Artisan Spotlight - Antiquity Travelers

7 Questions is our spotlight on our favorite artisans. Please welcome... 

Cynthia of Antiquity Travelers

 








What do you sell in your shop? I sell jewelry. It is all handmade using items like semi-precious stones, pearls, shells, art glass, enamels or the occasional beachcombing item like sea glass. I use gold, silver and copper earwires as I have allergies to base metals, and so I swear by not using them for the items I create.  I rarely duplicate an item as I create each piece as an artistic outlet.

What is your favorite thing about etsy?  I love the ease of being able to set up a shop to sell my jewelry, but still continue to create and run everything out of my home. I don’t think I would have ever built up a following like this, or so quickly if I had needed to build my own website.

What is your least favorite thing about etsy? The fees, of course. I’m lucky that this is a hobby for me, and I don’t need to focus on the margins. I am just trying to afford my bead-a-holic tendencies so I can buy more beautiful beads! But because this is a hobby for me (I have a day job) I also don’t have as much time to dedicate to pushing sales volume in my Etsy Shop. So the fees rack up, without the offsetting of sales. 

What does your studio/workspace look like?  Originally I had taken over a corner of the living room with all my bead tins and baskets of supplies. But about a year ago, I cleaned out the kid’s playroom and took over part of that room … complete with a table that seats 6! So I have lots of space to spread out. But honestly, it usually just means my mess gets bigger!

What do you do to relax?  If I’m not hanging out with my kids, then you’ll find me beading! I love to make jewelry. Some people knit to relax, I don’t knit. But I do find it relaxing to bead weave.

What accomplishments are you the most proud of? Well, if we’re talking about my jewelry, then I would say that I’ve recently had my first published design in Stringing magazine. I’ve submitted a few more pieces and I’m hoping that another design or two might make it into a magazine. Fingers crossed!

What are some of your goals for the next year?  I have an idea for a book series, and so I’m hoping that I’ll get the chance to ‘pitch’ the idea to a publisher. Who knows what might happen!

Find more of Cynthia here:
Blog: http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @AntiquityTravel