Designs by Deb


*Where are you from? Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am from Methuen, Massachusetts about 30 miles north of Boston. I am married. No kids, but I do have four highly energetic little black dogs (Schipperkes) that keep me busy! After working as an Administrative Assistant for 25 years, I retired two years ago, so now I am home with the “kids” every day!

*How did you decide on your shop name? Why did you start your business?
Well, everyone calls me Deb and I design all my own pieces, so that is where I got my shop name! I take after my mother and grandmother in that I’ve always liked jewelry. When I retired and had lots of spare time, I decided to make a few jewelry pieces to give as gifts. The more jewelry I made, the more I found that I enjoyed it so I had quite a collection of finished pieces. People who received my gifts would tell me that I should try to sell some of my jewelry, so I decided to give it a try and opened my Etsy shop in December and the rest is history!

*What are 5 things you want people to think when they see your product?
I’d like them to think the pieces are pretty, classy, feminine, well presented and reasonably priced.

*What’s your supply addiction; is there a specific color or type of supply you just can’t pass up?
For a while, I was addicted to gemstone beads. I was using a lot of turquoise and lapis, etc. But lately I have been making a lot of hair accessories adorned with rhinestones, so my latest addition is sparkly Swarovski rhinestones!

*What do you do when you’re not being an artist? What activities do you enjoy?
Aside from chasing my doggies around trying to keep them out of trouble, we have a vacation home in northern New Hampshire, very close to the Canadian border. We go up there as much as we can. It is a log home and the back porch overlooks the mountains of Canada. I enjoy going up there and just relaxing, watching the wildlife and the beautiful sunsets.

* Is this your first craft adventure or have you tried other crafts? What would you like to try?
Several years ago I was making a lot of dried flower arrangements, wreaths, wall hangings, etc. I never sold any, I just kept them all for myself. In fact, 90% of the walls in my house here and up in New Hampshire are adorned with those creations. I would love to learn how to quilt one day, but I do have to learn how to use a sewing machine first!

*What keeps you motivated?
When I get a good review on an item I’ve sold, that lets me know that my efforts aren’t going unnoticed. That motivates me to create more. I want people to be happy with whatever they buy from my shop, so I am always striving to create quality pieces that people will enjoy.


*If you could give a piece of advice to a new shop - what would it be?
I would say promote, promote, promote. Through joining teams, Facebook, Twitter, BNS and BNRs. I started my shop in December but didn’t do any promoting until May and THAT is when my sales started to come in. And don’t get discouraged.

*Are there other places on the net we can find you?
You can find me on Twitter: twitter.com/DesignsbyDeb18
and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/DesignsByDeb18


13 comments:

Scotti Cohn said...

Great feature and beautiful items for sale! I love that you have Schipperkes. I think they are so cute!

Unknown said...

Pleasure to meet you Deb! Your work is lovely. Wishing you much success. Your cabin sounds like a wonderful retreat.

ageratum said...

So nice to get to know you, Deb. You have some lovely items in your shop ~ congratz! Peace. ;) Donna

Bebby said...

Lovely feature and such pretty jewellery!

cheeky rose said...

Lovely pieces of jewellery

Tak said...

Lovely jewelry! So nice to meet you and thanks for sharing!!

Creations By Janet said...

Beautiful work & a very nice interview. Wishing you good fortune with your new adventure on Etsy.

Christie Cottage said...

Great feature!

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Ridge Top Embroidery said...

Lovely feature...Deb's Designs are gorgeous!

Twice Nice Purses said...

Great feature~it's so much fun to learn about other teammates and what they do in addition to creating and selling on Etsy! Beautiful jewelry!

Unknown said...

Awesome feature! I love getting to know my fellow etsians!

Unknown said...

Awesome feature! I love getting to know my fellow etsians!

Unknown said...

Awesome feature! I love getting to know my fellow etsians!