FEATURED ETSY SHOP - KD DESIGN STUDIO

WELCOME, KIM of KD DESIGN STUDIO on Etsy!! Kim's beautifully designed creations have a "vintage and nostalgic" theme to them. They make you think of days gone by! Be sure to visit KD DESIGN STUDIO to see her selection of bracelets, necklaces and more! Now, lets learn a bit more about this delightful jewelry artist.

Kim is also having a "giveaway" on her blog for a very charming bracelet, so be sure to vist her blog and enter the "giveaway". You can click on the bracelet photo below this interview to get to her giveaway.

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

When I was young, I lived in a fantasy world and I carried that fantasy into everything including playing dress up. When I was 5 and my brother was 4, we spent hours playing dress up with my Grandmother’s table cloths and hats. The picture, in my banner on Etsy and Shop Handmade, was taken by my Grandfather after one of our dress up days. (You can imagine how embarrassing this image is to my brother now, but what the heck that is what big sisters are for.)

Even then I was in love with jewelry, can you find the pin on my shirt? That picture represents the little girl fantasies that I don’t want to lose. I used the picture in my banner because it reminds me to never forget that fantasies can come true.
When I was 7, I asked my Mom to help me open my own store. I got the idea after seeing an empty store near the market and I just knew I could find something to sell in that store. I decided I could take bent clothes hangers and straighten them out and make something out of them. Of course, I am laughing about this today, but you can see that my fantasy world grew from clothes hangers to jewelry, and now I have the stores I longed for and something to sell. I don’t use wire clothes hangers, but the idea is just the same.

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

I chose jewelry because it is so versatile and expressive. If you don’t love what you make, you can take it apart and make something else. I come from a very artistic family. My father, Herb Fillmore, passed away in 1999. He was a successful international artist and commercial illustrator. My mother is a writer and a published author, and she, also expresses her talents and creates works of art thorough needlepoint. My brothers, (I have four of them and yes I am the only girl), are all creative. One is a producer, director and editor for TV. One teaches middle school kids history through games. One brother is a building contractor and can create and build anything. My brother, the one in the picture, is an accomplished artist and he also buys and sells art.

As you can see I was born into talent, so I looked for a way to create and I found one I love. Making jewelry and writing the stories to go with them, is now a passion and something I look forward to everyday. I am always looking for old books and jewelry parts, and then I use the pictures or the findings to create fun charms like I did in my “If Wishes were Horses” carrousel charm necklace and bracelet or “After the Dances Were Through”, my signature piece.

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

I love the quiet. I can go into my studio, (or as my husband likes to call it “the second bedroom”), and just use my imagination and make things I love. It is instant gratification and it relaxes me.

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

I would choose a cherry. It is sweet, dainty, fun, bright, and everyone loves them.

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

One day I picked up a camera and I loved it. I started taking pictures of kids on bikes at bicycle motor cross races, and I wound up as a contributing photographer for Super BMX Magazine. I went on to take photos of drag boats, cart racing, off road racing, NASCAR, classic cars and the drags, there is a theme here, I love things that go fast. My fast days are pretty much gone, but I am so glad I learned how to shoot as I am getting great shots of my grandchildren.

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

For 35 years I worked a high power job where I managed a number of employee’s. I am not working now and I wanted to stay busy; creating and making jewelry, maintaining a shop on Etsy and Shop Handmade keeps me hopping. What I want to convey to others is, it’s true what they say, when one door closes another one will open.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

When I came to Etsy, I thought that I had such a novel idea, to use antique photos, vintage artwork, jewelry findings and other items and turn them into works of art. Of course, once I opened my shop and then started looking around the websites, I found out that my novel idea wasn’t very novel. What advice I want to share with others is, as long as you put your heart and soul into what you are making and you make it your own, there is enough room for everyone. Remember to “pay it forward” reach down and help the new shop owner and encourage their individuality. That is what two wonderful ladies did for me.

Check out Bianca’s shop on Etsy at …. Justbedesigns and of course …Donna at DZFantasy .Thank you both very much.

THANKS AGAIN, KIM for taking the time to share your thoughts and lovely jewelry with all of us!


BE SURE TO VISIT KIM'S "BRACELET GIVEAWAY" BY CLICKING ON THE PHOTO BELOW.

To visit KD DESIGN STUDIO, just click on any of the photos below, or the link below the photos.