Tell us a little bit about yourself…My name's Hayley, I'm 21 and live in Northamptonshire. I run two little Etsy Shops; "
Ruby Wren Boutique" for my handmade jewellery, and "
Ruby Recycled" which stocks my handmade eco-friendly greeting card range. I love girly things like long baths, jewellery, clothes etc...but also love my football team, and war-games on the Xbox 360. I may also be slightly obsessed with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, but I'm convinced that's normal, right? And all I watch on TV is American drama and property programmes...oh, and Columbo!
How long have you been selling on Etsy?I registered on
Etsy in March 2008 but completely forgot about it until my first sale last summer...I wonder now how I could ever live without Etsy! I launched Ruby Recycled in May this year.
Do you sell on Etsy full time or do you have a day job?
I work from home moderating and editing website content part time...it's a job I love, for a company I love, so I'm very lucky. One day, I'd ideally love to sell enough on Etsy to combine the two together to make a full time job out of it. I would love to spend the rest of my life being my own boss, working for myself.
What made you decide to open up shop on Etsy? I discovered Etsy while looking for a product that I could visualise but couldn't find anywhere. I was on an endless search for that perfect item when I discovered Etsy, where I could buy all these amazing things that I knew I could have without knowing everyone else had the same thing, like most high street products. When I started making jewellery as a hobby, I didn't know what to do with all the necklaces I was making and remembered Etsy. Since then I've gained more of a business mind about Etsy and am making things to sell rather than selling things I've made. When I decided I also wanted to make greeting cards, Etsy was the first thing in my mind.
What inspires you? There are so many amazing artists on Etsy and every time I discover beautiful items (which is very often!) and see other sellers being successful with their craft, it drives me to work on mine. One day, I want to be in an
Etsy 'Quit Your Day Job' article also, so that inspires me too! My cards are inspired by nature and I sit with a view of my garden when I create them, so you can see the bird influence in a lot of my cards. Little boutique shops, 'old hollywood' and what other people are wearing inspires my jewellery, but most of the time I sit with my tool box of beads and it just comes to me.
How would you describe your style?
I think my style for both the cards and the jewellery are still developing and evolving, but I'd probably describe my jewellery as girly with a vintage feel, and the cards are definitely modern, simple with raw, textured paper.
What do you like least about your craft?
Probably the scrapes from raw wire! I love to wire wrap beads and glass, which gives lovely rustic results, but I end up with very sore hands at the end of it. There's also tonnes of jewellery sellers on Etsy, which makes it a very competitive craft to get into, but I guess that gives me the drive to work harder and create new, different things.
Do you have any advice for other sellers on Etsy or those thinking about pursuing their craft? I've found that Etsy is about more than just the product itself...customer service, photos, packaging all make a huge impact as well, so it's always good to put some extra effort into your shop even once you're happy with the product. As Etsy is primarily American, it's always nice to find members from your home country, so I make sure to tag my items with 'UK' also to make sure my fellow Brits can find my items too.
Top Five Etsy shops?
Five Random facts about yourself?1. I suffer from Fibromyalgia which is a chronic pain condition...it's frustrating and painful but I probably wouldn't have been pushed into selling on Etsy otherwise.
2. I enjoy having the tv on while I work and have probably gone through all my House and Bones boxsets a dozen times each.
3. I was a Time Team bone-washer for a local excavation.
4. I have an organic vegetable garden and get so excited when I eat things I've grown myself.
5. I have a phobia of lifts/elevators and take the stairs where I can.
What is your favorite leisure time activity?
When I'm not working on my products or at the computer promoting them, I like to watch films, photography or go find ducks to feed.
What craft would you love to learn?
I'm jealous of anyone who can make clothes! I would love to be able to make my own clothes and bags.
What does the future hold for Ruby Wren Boutique / Ruby Wren Recycled?
I recently signed up for my first craft fair so I'm really looking forward to having an offline venue to sell at. It's my dream to be able to work full time on Etsy, so I'd love that to be a possibility in the future also.
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