Introducing Mama's Magic Studio

March 29, 2013
I have another SFEtsy team artist I'd like to introduce you to.  Her name is Jen and her Etsy shop is called Mama's Magic Studio
 
Since I'm in love with fiber I found I loved many items in her Etsy shop featuring wire jewelry inspired by yarn.  It wasn't difficult to come up with questions to ask her either.
 

Yarn Ball necklace

 
You design jewelry for knitting and yarn lovers. Why?
 
I love working with wire, and I enjoy playing around and seeing what other things wire can represent -- yarn is a fun option thanks to all the wire colors available. I am always interested in possible themes for mismatched earring pairs; I call them "fraternal earrings" because they go together, but they are not identical.  Knitting needles and yarn were a natural choice for a fraternal earring set. Because I'm a knitter, the first versions of my knitting and yarn designs were ones I made to wear myself. And when I received many compliments on the earrings, I realized I had stumbled on a viable customer demographic! Once I had perfected the earring designs, I created the yarn balls for coordinating necklaces. Rings came later, after customer requests. My line of yarn inspired jewelry is now available online as well as in the gift shop of the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles (http://www.sjquiltmuseum.org/)
You've been with Etsy for a long time now. Where do you see Etsy fitting in to your overall marketing/sales plan?
 
Yes, I'm one of the "old time Etsy" folks! I've been on Etsy since 2006 (with my first shop) which was back when it was in Beta with only the four founding guys running the site out of their apartment. How times have changed! Back then, whatever "plan" I had (and there wasn't much, as a beginner) focused exclusively on Etsy (and friends and family). Mama's Magic Studio has since grown beyond Etsy, but Etsy remains an important part of my overall marketing/sales plan. I have gained invaluable experience and connections through Etsy, I still get customers exclusively through Etsy, and while the Etsy community is growing and evolving and changing, I still appreciate the focus on handmade and think my Handmade Magic finds a good home at Etsy.
 
Even though these days Etsy no longer has the small village artisan feel it once did, and it's easy to feel "lost in the crowd," I'm proud to be part of the worldwide Etsy community. And my Etsy shop still brings in consistent traffic, especially at the holidays and Mother's Day. Lately I have spent more time on my website shop at www.mamasmagicstudio.com, but Etsy remains easy to use and maintain, especially now that Indiemade can link up with Etsy whenever I update my main website shop. Of course it's through SF Etsy that I'm able to remain connected to the awesome local creative community of Etsy folks, which is an important part of my continuing growth as a micro-entrepreneur and creative individual. And even though the team has now grown quite large, at more than 900 members, being part of SF Etsy feels a lot like being part of the creative village that Etsy used to be. So long as SF Etsy keeps going, I'll stay part of Etsy!
 
Grandmother Bird Nest Necklace
 
Do you listen to music, watch TV, or ? when creating a new jewelry piece?
 
I'm not a TV watcher, though my husband is, so I'll sometimes find myself working on something while he has the TV on. I can be persuaded to sit down for Downton Abbey, Dr. Who, and old episodes of Firefly, particularly if my hands are busy while I'm watching. My studio time often includes a soundtrack-- the Weepies, Paul Simon, or Kris Delmhorst have been in the background recently. I often like it quiet, since as a mom of two kids I don't get as much silence in my day as I would like. I also usually bring along wire work pieces in my purse and work on them in the nooks and crannies of the day, like while I'm waiting to pick up the kids from school.  This time of year, leading up to Mother's Day, I am usually working on a custom bird nest order.
 
 
If I had the magic to make your studio dreams come true what would be your first request to making your studio more of a dream?
 
A room of my own! (Virginia Woolf had it right!) Right now my "studio" is in a corner of the bedroom. It's hard for that corner to contain my work table, sewing machine, and all the supplies for my various types of Handmade Magic -- jewelry, quilting, mobiles, sewing, knitting... and who knows what's next!
Did you always want to create art or did you also have other dreams for what you wanted to be? What were they?
 
I have always had a strong creative streak, but only recently has creating art been the way that I fed the muse. Actually, writing is my first creative love. Specifically, poetry: I'm a published poet and participated in open mic performances regularly many years ago. I've always thought of myself as a writer -- but lately most of my writing happens through blogging. (I have found it very challenging since becoming a mother to find the focused time and energy to write.)  I dreamed of "being a writer" for much of my life, but I didn't really see it as a valid career choice. I began college as a biotechnology major, thinking I'd be a scientist, and left with B.A. degrees in English and Women's Studies. I went on for a master's in English, I and taught high school English for several years before staying home with the kids. Since then, a variety of artisan crafts have kept me sane by providing that very necessary creative outlet in ways that are compatible with life that includes small children. I sometimes think I'm still figuring out what I want to be when I grow up! My business cards say "Mama and Maker" and that comes pretty close.
 
Here are some more of Jen's links you might be interested in: