FEATURED ETSY SHOP - COCO'S JEWELRY

LIGHT MY FIRE

by Coco

What a stunning necklace....! Anyone wearing this very creative necklace would be sure to get a lot of compliments!

Let's welcome Coco and her COCO'S JEWELRY shop on Etsy.

Congratulations are also in order for Coco, as she informed me that she has been contacted to be on the Martha Stewart Show!! Now that is a real compliment to her and her creations.

Be sure to visit COCO'S JEWELRY as she has some gorgeous creations in there....necklace and earring sets, bracelets, and my favorites macrame necklaces, and much more!

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I grew up in a very ‘artistic’ environment. My father was a well known artist and the house always smelled of turpentine and linseed oil! Words like ‘color’, ‘composition’ ‘design’ etc. were part of our everyday vocabulary. But even in this environment, I never considered myself to have any talent for anything. Then, a few years ago I ran into an old college friend of mine and found out that she was working with fiber and macramé. Although she did large commissioned hangings etc, she showed me some of the jewelry she had made with thread. I was hooked. She was kind enough to teach me this technique. Since then I have been enjoying this craft (sometimes I think of it as art). The second part of this creative process is equally important to me. I do work with other materials besides thread and glass beads. This is what I would call ‘mainstream’ jewelry. I love gemstones, wood and resin beads and the colour and textures of all these materials combined. I offer both these styles in my shop. I would love to use different types of beads, other than just glass in the macramé styles. Unfortunately, I am restricted in this area because of the size of drilled holes in most of these beads, especially gemstones. I am fascinated with lamp work (flame worked) beads. I took a course on flame working last year, but I am still not good enough to use my own beads in my work. These would lend themselves extremely well to macramé knotting.

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

I didn’t ‘decide’ on the medium. The medium came to me quite by chance as explained above.

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

It’s the design aspect. You see some beautiful beads, all in different shapes and sizes, and think about what you can do with them, and slowly, a design is born. The rest is just execution. The technique of knotting in macramé is not difficult. There are only a few knots that are involved, so the execution may not be hard, but it is definitely time consuming. It is the design concept that takes me the longest time.

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

It has to be the Alphanso mango, the king of all fruit. The smell and color of a ripened mango in full season can be maddening! The color is so rich and lush and warm. My jewelry is also full of these rich and luscious colors. Visually and tactically beautiful.

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

I would like to work with textiles some day. I love the idea of creating designs, with paint or block printing on fabric.

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

To think outside the box. To bring new life to ‘old’ traditional materials and make them beautiful again.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

Get good at what you love to do. Enjoy the process of learning and creating. I am constantly striving to improve. Having a shop on Etsy brings about the need to excel in other areas too, like photography, marketing etc. I have much to learn in these departments.

GREAT WORK, GREAT INTERVIEW! Thanks, Coco, for taking the time to share your thoughts and creativity with us!

FEATURED ETSY SHOP - Misty Ridge Designs - Handcrafted Jewelry

Sugilite and Silver Filigree cuff

The striking bracelet above is just one of many gorgeous designs you will find when you visit Heather's MIST RIDGE DESIGNS shop on Etsy. She has beautifully designed earrings, bracelets, and more.

First, let's learn a bit more about Heather, and how she came to be a jewelry artist. You can visit her shop and blog by clicking on the links below this interview.

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I have always been a creative person and have always enjoyed making things with my hands. I have dabbled in painting, sculpting, pottery, knitting and many other things for as long as I can remember. A few years ago, I was diagnosed with a debilitating inflammatory arthritis. The pain and stiffness weakened my hands quite a lot which caused me to give up many of my other crafts. I kind of stumbled into jewelry as a creative outlet and as a means of dealing with stress.

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

I don't know if it was so much a conscious decision or just happenstance that I work with the materials that I use. I really like the look of sterling silver and semi-precious gemstones so I am sure that personal preference played into it somehow. Other than that, I really just use materials that are comfortable for me to manipulate. For instance I don't use a lot of seed beads because they are too small and I don't have the dexterity and fine manipulation in my hands to allow me to use them. I create most of my jewelry using mid gauge wire and mid sized beads, which are easy for me to handle.

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

I really enjoy the whole process, but if I had to choose just one aspect it would have to be when the piece is completed and I can finally see and hold a tangible item that began as just an idea in my head.

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

This is a very unique question. I have never thought about it before. I suppose I would choose a cluster of grapes because it takes several individual grapes to compose a cluster. I can see similarities between the curling twisting vine and the twists and curls in my wire work. And like the individual grapes combine to form a beautiful cluster, each wire formed link and bead combine to form a wonderful finished piece of jewelry.

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

Wow, this is a hard one. I love to do so many things. I guess if I had to choose only one, right now it would be glass. I would love to learn to make the amazingly intricate and beautiful glass beads that I have seen and then use them in my jewelry.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

My advice to fellow artists is don't give up. We live in a tremendously diverse world. Whatever you produce if you put your heart, tears, and sweat into it, there is someone out there who will love and cherish it. Take any criticism as a learning opportunity, but don't let it get you down rather let it fuel your desire to create and make the best art that you can. Specifically for ETSY artists I would say find your own style and run with it. Take good pictures that show just how fabulous your pieces are. Promote, promote, promote. Try to have the best customer service that you can, and make friends with some of the artists in your field. It always helps to have someone that you respect and look up to to bounce ideas off of.

Heather, it is a real pleasure to have you as a featured artist out here on DZFANTASY. Your work is truly beautiful, as well as your spirit!!

Thanks again for taking the time to share with everyone.

Below are links to MISTY RIDGE DESIGNS, and also Heather's blog.

MISTY RIDGE DESIGNS BLOG