Saturday Artisan: JewelryBySolange

Another great artist on Etsy. Meet Solange of JewelryBySolange, our Saturday Artisan. What a great artist, Solange is, willing to expand on her explanation on how to get organized and to share her favorite sellers.

Read on this great interview I have with her. You'll be sure learn a lot.

Tell us a bit about yourself and what arts/ crafts that you make?

I was born in Argentina and came to this country when I was 5. I’ve always enjoyed making jewelry at a very young age and pursued it when I had to take an art elective in High School. I took jewelry my 4 years of High School and learned how to use different kinds of metal in my jewelry making & also did a lot of projects with epoxy & clay & really enjoyed it. When I went to college I missed Jewelry class so much and they didn’t really offer a class at the community college so I decided to take a class at the local art workshop. There I learned how to use Sterling Silver and made my very first ring. The rest is pretty much history. I’ve always been able to teach myself through books and videos on youtube. All my pieces are made by me and my fingers! No special machines used in my swirling process. I was just introduced to a wig jig, but haven’t used one yet. I think even though I hate that I’m constantly cutting my fingers and breaking my nails, I’ve become so accustomed to doing the swirling and hammering on my own and I think this is what makes them one of a kind…because you will never find two pieces that look exactly alike.

Which part of creation process that you like to do the most?

I think the best part for me is picking out the colors I’m going to use for each specific piece. Sometimes I’m surprised as to what colors really look great together. When you’re making any craft, I think, you can’t be afraid of colors and trying new things. I’ve learned that something you may not like might be something that someone else really enjoys. So I just try to be creative.

Could you share on how you organize your products, we all can use little tips here and there in this department?

I use plastic boxes. I’ve found the best ones in Wal-Mart that have 32 different compartments. I don’t like the ones where you make your own sections-in my opinion-they don’t work as great. I organize my beads by colors and types. So for instance one box might hold my Swarovski crystals, another box will have my freshwater pearls-you get the idea. I remember when I was younger I would get the huge bag of seed beads that came all mixed together with about a billion colors and I would literally sit there and separate each one by colors so that it would be easier for me to find the color I was looking for while I was beading…yeah my parents thought I was crazy haha…Then I have a separate plastic box for all my tools, wire – separated by using zip lock baggies. I don’t have a studio so they all get stocked on a shelf in my closet.

My supplies are all placed in individual baggies and then I have labeled zip lock bags with the types of beads or supplies I have for sale. For instance: 1 bag for pendants, 1 for pearls, 1 for turquoise, 1 for fabrics and so forth. It makes it so much easier to search for an item because I have sooooo many items in my supply shop. Eventually I had to get a plastic container to put everything because shopping bags were just not working/not enough.

What is your favorite item in your shop?

This is a tough one. Is it fair to say I love all the pieces I make? Well, if I had to choose…at the moment the Masquerade & Royal Princess Earrings with matching Pendants, as well as my Venice Rose Vine Collection Pendant are currently my favorite.

What is your best seller?

Well, I haven’t had this shop for a long time on etsy because I used to have a shop by the name of Custom Jewelry by Solange and used to sell earrings, necklaces, hair accessories, charms, rings, pendants & candles, but have since decided to go a different direction. I started a new shop, new line on etsy and focus on Earrings and Pendants because those have always been very popular in my previous shop.

Do you have a favorite Etsy seller?

I have a lot of favorite sellers actually. Even though I make jewelry myself, I like to get jewelry from other sellers on etsy. For instance, DHElegance makes some amazing dichoric glass rings (My sister, mom and I own a few), as well as Lavendercottage-she makes beautiful jewelry (I have her Labradorite 3-in 1 ring set and matching stud earrings-which I don’t even take off) If you’re looking to buy for your pets, I love the harness I got for my dachshund from PawshCompanions, Petables & Ciaohound make some really yummy doggy treats. If you’re looking to have a personalized photo quilt made try Zemphira…she did an amazing job on a quilt my sister and I got made for my parents anniversary. Try michellesthisandthat for yummy chocolate treats & mabellecherie for clutches-she is an amazing seller & team member. Pinkparchmentsoaps & AngelScents have really great soap creations. I can go on and on, there are just so many people I have shopped from and could recommend. I am part of the JETteam & Petsjubilee team on etsy, and if you do a wide search with those two names, you could find some really amazing shops to buy from.

What inspires you?

Everyone always asks’ me…where does your inspiration come from and well, even though it should be the easiest question to answer, for me it’s the hardest. I usually have random ideas pop in my head. Different patterns and colors, sometimes I just open my bead boxes and poof, I have an idea. I’ve never, ever used a sketch pad to create my pieces, as weird as that sounds. I mostly create at night. If I have an idea, I have to get my beads out right away and create. If I’m not around my beads, I just try to keep the idea in my head until I am able to create or maybe make a note of the colors I want to use together.

How do you promote your shop?

I have a blog where I promote my shop as well as other shops on etsy. I have a facebook, myspace, indiepublic, twitter & flickr acct. I spend some time on the etsy forums. I currently have my own thread going on, which will actually be 2 years this june and have made some amazing friends. Word of mouth. I have found that doing jewelry displays in my driveway are much more successful then doing them in a craft show-not to mention it’s free and I don’t have to pay for space. I love doing private one-on-one shows with friends and I think my friends enjoy them the most, which is why they’re always requested. I try to have giveaways on my blog and facebook, as well as do blog features and giveaways on other blogs to get myself out there.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's giveaway sponsored by Solange!!