waysideviolet - cozy, lovely things

I am so excited about to today’s handmade interview! The peacock ore necklaces were the first thing to catch my eye in Chelsea’s stunning A Lovely, Little Shop, but everything about her shop is so dainty and divine! I know you’ll love her work!

Q. Hello Chelsea! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Hi! I’m a 23 year old, soon to be graduate student. I recently graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in English in December & I’m making the scary transition from a tiny, rural Pennsylvania town to Philadelphia, where I will be obtaining my Master’s Degree in Fashion Apparel Studies at Philadelphia University. I have an obsession with textiles, vintage beads, & small details. I love the Spring & Autumn seasons, rocks & minerals, reading, cats, sparkly items, film, thrifting, and laughing.

Q. Your shop is truly lovely! How did you get started?
Thank you! I guess you could say the whole jewelry thing came into fruition because of my parents. I grew up in a very rural, mountainside location and in a house with a bit of history. My nearest neighbor was about three to four miles away, so I spent a lot of time outside with my parents & siblings. My parents would take us on walks around our property, which was once used by settlers & Native Americans, and I would find arrowheads, pottery, and quartz. Upon the long stretches of road around our property, my dad in particular, would be sure to tell me about each object I came across and its history behind it. Every walk was a history lesson! My mom has this natural eye for color & textiles, so she is also a HUGE influence on my work. My parents are such a creative pair and I like to think somehow this was passed onto me. It was pretty magical as a child to grow up in such an area, as these incredibly amazing items were right beneath my feet, and I had the pleasure of hunting for these historical treasures that were once connected to someone at some point in time. It blew my mind as a child & to tell you the truth, it still does. I was constantly collecting rocks & minerals from various locations as well. One of my favorite pieces is Peacock Ore, which I collected as a child & is used quite a bit in my work. My parents knew of my obsession with rocks & minerals, the history of such objects, in addition to small details, so they suggested that I should maybe try my hand at creating pieces with elements that I enjoyed. So, in March 2010, I began to sell my jewelry on Etsy!

Q. What’s your favorite material to work with?
I really love to work with natural & vintage elements. I love to use Peacock Ore, vintage Czech & German glass beads in geometric shapes, and wooden shapes. I love to learn new techniques and processes, so that I can challenge myself with my creations.

Q. What’s your favorite piece to make?
My favorite piece to make is the Parallel Highway necklace. The Parallel Highway necklace was originally made of very, very RARE, teeny tiny, glass triangle beads. I acquired the beads quite some time ago, snatching up every single piece. I eventually ran out of the beads & tried to locate them everywhere! I have literally searched all over the globe for them and I cannot find anything like them. Even thought I use a lot of vintage elements in my pieces, it can truly be frustrating, as most vintage elements are hard to find again & again. After I gave up my search for the beads, my brother Cody offered to make a mold to mimic the triangles, which are now cast from resin. The process is quite long & labor intensive, as pigments are created to achieve the perfect color. The triangles then have to harden so that they can be cut from the mold, individually drilled, and then strung onto the chain. It’s a lot work, but totally worth it!

Q. What’s a normal day like for you?
Normally, I wake up quite early, so that I can finish any orders from the previous night to be shipped out. I make sure to have a cup of coffee so that I can function properly. I check my e-mail & Etsy, then it’s off to work! During the day, I go to the post office to ship out orders and then I will order bulk supplies. After that, I usually work on new items. Typically, if I’m not working on something new or sketching a new creation, I will research new beads & elements, as that’s probably my favorite thing to do. I LOVE understanding the history behind each piece I incorporate into my jewelry, so when I am looking for new elements, I take it very seriously because I want whatever I use, to be perfect! I reserve the nighttime to type up all of my tags & notes to my customers on my vintage typewriter. Right now, I’m trying to move, so I’m trying to juggle 2,000 things at once while running a business. Luckily, I am very organized & super obsessive with my business, so I somehow manage it do everything I need to! I do take small breaks, however, it doesn’t last very long, as I am always wanting to create! I usually go to bed fairly late, as I am a night owl, and during this time, I will read before I go to bed. Then, the whole day starts over like this!

Q. What inspires you most of all?
My natural surroundings, my incredibly loving and encouraging family, boyfriend, friends, & other artists are such an inspiration to me. Every, single, day I am amazed by the Internet & all of the magnificent people, places, and things that can be found within it.

Tags: handmade interview