Time to get some crafters out there just in time for summer!!!! Hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather and excited for more of YOUR fantastic crafts 🙂
Our featured crafter, Jeana, thought of earring designs while a thunderstorm rolled through and came up with her gorgeous jewelry. She shows us colorful designs – my favorite being the wire wrapped bracelets!
Jeana Rushton
1. I am currently the mother of one gorgeous little girl with a second on the way!
2. I have lived all over the world.
3. I love living in a small town in Eastern Washington! Its the perfect place to settle down.
4. I have a Bachelors of Arts in English Literature.
What got you started crafting?
One night during an amazing lightning and thunder storm in the middle of the summer in upstate New York, I couldn't sleep. While I lay there watching the lightning shatter the sky, earring ideas started popping into my head. I immediately got up and started drawing ideas in a journal and went out the next day to buy my first supplies.
What is your source of inspiration?
I am inspired by the beads and wire in my hands. I get asked at the market quite a bit where my ideas come from and my honest answer is this: I cut a piece of wire, grab some beads and hold on for the ride. Usually the wire and beads themselves seem to do the designing and I just have to build what is already there. Lately I have been working more with wire weaving in both rings and bracelets, and this is a blast! I start with a vague idea in my head of what I want the piece to look like and then just start weaving. It never ends up looking exactly as I planned but I love that about the design process.
What have you made recently?
As I mentioned above, I have just started wire wrapping and weaving. This new direction has been both frustrating, enlightening, and extremely rewarding creatively. I recently have had great success with the wire wrapped/woven bracelets I've been working on. They require more time and concentration than my rings, and for that reason a little more of my heart goes in each one.
Where do you sell your crafts presently?
Most of my sales come from my participation in the Wenatchee Valley Farmers Market during the summer. This year I am expanding my sales market by creating my own blog, promoting on facebook and soon having an open shop on Etsy. Currently I am supported by the great community in Wenatchee that is very supportive of local artists, but plan on expanding the physical locations of my jewelry to shops around the state.
Why are handmade crafts important to you?
I love the sensation of taking bare pieces of wire and letting creativity take over to create something beautiful. It is a therapy of sorts to have that time of intense creativity and creation in the midst of being a stay-at-home mom. I wouldn't want to do anything else!
Find Me
LocationWenatchee, WA
Email Address
Jeana Rushton
Personal Website
http://www.tiddleykinks.wordpress.com
http://www.facebook.com/tiddleykinks