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