How would you describe your work?
Bright, bold, stylish and fun. I predominately use a range of resin beads in my designs but also feature glass beads, felt balls and whatever else takes my fancy.
How did your Etsy shop come into being?
A friend told me about the handmade expo. From their website I followed a link to the BrisStyle blog and from there...ETSY! And wow! That was such a mind blowing experience, I just read and read and looked and looked. I was totally hooked. I couldn't rest until I was signed up and listing stock. It was a huge learning curve but one I’ve really enjoyed. I had to close down my Etsy shop for a time recently and got serious withdrawal symptoms! It’s so good to be back and a part of the Etsy/BrisStyle world again.
Who or what inspires you?
This constantly changes! My background is actually in fine jewellery, both antique and modern, so I’ve got a deep appreciation for the craftsmanship and design talent of jewelers, and try and bring that into my own designs. But colour is what really gets me going, I love how it can enhance your mood, lift you up or soothe you. I’m a great people watcher and sometimes just seeing someone with a certain style will set me thinking about what piece of jewellery I’d design for them and then that’ll morph into something on the bench, which will in turn develop into a new item.
Do you ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ as part of your creative process?
I certainly do! I’m a collector of vintage jewellery/objects from way back and am slowly putting together a micro collection that will use some of my older pieces re-purposed with my more contemporary resin range. I love felt balls, and often they are made from re-purposed clothing, but best of all, any Strat designs that don’t sell, or I just change my mind over, I simply break down and re use the components - one of the real benefits of using beads - you’re never stuck with old stock – they’re all reusable!
Can you describe your studio / work area?
It’s very modest and was once our spare bedroom/study. It has French doors out onto a verandah where I do all my photographing, and this means people can come straight into the workshop from outside without having to come through the whole house – handy when I haven’t got around to vacuuming!
When I first started Strat Designs we still had a bed in there and I sort of squeezed in along with the computers and the furniture. Now the bedroom is a distant memory. My husband made me workbenches and shelves and I’ve spread throughout the whole room. The computers are still there, and I love to have my son in doing his homework while I’m working – that way I can keep an eye on what he’s up to and he sees what I’m doing at the same time! I do have to be pretty organized to stop the stock and supplies from spreading out of control, but I love it, and probably spend far too much time in there.
What is your favourite thing in the shop at the moment?
My new “bubble ball” lariat and bracelet range. It’s quite delicate by my standards and so a bit different for me to work on.
Check out more fabulous Strat Designs here:
www.stratdesigns.com
www.stratdesigns.etsy.com
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