Want to meet another vendor?
Amy from dogwood & poppy.
Sew Funky Market: When did you first open your shop? What made you decide to open your shop?
dogwood & poppy: I first opened shop in late 2009, shortly after moving to riverside. family and friends had been urging me to sell my jewelry for years, but it took me a while to get the courage to do it. now i'm so glad i did, but it was a little scary at first.
dogwood & poppy: I first opened shop in late 2009, shortly after moving to riverside. family and friends had been urging me to sell my jewelry for years, but it took me a while to get the courage to do it. now i'm so glad i did, but it was a little scary at first.
SFM: What is your best selling item? What is your favorite item to create?
dp: because i make so many one-of-a-kind pieces, it's hard to say what sells the best, but they tend to be my chunkier, more substantial necklaces. my favorite thing to make is custom jewelry. i like interacting with customers and helping them flesh out their vision of what would be perfect for them or a loved one. plus the process generally pushes me a little outside of my everyday comfort zone and i like that. often i create new pieces that aren't perfect for the person i was customizing them for but end up being popular in my shop. win-win.
dp: because i make so many one-of-a-kind pieces, it's hard to say what sells the best, but they tend to be my chunkier, more substantial necklaces. my favorite thing to make is custom jewelry. i like interacting with customers and helping them flesh out their vision of what would be perfect for them or a loved one. plus the process generally pushes me a little outside of my everyday comfort zone and i like that. often i create new pieces that aren't perfect for the person i was customizing them for but end up being popular in my shop. win-win.
SFM: Do you have any tutorials you would like to share?
dp: yes, please! one of my favorite tutorials is here, a guest post i did at cosa verde on how i make my upcycled jewelry display boards. i also get a lot of people interested in my lotion recipe, which is the only lotion i use. it gets so dry here! and i wanted a cream that was made of natural ingredients, so i came up with my own.
dp: yes, please! one of my favorite tutorials is here, a guest post i did at cosa verde on how i make my upcycled jewelry display boards. i also get a lot of people interested in my lotion recipe, which is the only lotion i use. it gets so dry here! and i wanted a cream that was made of natural ingredients, so i came up with my own.
SFM: What's your design process?
dp: a good chunk of my inspiration comes from the stones i work with. often i walk into my favorite bead store {bella findings in downtown la} and see a strand that begs to be made into a necklace. not being good at resisting, i take several strands home with me. otherwise, i start with color, and build the piece from there. color is actually a theme throughout my life--you should see our orange dining room!--and i'm always searching for interesting color combinations in nature that i can translate into jewelry.
dp: a good chunk of my inspiration comes from the stones i work with. often i walk into my favorite bead store {bella findings in downtown la} and see a strand that begs to be made into a necklace. not being good at resisting, i take several strands home with me. otherwise, i start with color, and build the piece from there. color is actually a theme throughout my life--you should see our orange dining room!--and i'm always searching for interesting color combinations in nature that i can translate into jewelry.
SFM: Where do you find you creative inspiration (people, places, bloggers, adventures...)?
dp: mostly i find my inspiration in nature, where i find interesting color combinations and shapes that i can borrow. i find travel really inspiring, as well. a recent trip to alaska has a few ideas running through my head. i always like to learn a new technique, too, so i keep my eye out for ideas on the internet and in books. right now i'm trying my hand at watercolors with this beautiful book by billy showell. she paints the most gorgeous fruits, veggies, and flowers, and her insight is helping me to really see what i'm looking at instead of what i think is there, if that makes sense. when i'm running a little low on inspiration {it happens to everyone, right?!} i turn to a notebook that i keep full of pictures i've cut out of magazines, ala junior high: some of jewelry, and some of places i'd like to go, and whatever else catches my eye. lately, i'm loving pinterest for the ability to capture web images that inspire me!
dp: mostly i find my inspiration in nature, where i find interesting color combinations and shapes that i can borrow. i find travel really inspiring, as well. a recent trip to alaska has a few ideas running through my head. i always like to learn a new technique, too, so i keep my eye out for ideas on the internet and in books. right now i'm trying my hand at watercolors with this beautiful book by billy showell. she paints the most gorgeous fruits, veggies, and flowers, and her insight is helping me to really see what i'm looking at instead of what i think is there, if that makes sense. when i'm running a little low on inspiration {it happens to everyone, right?!} i turn to a notebook that i keep full of pictures i've cut out of magazines, ala junior high: some of jewelry, and some of places i'd like to go, and whatever else catches my eye. lately, i'm loving pinterest for the ability to capture web images that inspire me!
Run over and follow dogwood & poppy on her blog, Facebook page, Twitter, and Pintrest. And check out the latest new products in her shop!
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