Okay faithful readers...be prepared for some very spectacular awesomeness today! I have manged to get Cat, the very busy owner and creator of the fabulous Polarity and Uncorked, to take a few moments and answer some questions for me! She was also generous enough to offer a coupon code to you all for the month of June! Just use the code, "SPOTLIGHT" for 15% off!
I just had to feature her here on my blog because through her shop, I have been introduced to so many fantastic artists and I totally respect her ability to create such awesome works of art with recycled materials!! That's enough about me, let's get to the good stuff!
Pssssst...don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY once you're done reading today's feature!
1.)For those who haven't seen your shop before, could you give them an idea of what you're all about?
I am a jewelry maker seeking to make really cool things out of other things. My goal is to work almost exclusively with materials that are made with a practical, useful purpose (cork, washers, screws, ballchain, steel car parts, test tubes, wood scraps) rather than materials made solely for design - part of leaving the lightest footprint with my work.
I work mainly with sustainable cork (cork that is hand-harvested without harming the cork trees) in my Uncorked shop and recycled steel (steel is magnetic which allows it to get more easily removed from the waste stream and recycled again and again) in my Polarity shop. I fabricate my Polarity locket from a recycled steel auto part
.
2.) Do you seek out the artists that you collaborate with or do they usually come to you?
I haven't sought anyone out in awhile although I did in the beginning. I have a long list of amazing artists right now who have emailed me that I need to get back to! I have decided to add new artist pieces at certain times of the year so I don't go too crazy with it all.
3.) Are you able to handcraft each of the pieces with your own two hands?
YES, every single locket is cleaned (I did buy an industrial parts cleaning machine this year which really helped me with that step) and fabricated by me (with love and propane) and every single piece in my Uncorked shop, too - and I have the scars and chopped up fingernails to prove it!
4.) I LOVE your new Floral Bib Style Magnetic Locket Necklace sets made with those adorable buttons!!! Where did the inspiration for those come from?
Well, I love the bib style necklaces that are so hot right now and I had made lockets with buttons way back in the beginning but they got kind of lost in the shuffle. Recently when buying some new fabric for corkboards and magnetboards I stumbled upon these adorable button sets and a customer asked for something special for her bridesmaids and voila!
5.) If you're not busy making fabulous jewelry, what can you usually be found doing?
I work a lot although I am committed to changing that by working smarter and not harder (still working on the particulars of that one!) - I love flea marketing with my daughter who has the best eye on the planet, biking and making other crafty repurposed whatnots that I don't sell. I believe that the best way to live a creative life (and to be open and ready for an amazing idea when it hits you) is to make lots of things just for the fun of it.
I am a jewelry maker seeking to make really cool things out of other things. My goal is to work almost exclusively with materials that are made with a practical, useful purpose (cork, washers, screws, ballchain, steel car parts, test tubes, wood scraps) rather than materials made solely for design - part of leaving the lightest footprint with my work.
I work mainly with sustainable cork (cork that is hand-harvested without harming the cork trees) in my Uncorked shop and recycled steel (steel is magnetic which allows it to get more easily removed from the waste stream and recycled again and again) in my Polarity shop. I fabricate my Polarity locket from a recycled steel auto part
.
2.) Do you seek out the artists that you collaborate with or do they usually come to you?
I haven't sought anyone out in awhile although I did in the beginning. I have a long list of amazing artists right now who have emailed me that I need to get back to! I have decided to add new artist pieces at certain times of the year so I don't go too crazy with it all.
3.) Are you able to handcraft each of the pieces with your own two hands?
YES, every single locket is cleaned (I did buy an industrial parts cleaning machine this year which really helped me with that step) and fabricated by me (with love and propane) and every single piece in my Uncorked shop, too - and I have the scars and chopped up fingernails to prove it!
4.) I LOVE your new Floral Bib Style Magnetic Locket Necklace sets made with those adorable buttons!!! Where did the inspiration for those come from?
Well, I love the bib style necklaces that are so hot right now and I had made lockets with buttons way back in the beginning but they got kind of lost in the shuffle. Recently when buying some new fabric for corkboards and magnetboards I stumbled upon these adorable button sets and a customer asked for something special for her bridesmaids and voila!
5.) If you're not busy making fabulous jewelry, what can you usually be found doing?
I work a lot although I am committed to changing that by working smarter and not harder (still working on the particulars of that one!) - I love flea marketing with my daughter who has the best eye on the planet, biking and making other crafty repurposed whatnots that I don't sell. I believe that the best way to live a creative life (and to be open and ready for an amazing idea when it hits you) is to make lots of things just for the fun of it.
6.) Mac or PC?
PC (but I'm open to change, my Dell is slow these days)
7.) I can see your awesome jewelry becoming an addiction quite easily! Do you have a lot of return customers??
Yes, alot of my customers return for more pieces for gifts and more lids for their locket and I have a few who are totally addicted and I am a bit like a pusher giving them freebies now and then to keep them hooked!
8.) What musical artist or genre do you usually listen to while creating?
Adele- I am obsessed - you feel like there is nothing you can't do while listening to Adele! Pure inspiration.
9.) Do you do custom lockets?
Yes! I do custom lockets with customers own pics all the time and I also do wholesale work with non-Etsy artists that they sell at their shows.
Don't forget to take a minute while your here and enter this week's GIVEAWAY!!!
