I am very excited to introduce, Amy McDonald, a talented Sea Glass Jewelry artist. Along with enjoying my own personal piece of jewelry made by Amy, I had the opportunity to interview Amy regarding her life and art to find out a little more about what inspires her.
Amy lives in Maine where there is a lot of snow and plenty of availability for inspiration. Besides being a jewelry artist, Amy is a full time mother of 3 and a hair stylist. Her husband is a BIG hunter and total outdoors man and her kids are 16, 12, and 1.
Amy's beautiful work can be found on Etsy, which features handcrafted artists around the globe. Her Etsy shop called, Sea Treasures by Amylee, can be found @ http://www.amylee34.etsy.com. Amy's pieces are made of Sea Glass found from the beaches in Maine. She absolutely loves making Sea Glass Jewelry and has spent a lot of time locating each piece of glass for her jewelry.
In Amy's words, "Up here in Maine we have lots of beaches, so my whole life I have beach combed and collected sea glass. My fondest memories are of being with my grandparents as a little girl and walking the beaches every weekend picking up sea glass. Well, I'm 34 now with LOTS of SEA GLASS. Being a stay at home mom I have found my creative outlet. I wanted to have a lot of jewelry but didn't want to pay their prices. Everywhere I went I found pieces I didn't care for and they were expensive, so I started my own line! I think I have always had a passion for this, in high school I took a pottery class and instead of making bowls and cups, etc. I made a beaded necklace. I think I get inspired easily, there are a lot of things that are so beautiful it gets me thinking, weather it's my catchy names for my pieces, or wonderful colors on a bird. My favorite color is purple and I love browns and aquas together. I have a work shop down in our finished basement with a drill press, (it's my husbands that I took over) but my creating happens in our dining room, it has much better light. My absolute favorite thing to work with is the glass. Holding it up to the light and finding just the right beads. It's a great thing. I was very nervous to have a shop on Etsy, I thought what if I don't sell anything or what if people don't like my items, but the experience has been wonderful, everyone has been so nice, and supportive of one another. Lots of helpful tips to be shared. The thing that I find to have helped me a lot are my pictures of the items, you really need to use props that really make your item stand out. When I did that I started to get more views and hearts and even SALES. "
Amy feels it is very important to buy handmade to support other artists and their talents, knowing every item is made with love and that the artist is sharing this with everyone. Amy says, "I hope everyone who purchases an item from me loves it as much as I did making it."
Besides being found on Etsy, Amy can be found at one of the largest craft fairs in Augusta Maine, located at the Augusta Civic Center November 28-29, 2009. If you live close by please stop by and see her beautiful work. If not please be sure to check out her lovely Etsy shop, I know you won't be sorry.
