SOTW - TurtleXIII - Blog Feature

EVERYONE - I'd like you to meet this blog's FIRST Shop of the Week!!

TURTLEXIII

Her jewelry is amazing and her personality is even more vibrant! Please read about her and take a look at her amazing shop! There is so much I want to buy from her!

Hi, I’m Elizabeth of Turtlexiii.etsy.com. I am a 29 year old female who works as a physical therapist assistant during the day, and designs and creates jewelry at night and on the weekends.

I chose my shop name because turtles are my favorite animals, thirteen is my favorite number, and my shop sells the results of my favorite hobby. So it’s all about my favorites, and I hope my jewelry will become favorites of others.

My husband has been encouraging me to sell my jewelry for quite awhile, and I finally decided to give it a try on Etsy. I joined on December 27, 2009. Right now it is a way for me to pay for all the beads I love to buy, but I hope to find success and make a living (at least part time) from it one day. I sell my creations because I love being able to bring people a little bit of happiness, and jewelry always fits!!

From this experience I have learned a little bit of self-confidence. I have received many compliments from many people, strangers and friends & family alike. I am learning how to promote my jewelry and myself. I’ve learned that people love having high quality pieces, and they are happy to pay what the items are really worth. I love working with sterling silver, knowing that it is quality and won’t leave people green or with a rash, and I’m glad that there is a market for me.

So far I have only had a few sales on Etsy, but the feeling is amazing! I have no difficulties parting with my items. I love wrapping them up and making them beautiful for the recipient. I love knowing that they will have something beautiful to unwrap and enjoy for years to come. The best part of Etsy for me so far has been the people I have met through the forums. Though I have never met these people I feel great love and support from them. They all help me to gain more confidence and broaden my horizons.

My style tends to be more simple, elegant, feminine design. Understated with a touch of glam and sparkle. Using solid sterling silver components gives me the assurance that my pieces are strong and will last a long time. Wire wrapping not only gives a unique, pretty appearance, it also decreases the likelihood of things breaking. And in the off chance that they do, you won’t lose an entire necklace of beads. I tend to be shy and kind of a wallflower. I think that comes out in my jewelry being understated. But once you get to know me, I am quite outgoing and sarcastic. The outgoing part of my personality plays a part in the sparkle I love to add with the swarovski crystals.

My parents got me jewelry making lessons for one of my birthdays; it was to learn simple bead weaving. I was maybe 12 years old. I made a bunch of earrings and wore them for years. Then I basically stopped making jewelry because I didn’t know what else to do. Later on in college I started making jewelry again. About 5 years ago, my now mother-in-law, taught me to wire wrap. It’s all snowballed from there. I fell in love with making jewelry again and now had enough knowledge to finally make some amazing pieces. And people started noticing and coveting my jewelry.

My workspace is a mess! I have stuff everywhere. Currently I use the guest room as my workspace. So I sit on my futon with a folding table and two shelving units full of goodies. I have quite a few boxes and bins to organize my beads, but I have more beads than room, so they are all over the place! I am also just learning to work with polymer clay and hope to be able to make my own beads soon. And to round out the crafting mess, I collect scrapbooking supplies. I won’t say I’m a scrap booker, since I have only completed 2 pages, but I have all the things I need for 4 albums! Maybe one day. The room also has my exercise bike, so it is a true multipurpose room. I guess if I hit a wall I can just hop on the bike and pedal my frustrations away.

Here are some of my favorite creations:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/40222220/wedding-earrings-pearls-sterling-silver
These earrings I made for myself for my wedding, but never wore them. My husband’s grandmother had left some jewelry for “Kareem’s future wife” and one pair matched my dress perfectly, so I wore those instead.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/41428518/carrie-silver-earring-with-purple-clay-h
These I made, with my sister in mind. She loves hearts and purple, and I saw these beads and knew she would love them.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/44129094/spring-lampwork-bracelet
This bracelet is just bright and happy. It reminds me of all the new flowers blooming in spring.

Here are some of my favorite shops:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/teener1416
Of course this shop! Her eggs are so unique and phenomenal what else can I say?

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TwoIndustriousFerret
Wonderful supply shop, very nice couple, they gave me some great advice and assistance when I was just starting out.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SimplyDivineCreation
Amazing desk décor. Wonderful person. Glad I met her!