Introducing... Birdland Creations!

1.Dawanda shop name: Birdland Creations
2. Dawanda shop url: http://birdlandcreations.dawanda.com/
3. Opened shop: 07/07/07
4. Are you in the Dawanda shop directory? Yes
5. What category are you under? Jewellery.
6. What do you sell? I sell hand sculpted fine silver jewelry. Most pieces are one of a kind and designed with the goal that they "make you smile"
7. Describe 2 of your current pieces:
Birdcage earrings: - These earrings are one of my favourite pieces right now. I have a pet parrot - called Harold - and he is part of the reason why my business is called Birdland Creations.... and he also influenced this piece - even though he only goes in his cage to sleep. I'd had been making birds for a while but never figured out how to do cages, when suddenly knitted wire came to me! So the birds are hand sculpted in fine silver and then I put them in a little knitted cage so they can "hang out" from your ears! I've been amazed by the great comments people have posted about these!

I'm a little teapot: This is my other current favorite piece. Ironic really, as I can't stand tea!!! I always reckon that was why I had to move away from England - at least for some of the time - coz they wouldn't let me live there and not drink tea!!!! Making this teapot was a real struggle - the technique was hard making it hollow, yet rounded and it was a lot of silver that I was worried I would waste. So it took a long time and quite a few restarts, but then I was
really pleased with the outcome. I made the lid so that it could come off but once fired, it was a tight fit so I thought I should leave it at that, so that it now can't come off, so it can't be lost.




8. Tell me a bit about you… I started my working life as a research scientist - and loved it. Then I moved from the UK to the US and things changed. I couldn't work initially because of visa restrictions so started doing other things... then quickly got out of date with research and was enjoying this new horizon of ... everything... After a variety of projects, including graduate school and then teaching then non-profit work, I read an article about metal clay and thought it sounded intriguing... so I gave it a try. I think the whole process of using the silver clay is
a little like the research I used to do. There are different phases and when it goes in the kiln, you aren't quite sure how it will be when it comes out. It's quite a new product so you find your own way of working with it... so the challenge is just great for me.

It's what I need to keep interested. And I love the opportunity to create "happy" jewellery - not just serious jewellery!

I started selling my things purely be accident as I was wearing some and a gallery owner noticed and asked to sell them and so I went from there. I sold in a few galleries to start with but it seemed very remote from the buyer and I felt quite removed from it all. Towards the end of summer of 2007 I made the decision to get out of galleries and stores and sell exclusively on the web. The interaction with people and buyers is so much more satisfying. To get comments on your creations and photos of people wearing their purchases is just great for me. I love it. The interactions with buyers and potential buyers is just wonderful. The "fans" and "pinboards" really connect me with the types of things people like - so much more than just handing off my pieces to a gallery owner. So now I sell online here at Dawanda and also at a few other online marketplaces around the world.

One last thing - I love Dawanda and it feels great to be a part of Europe. A few months ago I had such a great experience here in that someone contacted me and asked if they could do my translations into German for me. There were no strings attached, just a lovely kind lady... Since that day, we have just got to know each other more and more and she does so much more than translate. She really considers what I am trying to say and if my little "stories" don't relate to anything in German, she'll come up with a new idea for me to consider. I look forward to her emails, her input, her photos, and the friendship we are building is far more than I ever thought I'd get from online selling. So thank you Marion! You have made the world of difference to my Dawanda experience. It's wonderful when totally unexpected things happen...

9. Do you have a website/blog: http://www.birdlandcreations.com/, which include a brief and occasional blog just about my new items.