Handmade Wednesday featuring Shantastic Shine

Handmade Wednesday

by Melissa Creamer, Crafter of Chrysalis Jewelry

Welcome to Handmade Wednesday. Each Wednesday, I will feature a crafter or artist you should know about! Are you ready to see who I have picked for this week? Let's get started.

This week I am featuring Shantastic Shine. Artist Shannon features just a little of everything in her eclectic collection from art to jewerlry. Lets find out about Shannon!

Website

Facebook

Etsy Shop

MC - Tell us a little bit about your handmade business

 
SS - I sell a little bit of everything handmade at Shantastic Shine. My own work includes my artwork which is mostly done in acrylic paints or professional style paint markers. As far as artwork I do take commissions when I have time to work on them in my studio.

I also do a lot of hemp work and customized jewelry. I macramé over 20 necklaces and create dozens of custom orders a week to provide a customized experience and to get just what my customers are looking for. 

MC - How long have you been in business?

SS - I started selling things in my highschool years around 2008. I officially opened Shantastic Shine in 2010 after moving home from College in Pittsburgh to my hometown of Cumberland, Maryland. Where I currently am located and travel the surrounding areas for shows and events.

MC - Did your business start as a hobby?

SS - My little business started as a hobby but I knew I wanted to do something art related with my life.  I enjoy sharing my ideas and love of all things arts and crafts with anyone interested in custom work. I knew a normal 9-5 job just wasn’t for me and my heart belonged in an art studio! I started making things for friends and family and before I knew it I had strangers calling for gifts and handmade jewelry, and so it began!

MC - Where do you get your design inspiration from?

SS-Colors, and Music. I try to use a lot of “color theory” in my work. Since art has been taken less seriously in my local schools than I think it should be I have noticed many people I talk to often don’t realize what colors mix to make which anymore.  I often use the idea of colors like red and blue to make purple and use them on multiple canvas’ as well as blend them in my art whether it be painting or jewelry combinations.

I also use music a lot as motivation. A line in a song could inspire an entire painting for me. Or a rhythm behind a catchy chorus could become the idea for a new pattern for a background image.

 MC - Tell us about a piece you designed that you are still blown away by 

SS-One of my bar far favorite pieces is a stone wire wrap I made a few years ago. I loved it so much I still have it and wear it almost daily. It has gotten me so many compliments and I would like to believe sales. It has a Smokey Quartz, amethyst tourmaline and a few other small stones mixed into it.  Since I have made it I have made several similar with custom stone requests for customers. They are time consuming but one of my favorite projects to make for people because they usually have special meanings for the stones they choose.

MC - What is the one thing you have learned by trial and error that you wish you could go back and tell yourself when you started?

SS-Not everyone appreciates things as much as someone else. I often try to make everyone happy or appeal to a wide variety of people. I have taught myself to create things that I think SOMEONE will like and not EVERYONE that way when that someone finds it , it means even more to them and they will truly appreciate it.

MC - Spread the love. Tell us about another handmade business you adore.

SS-I truly admire Shirley over at the Orange Windmill or Tree’s Hide.  She creates some very awesome leather bound books as well as other little leather accessories. I have received an amazing little green leatherbound mini journal that I have been scribbling my ideas in ever since. It’s very nicely made and I can’t wait to get another one soon!

MC - Free style. Tell me about anything I forgot to ask.

SS-I am currently trying to reach 1,200 friends/fans on my facebook. Once I get to 1,200 friends I will be running a contest for either a Necklace, a painting, or a $20 gift card for ShantasticShine OR maybe ALL THREE.
 
ALSO get free shipping in my etsy shop if you use this code : SHANTASTICSHIPFREE  

Thanks Shannon for dropping by for Handmade Wednesday and sharing your art with us! Be sure to tune in next week to see who is featured next!
Until Tomorrow
Melissa

The Mother of Invention

It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention. To put it another way, difficult situations inspire ingenious solutions.  I have found this to be true in my own life.  When I first lost my job (catch up here), I didn't know what I was going to do.  My first thought was to try to get a new one as soon as possible.  Then I had a couple of people say "This might be an opportunity to work on your jewelry full time."  When one person says it, okay, it's an idea.  When more than one person says it, I find this is Someone's way of telling you what to do.

So I made up some jewelry and I started an Etsy shop.  I then had to find ways to market my shop and in marketing my shop I began to build a network of other Etsy shop owners.  These women (it's mostly women I have found in the jewelry and accessory realm) are super supportive and are willing to lend a hand to newbies.

As you interact with the new "associates", you start to find out about their lives and you become friends.  I found it very interesting that a lot of these women were much like me. They are creative women who have some type of health issue (autoimmune disorders and fibromyalgia, for example) that makes working a normal schedule or outside the house very difficult.

It makes me wonder how many Etsy store owners are in the same position as I?  I started to do my jewelry as a hobby, then it morphed into a side business.  Now I rely on it as a source of income.  Before I got sick, it was nice when someone (typically a friend) would commission a piece of jewelry.  I would turn around and reinvest the profit into my business by typically buying a new tool.   Now the profits help me pay day-to-day expenses.

Sometimes I can get a little frustrated when my sales are slow.  I have friends tell me that it's the economy.  I'm sure this is partially true.  However, I still see women buying jewelry and accessories at Charming Charlie's, Target, Walmart, etc.   I think a lot of women don't think about buying something from a crafter/artisan or they think it might be too expensive.  While I do have some more expensive items in my store, most are very wallet friendly.

If you had the option to buy a pair of earrings that were made by hand by a small business owner for $16, or a similar pair at Wal-Mart for $14.99, which would you rather buy?  I know what I would like to do.

Dear Reader, you may be asking yourself, where do I find these handmade goodies which you speak of?  Well, I will tell you! Just follow the links below.

Handmade Lampwork Beads by Bastille Blue - Etsy  Facebook  Website

Handmade Children's and Pet Accessories by The Joyful Princess Boutique - Etsy Facebook

Handmade Jewelry by Beadsoul- Etsy Facebook

Sequintatic Bead and Sequin Jewelry by Saturday Sequins - Etsy Facebook Blog

And now for the shameless plug for me:

Handmade Jewelry by Chrysalis Jewelry - Etsy Facebook Website

These women make really great products and I know they would be honored to have your business.  Please consider giving them a try!

Until Tomorrow - Melissa

Help Your Neighbor's - Shop Local Saturday

Here we are, Black Friday.  The day retailers have been waiting for.  The day retailers have annoyingly over advertised for (I was particularly annoyed at the Wal-Mart ads this year featuring AC/DC's Black in Black.  Something about metal for Christmas rubs me the wrong way...but I digress).  But did you know tomorrow is Shop Local Saturday?

It's sponsored by American Express (I know, I know big bank, blah blah blah), but I think it's a great idea.  It encourages you to spend your Christmas dollars with local small businesses.  I personally think it's a great idea.  We all know the economy is bad.  Everyone is hurting, you just need to turn on the news to be reminded of it.  While local small businesses can be more expensive than Wal-Mart, I personally feel in the long run they may be cheaper.  We have become a disposable society.  Things are made to be used for a short while and then tossed.  I have an idea, why don't we buy things that are made to last?  I don't know about you, but I'd rather spend more to have the item last longer.

It is my opinion dear reader, that your local small business has higher quality items.  I would guess in most cases they procure their items from local craftsmen or they might even make the items themselves.  Which means you are investing your hard earned dollar back into the local economy, not some sweatshop in China (Don't we owe China enough money?  Why voluntarily send them more?).

Now, since I am a Small Business owner ( http://www.chrysalisjewelry.com ) this post may seem a little self-serving.  Admittedly, though I'd love to get a ton of jewelry orders tomorrow, that is not the purpose of this post.  I want to encourage you to shop your local small businesses.  If we all start helping each other, we all win.  It's quite simple: Keep the dollars here.  Help small businesses.  If small businesses grow, they add more jobs.  Local jobs.

So there you have it.  Shop your local businesses tomorrow.  This will help your local economy.  As for me, I will be by my phone ready to take jewelry orders - Melissa

The following may not be local, but I would like to recommend these craftsmen:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/maybeads?ref=seller_info

http://www.clockworkcouture.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MsPurdy

http://silversmyth.bigcartel.com

http://www.daniellemillerjewelry.com