FEATURED ETSY SHOP - TILLEYJEWELS

Let's welcome, Meredith, whose shop on Etsy is called TILLEYJEWELS. Meredith's 16 year old daughter, Audrey, and her shop AUDDITIES was just featured out here, and I'm now very happy to have Meredith here on DZFANTASY also as a featured artist! The gorgeous bracelet above is just one of many beautiful pieces of jewelry which Meredith creates. You really must visit TILLEYJEWELS to see all of her other delightful creations! First, read below to hear in Meredith's own words what she has to say about herself and her creations.

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I was raised in crafts. One of my earliest memories is of sitting with my mother doing needlepoint. I'm not sure if I could even read a book at the time, but I could read a needlepoint graph. Everyone in my family does something creative, so it was pretty much inevitable that I would, too. It was just a matter of what I would focus on.

How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?

I've tried pretty much every arts and crafts medium available throughout the years, but somehow it always seemed to come back to beads. My first beading projects when I was younger weren't jewelry--they were little bead and wire sculptures. I think that's why I enjoy making tiaras and headpieces so much--they take me back to that "sculptural" effect. The first "real" piece of jewelry I can remember making was a multi-strand pearl choker that I wore to my senior prom.

What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?

A lot of people would think I'm crazy, but I really enjoy working with brides. It's an incredible feeling to know that they trust my skills to create something that they are wearing on one of the most important days of their life. Knock on wood, I have yet to actually encounter a Bridezilla.

If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?

I would have to say my work is like a bunch of grapes--every piece has some common characteristics that hold it together into a group, but at the same time each one is its own individual unique creation.

If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?

I spent several of my school-age years creating pottery. I even taught children's pottery classes through our local artists' guild for a while. There was a whole "mad scientist" aspect to molding a form from the clay, firing up the kiln, we even mixed our own glazes from raw chemicals back then. That's an experience I would have loved to pass on to my own kids, but the facilities aren't available around here any more. The types of clay work I can do at home--polymer clay and PMC--are fun, but just don't have quite the same emotional feel to them.

What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?

I use the tagline "fairytale jewels for the everyday princess" for my business. I believe that every woman deserves pretty things and to feel like a princess once in a while.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?-

Always take time to do what you enjoy, and not just what everyone wants you to do or what makes money. When it starts to feel too much like work, back off and take time to play around and create just for the fun of it, just for yourself. It's wonderful to make money off of your talents, but you don't want to end up resenting your art.

Meredith, thanks so much for sharing a bit of yourself and your lovely jewelry with us. It is always a real pleasure to get to know a little bit about each artist behind the lovely work that has been featured out here on DZFANTASY. If you'd like to see more of what's offered at TILLEYJEWELS, be sure to click on the photos below to go directly to that item in Meredith's shop, or click on the link below the photos to go to her shop. To learn more about Meredith and her work you can also visit the other links below.

Smashing Darling

LIZZY WISHES

MADE IT MYSELF

LOVLI