{Featured Artist: Stormy Sky}

What inspires you? Almost anything! Art, nature, architecture, fashion, color combinations and textures. I keep notes of ideas – in journals, on the backs of envelopes, scraps of paper and the back of my hand! I will never have time to attempt every design that springs to mind, but I still love to come up with new ideas, even if most of them will never be realized.

Where do you call home? Are you from there originally? I live in a small town in the south west of England, just a few miles from where I grew up. It is very picturesque with thatched cottages and narrow streets. The town is built around the site of a 12th century castle, which is no longer there, but many of the town buildings and the church are hundreds of years old and very beautiful. I am very thankful to live in such a wonderful part of the world.

Share an interesting fact about yourself. My great, great grandmother was a famous Gypsy Queen.

How did you come up with your shop name? I’ve always been fascinated with storms – I just find them so intense and awe-inspiring; I can stare at a moody, cloud filled sky for ages. Plus, I never really wanted a name that advertised the product – hence Stormy Sky.

Share a little bit about yourself. I live with my husband and cat in a very small house. No children as yet so we are making the most of being able to socialize and travel as a couple – we are often either planning a trip or dreaming about places we’ll visit one day. Life is pretty hectic but I think we both prefer it that way. I always seem to have several projects in progress; I crave knowledge and love to learn new skills and develop existing ones.

If you had to describe yourself in a word, what would that word be? Determined.

What made you decide to open up shop? I had been making jewelry and selling locally by word of mouth for a year or so and was considering setting up my own website. I came across Etsy and realized that I didn’t actually need my own website (which was frankly a relief). Etsy has provided an ideal environment for my work. I would love to set up another Etsy shop solely for vintage creations, hopefully later this year; and then I will really have my hands full!

Name your favorite thing about selling handmade. The interaction with my customers is very rewarding – It really makes my day to get emails of thanks from my customers. And knowing that something made by me is being gifted as a token of friendship or love is very special too.

Do you have a day job or sell on Etsy full-time? I work two days a week at a veterinary surgery (which I love!) and also sell jewelry outside of Etsy to local boutiques. Although I always need more time to work on my jewelry, I would never give up my day job – I work with a wonderful team and truly love going to work.

Give us a little glimpse into what a typical day in your life looks like. On a non-day job day, I get up pretty early, answer any emails, relist sold items and then make a big list of “Things To Do”. My list always ends up being far too ambitious, but it does make me focus.

I work until about 3 – 4pm on various fabrications tasks. I try to streamline the processes to a certain extent, making findings and fixtures one day, and setting stones and doing assembly work in batches. After that I stop work to get orders packaged up and taken to the Post Office. For the rest of the day I dodge between jewelry, cooking, housework, admin and photography. After supper I relax and spend time with my husband, and we talk about our day. In the evening I do small, easy-to-manage tasks like cropping photographs, leaving feedback, accounts and ordering materials.

List a few of your most favorite pastimes. Reading, making jewelry (of course!), traveling, decorating and collecting vintage paraphernalia.

Read any good books lately? The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson – a very compelling read with an awesome heroine.

What is your most prized possession? My cat. Although my husband would probably say that it’s really the cat who owns me.

What are three of your favorite foods? Ok, now I know this is not very mature, but my absolute favorite foods are jelly beans, Pralines and Cream Haagen Dazs ice cream, and chocolate mints.

What would you like to learn to do? Play the guitar! I have the guitar, the amp, and the “how to” books and CD’s. But not the time!

What are you listening to right now? Kings of Leon.

Name one place you must visit in your lifetime and why. I would really love to see the Northern Lights, so I am planning a trip to Norway next January. The further north you get, the better the chance of seeing the lights, so it means going within the Arctic Circle. It is a trip my husband and I have wanted to take for a long time and will be a real dream come true for us.