My Etsy Seller of the Week is
CS Literary Jewelry. I'm in love with the jewelry in this shop, it's so special.
The owner, Kerry, makes jewelry inspired by classic books, poems and literature. Her jewelry isn't only pretty, it's also the perfect gift for any book lover.
I've asked Kerry a couple of questions to find out more about her and her shop.
When did you start your Etsy shop and how did the adventure begin?
I started my Etsy shop 2 ½ years ago. I had just recently been laid off
from my corporate job as an Executive Assistant – the second time I had
been laid off from the same company – and decided that it was time to
make a change. I started taking some college classes with an eye towards
becoming a high school English teacher. At the same time, I opened my
Etsy shop, originally selling beaded jewelry and hand-knit accessories,
as a way of earning some extra money while I went to school. Pretty
soon, the books and poems that I was reading in class started to find
their way into my jewelry. I was really excited about this new direction
to my work so I dropped the knitting and decided to focus my energy on
my literature inspired jewelry.
What inspires you?
I’ve been an obsessive reader and writer ever since I could remember so I
find most of my inspiration from books, poems, and the beauty of the
written word. I am also inspired by history, culture, theatre and
Broadway musicals.
Where did you learn your craft?
I learned the foundations of jewelry design and beading from some great
local teachers and then went on to learn other skills, like working
with resin, on my own.
Your jewelry is about books. Are there any particular books / quotes from authors you’d love to use for your work?
Most of my work revolves around classics like Pride and Prejudice, Jane
Eyre, and the works of William Shakespeare – partly because of how much I
love them and partly because they are in the public domain and I can
work with them without worrying about copyright issues. However, if I
could work with any book / author in the world, I would love to design
jewelry inspired by The Catcher in the Rye, the poetry of Dorothy
Parker, almost anything by Neil Gaiman, and The Last Unicorn by Peter
Beagle.
What are your favorite books?
It’s hard to narrow things down to just one or two books but here are
some of my favorites: Pride and Prejudice, (and Persuasion) by Jane
Austen, The Anne of Green Gables books (and everything else written by
Lucy Maud Montgomery), Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare,
The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, The Thirteenth Tale by
Diane Setterfield, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and The Last
Unicorn by Peter Beagle.
In terms of poetry, I love Billy Collins, W. B. Yeats. Edna St. Vincent
Millay, and Shel Silverstein (who taught me to love poetry in the first
place). I am also totally obsessed with the T. S. Eliot poem, “The Love
Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.”
What are your plans for the future?
I plan on continuing to grow my business. I am looking to learn a few
new techniques that will open up new design possibilities. I just
introduced child-sized literary necklaces (
etsy.me/1qBqoeN)
for kids who love to read books like Little Women, Anne of Green
Gables, Alice in Wonderland, etc. and I am hoping to expand that series.
I also am looking on getting my jewelry into some bookshops, tea rooms,
and other brick and mortar business where it can be discovered by a
wider audience.
Could you tell a little bit more about the tea in your jewelry?
I come from a family of tea drinkers. Whenever my grandmother, mother,
and aunts would get together, the tea kettle was always on and I grew up
having tea parties with my sisters and cousins while the older ladies
in the family chatted over cups of tea. When I was little, my
grandmother introduced me to her favorite childhood book, Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott, and I remember having a tea party with her and
talking about which of the March sisters were our favorites while I
poured tiny cups of tea out of my miniature teapot. This memory of
talking books and drinking tea inspired my Novel Tea Necklace series, (
etsy.me/1rqu5mj), and especially my Tea with the Little Women necklace. (
etsy.me/1osafej)
I also love curling up with a great book and a cup of tea and agree
whole-heartedly with C. S. Lewis when he said “You can never get a cup
of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”
Lastly, I am just very charmed by the idea of being able to slip into
some of my favorite books and have tea with great fictional characters
like Mr. Darcy, Sherlock Holmes, Anne Shirley, and Jane Eyre and my
Novel Tea Necklaces were the closest I could get to being able to do
that.
Is there any other information you'd like to share?
I am really blessed to have a great community of
customers and friends who encourage and support C. S. Literary Jewelry.
From great chats on Facebook to an online book club - we are currently
reading Dickens' A Christmas Carol (csliteraryjewelry.com/christmas-carol/)
- I find so much joy and inspiration in talking to and getting to know
my fellow book lovers and I would like to invite you all to come join in
the fun on:
Website / Blog - csliteraryjewelry.com/
Etsy Shop -
www.etsy.com/shop/CSLiteraryJewelry
Facebook - www.facebook.com/csliteraryjewelry
Twitter - twitter.com/CSLJewelry
Kerry has very kindly offered a coupon code for my readers:
Enjoy shopping!
There's also going to be a surprise giveaway. One very lucky winner will receive a wonderful bookish gift. Good luck!
I will contact the winner on twitter or via email. If I don't get a reply within 60 hours the prize will go to someone else. All of my giveaways are international.
.png)
.png)
.png)
