Spotlight Sunday - Caroline Armitt from Caroline’s Cool Jewels

And.....here we are again....another Spotlight Sunday post and another wonderful Maker and Shaker has agreed to answer some on-line questions on herself and her business..... Already we have had over 600 visitors to this blog. In such a short period of time, this is truly amazing!
What’s your name?Caroline Armitt from Caroline’s Cool Jewels

Describe your business?
I make All kinds of things from Kids jewellery to men’s jewellery and everything in between, at the moment I am making a different range for my website with sterling silver and gemstones, I have also recently added a wedding range.
What are you offering?I offer a personal service to the customer creating a piece of jewellery they are completely satisfied with so they can either buy what I have made or use this as a guide and ask me to create exactly what they want.

How did you get started on your present art/craft?I got started making jewellery in September 2010, I needed to fill a void in my life since I lost my husband and had to give up work to look after my kids full time, I found myself bored in the evenings and discovered jewellery making.
I started and very quickly after I was doing jewellery parties for friends and relatives and it took off from there.I enjoy making and am very passionate about what I do and I think that comes across in my work.

In a word, describe your creative process?
I buy quality beads that I am drawn to, when I get the beads in front of me I get inspired by the shapes colours etc.

Who inspires you the most?I would have to say without shadow of doubt its my kids, they get very excited when they see the postman delivering my goodies my son especially hands me the parcel because he gets to the door first then he waits beside me till I open it, he wont let me leave it unopened, then he examines every strand/ pack and tells me how beautiful they are they are both very encouraging and love to see whet I make and they always want to try on “even my 4 yr old son”

Where does the magic happen?Initially I used the kitchen table till my stash started to grow then it got moved to my spare room which is now know as my jewellery room

Where else can you and or your work be found on-line?
Facebook caroline’s cool jewels
Twitter cacooljewels
Website www.carolinescooljewels.co.uk

Thanks Caroline for joining in the Makers and Shakers interview and sharing your experiences.

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Spotlight Sunday - Marie Fredriksson - Calligrapher

What’s your name?Marie Fredriksson

In what form does your creating take?I am passionate about calligraphy and have loved to use steel nibs and ink since I was 14. Lately this interest has branched out to include my lettering etched on various metals such as sterling silver, copper and stainless steel.


Describe your business?Currently I am making and selling my calligraphy on etched metals in the form of jewellery - pendants and bracelets - in my Etsy shop. I am very fortunate to have a husband with a well equipped workshop right here in our house. I also run calligraphy correspondence courses in Swedish and English with students mostly from Scandinavia, but also from other parts of the world. I also do original calligraphy on request.

What are you offering?In my Etsy shop everything I sell includes etched calligraphy in the form of various quotes and words. I use copper for pendants and bracelets, sterling silver for pendants and stainless steel for bracelets. The copper is a wonderful metal that can be oxidized to a warm, walnut brown colour that emphasis the etched words and gives the metal a rustic and slightly aged patina. When I work with silver I choose not to oxidize the letters black, as I feel an organic and subtle silver-on-silver design is more pleasing. Stainless steel can't be coloured at all as far as I know, but the contrast between the slightly mottled surface of the letters and the polished "background" work very well on its own. I make the bracelets from recycled leather waist belts or scrap leather from a nearby friend's leather workshop, and rivet the etched metal to the leather. The pendants hang from waxed black cotton cords, the silver ones being enhanced by a extender chain and freshwater pearl.

I want to letter and etch words that are meaningful - to me personally, or to friends or a wider audience (hopefully). I try to stay away from the most frequently used affirmative words going around these days, although I admit to have etched "Breathe" and "Carpe Diem" and "Amor vincit omnia" a couple of times. But finding the right words to etch is almost the hardest part of the whole process!

How did you get started on your present art/craft?I have practiced calligraphy for all of my adult life, but the metal etching is a fairly new interest. Although I didn't begin experimenting with it until January 2010, I've known about the methods used for quite some time. Anne Van Tassel - an online friend in the US - was the first one I knew who etched calligraphy on metal and I loved how it looked. Unfortunately she is no longer with us, but she shared her methods freely with me several years ago. And for some reason, in January 2010 I felt that the time was right to give it a try. I learned how it was done on my own, googled A LOT for more information and fine tuned the techniques over time. There's really no better way to learn than through series of both successful and less successful experiments.

In a word, describe your creative process?Experimentive! (I don't think this is a proper word, Sue - but that's what it's all about for me - to experiment and see what happens. "What if...?")

What inspires you the most?Words. Words I hear on the tv, on the radio, in the office, or words that I read in the newspaper, in books, on billboards...

Who inspires you the most?I draw my inspiration from many sources. Other calligraphers, Etsy sellers, old paintings, books, ads. One never knows when something interesting will show up!

Where does the magic happen?I work mainly in my office (lettering the designs, scanning and printing etching templates etc), the kitchen (preparing the metal and adhering the etching resist), the bathroom (the actual etching takes place here) and in hubby's workshop (sawing, filing, drilling, riveting etc). I would love to be able to do everything in one place though. Some time, perhaps...

What’s the most valuable piece of advice you can give someone considering starting up a business as a creator?

Don't give up! Be stubborn and persistent and believe in what you do. And be prepared that it takes a lot of time that is not 'creative time' - setting up a website and/or webshop, starting a blog and filling it with good content, getting a grip about marketing, doing the bookkeeping etc.

Any other advice?
Marketing is a MUST! And so is being "social" on the web, be it Facebook, twitter, your own and other people's blogs etc. No one will find you unless you let the world know where you are and what you have to offer!

Where else can you and or your work be found on-line?
Website: http://www.kalligrafi.com/calligraphy

Blog: http://marieofsweden.wordpress.com/

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MarieOfSweden

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MarieOfSweden

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MarieOfSweden

Thanks Marie for such a wonderful interview and sharing your experiences and work with us.

If you would like to be featured in Spotlight Sunday....see the post on how to go about it.

Being a Creator is as much about sharing your experiences as it is about your work. Together we can help each other grow!