful, brings back memories of specific people and occasions. Food is very personal since most people have favorites. And we come from a very food-oriented family. We both love to cook and bake real foods, so many cookbook authors are sources of inspiration. Nigella Lawson, Nigel Slater, the Food Network as a whole, magazines, restaurants, the grocery store- they're all fair game for material.

While we're crafting, we usually have on music or recorded books (check out LibraVox.org for a huge collection of free recordings of classic books!) When we craft together (which is rare, since we live in different cities), we can usually agree on 80s music- happy, melodramatic, pure synthesizer. Fabulous.




4.What challenges have you found while taking your craft into the business world?

There is a huge difference between crafting for yourself and friends, and creating products for buyers. We've really come to understand that presentation is a huge part of selling a product, whether that's online or at shows. Online, photographs are absolutely crucial, as are great descriptions. Since people can click away in a split second, that photograph has to capture their attention instantly. The description needs to give someone as much information as possible
since people can't hold the product in their hands.

At shows, having work displayed in an eye-catching and fun way has been key. It isn't enough to simply have a fun and well-made product- it needs to sell itself too. So, display and packaging truly are more crucial to the business than we ever imagined at first.

For all the challenges, though, it's been even more rewarding and wonderful than we could ever have predicted. Food truly inspires people to tell us fantastic stories: the couple who had to have the burger and fries cuff links because they got engaged at a burger place, the fig necklace that reminded a woman of how her grandfather brought over a cutting from a fig tree on the boat from Italy, the woman who wears the kiwi earrings every time she needs some extra bravery since kiwi fruit reminds her of being brave, and many others who simply see our work and enjoy a really good laugh. We love it.

Another aspect of our work than many people always assume is a challenge, but really is not is the fact that we're sisters. We both are totally involved in all aspects of the business, from sculpting the individual charms, to creating the finished pieces, to doing all the behind the scenes work. We do each have our specialties in terms of which foods we sculpt, but otherwise you'd be hard-pressed to figure out which of us created which pieces.

And because people always ask: no, we don't use a magnifying glass. Yet.

Thanks again for asking to interview us! It was a pleasure.



Seriously though folks, my new earrings really are even cuter in person. So check out their Etsy site and say hello to them. They'd love to hear it!

Go Fly A Kite

Do you ever just want to take a day off, go buy a kite, make up a picnic basket, grab a really great friend and run to the beach to fly kites? I'm sure you do, in some retrospect! The day you finally go, the kite will fly perfectly in the air, just to tell you "This was a day worth waiting for". Of course, with a busy schedule, you can't quite just take a "kite day" from work, so in the meantime, this necklace will hopefully tide you over.

Don't Just Pencil Me In

Come on! Tell me this isn't the coolest idea? When i saw these steller Pencil earrings i knew Jen Maestre had a brilliant idea! Jen has a shoppe with a name she'll never forget...her own. :) Jen Maestre.



1) How long have you been crafting?

I've always liked making things since I was a kid, but I've only been making the pencil jewelry for about 2 years. My 'normal' job is making sculptures out of pencils, I started with the pencils in 1999.



2) Did you always craft in this genre?

Nope! I was a beader. I taught myself a few beading techniques, in fact, I use some of them to construct my pencil sculptures.



3) Who or what inspires you?

I'm inspired by Ernst Haeckel's drawings, and by natural forms, and also, by the materials themselves.



4) What challenges have you found while taking your craft into the business world?

Well, learning how to run a business has been challenging. It takes a lot of organizational skills, and I am constantly playing catch-up with my paperwork. I'd rather be torturing pencils!



So head on over to her shop, or website and see all of the amazing pencil (and other medium) creations! She's a very clever gal, and would love to hear from you! :)

Tea Party!

Seriously! How much fun did you have playing tea party when you were little. Heck! I still have fun, only now my plastic cups are china. Carry the nostalgia of having your own tea party, but wearing this cute ecclectic necklace!

Would you like your tea with one lump or two?

Made - with love - in Lowell.

Liz has a sweet gift shoppe on Etsy called Made in Lowell. When i started looking more and more at the work, i was quite intrigued. Not only were there unique jewelry pieces, hand painted eggs and barrettes, there were these incredible drawings on greeting cards. Which i later found out, were her mother's drawings. I was immediately drawn to learn more.



How long have you been crafting?

1) I have made things since I could hold a pencil. My mom being an artist influenced me greatly, but I think I was born with the interest in creating and have spent the rest of my life honing my skills. When I was a little kid, my older sister showed me how to make miniatures for my dollhouse. I would make more than I needed and set up a table in the living room and sell the extras to my mom.

Did you always craft in this genre?

2) I’ve always refused to pick a medium, even in college I was considered unfocused because I took painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture, unheard of! I am always learning new techniques and media. I love applying my fine arts education to the creation of crafts. Currently I am interested in felt that I make myself and polymer clay which I have been working with for 20 years. I have a constant thirst to learn new skills.



Who or what inspires you?

3) Well, my mom of course, in the greater sense. But on a practical daily basis, looking at pictures in craft books and magazines is very inspiring to me. If I feel at all blocked all I have to do is see an image that fires my neurons and I am off and running again. I don’t mean to say that I make copies of what I see in these pictures, it’s just something about the colors, the lighting, the idea that something is being made that gets me going. Going to craft supply shops too, wow! I have to bring a notebook to write down the ideas that flood into my brain.




4) What challenges have you found while taking your craft into the business world?

The biggest challenge has been learning all the paperwork aspects; collecting sales tax, getting an account to accept credit cards, etc. Each of the tasks alone turned out not to be so difficult, but thinking of all the things you don’t know at once is very intimidating! I’m still in the start-up phase and setting up systems to keep track of the paperwork. I look forward to the day when it is all second nature!



Marilyn Smith Rosenfeld’s answers:

I had been painting with oil on canvas for about 20 years, then, in 1984, I took a class with the artist Claire Walker Leslie, "Drawing from Nature." Her approach was, "Keep a nature journal, and just draw!" She inspired me to try pen, ink, watercolor, and colored pencils.

When my daughter began choosing pages from my journals to make into note cards, I was delighted. Liz's interest in my work inspires me greatly, keeps me drawing, gives me fresh ideas.



There is honestly nothing i want more then to work with my mother in the future, so i quite envy Liz and Marilyn's work relationship. So, head over to Made In Lowell and shower them both with you love!

Not Your Mother's Pearls

Like the look of pearls, but want something a little more eclectic? This bracelet is for you!

A beautiful 7.5 inch strand of creamy 7mm Freshwater Pearls. A 10mm glass heart hangs from the textured silver colored heart clasp. This is not your average pearl bracelet.