I first learned about beading when I was hospitalized with anorexia in 2007. There was a wonderful teacher who came into my room and asked me if I wanted to join another girl to make some jewelry, and after spending hours playing around with different patterns and ways to hang the beads I never looked back. For the rest of my stay, I would go to the teen room and bead until my fingers hurt. It was a stress relief and I could go on for hours without even knowing it.
When I got home, I asked my Mom to help me buy some beads so I could make some pieces to sell at the farmer's market they had every summer in my town. So we went to the store and picked out some materials and I got to work in my Mom's sign shop. I worked for hours every day until I had enough earrings, bracelets, and necklaces to sell.
I made up some business cards and earring cards before we loaded up the car for the market. I was the only young girl selling that summer and I sold like crazy. For some reason people loved me and kept coming back to buy my wears.
I started buying better beads online with the money I was making so I was able to up the quality and then I started playing around with twisting wire in different ways to make spirals and other designs. I learned how to make my own ear wires and necklace clasps just by reading books and practicing.
Before I knew it, it was summer again and I was back at the market with my Mom selling my new and improved pieces. Everyone was so impressed. They had witnessed my growth from simple beading to now intricate wire wrapping designs. People kept buying.
Jewelry gave my an outlet and soothed my stress away. My Mom set up a little area for me in the back of her shop where I could spread everything out and work. I had five full trays of beads to pick from, multiple gauges of wires to use and several different wire tools. I could make whatever I wanted and that was always a rush for me. Knowing that whatever I made was unique to me and no one else could ever make the same thing.
I sold jewelry at the farmer's market for about four years straight until I went off to boarding school and I couldn't do it anymore. I got hooked on collaging and drawing more, so jewelry began to take a back seat.
But today I have found it again. For my birthday last month my Mom bought me a lot of new wire; all different gauges and this got me rolling again. I pulled out my boxes of materials and set up a spot in Ben and I's tiny apartment and started shooting out pieces left and right. It didn't take long for me to pick it back up and every memory from before came rushing back.
My Mom has always believed in me and my jewelry. She was the one who pushed me to start putting it out to the world on Etsy. She inspired me make earring and necklace cards to go along with my pieces and she is the reason why I keep going even when no one seems to care.
I made jewelry because I love it and it's a passion of mine. I put it online to sell because I hope it'll make someone else just as happy as it makes me. Sometimes I wonder if what I am doing is worth it but I know it is because if it makes me happy and I love doing it than nothing else matters.
Jewelry and I have come a long way. We started out strong and then broke up, but we're back and we're rolling with the help and support of my amazing Mom.
You can find my jewelry on Esty here.
I'm thinking about doing a small giveaway of my jewelry soon for Valentine's Day...would that be something you guys would be interested in??!!
{p.s. if you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends. I would greatly appreciate it!}