We are dedicated to the handmade movement and to helping grow our local economy by sharing locally made products with shoppers in our community. We will host over 70 vendors offering a huge variety of handmade items, gifts and home decor on May 13. Read on to meet some of our makers.
Statement Peace Jewels offers handmade one of a kind eclectic and inspirational jewelry pieces. Owner and designer Karen Kirscht creates ready to wear necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. The designer's work is often described as funky, whimsical, and upbeat.
Ready to wear pieces range from classic conservative styles through more ornate trendy contemporary looks. Since each piece is unique to itself SPJ offers a wide range of styles and materials to be an "affordable splurge" making the wearer feel their personal best.
For those customers who want to take an active role in the design process, Karen offers style consultation and over 20 years of self-taught jewelry making techniques to construct pieces on the spot. Customers are welcome to shop from Statement Peace Jewel's always evolving (and growing) jewelry pendants and materials to achieve that special piece that strives to "make a statement without saying a word."
Jill Stone of Beautified Essentials makes art that has a function such as manicure sets, bottle stoppers, hair accessories, etc. She is primarily a polymer clay artist, which means she blends solid blocks of clay with gold and silver leaf to create beautiful mixes of color. She uses the patterned clay to decorate ~30 practical useful items (hence her business name "Beautified Essentials"). She decorates the highest quality products because she wants her art to be enjoyed for a lifetime.
Jill minored in art at Juniata College focusing primarily on ceramic pottery, but she took a variety of art studio, and art history classes as well. She first started working with polymer clay in 2010, but has made pressed flower art since she was a child (over 26 years). She makes polymer clay art because she gets tremendous enjoyment out of making it, and she loves sharing the process and products which bring beauty and joy to everyone else. She garners fulfillment out of knowing that she has enhanced ordinary useful products into unique pieces of art.
Jill is a proud stay at home mom with two little girls, taking a break from teaching middle school science. She has sold over 7,300 pieces of art since 2010.
Lauren of Lauren Antoinette designs became an accidental jewelry designer after breaking a necklace her father gave her. Thankfully two women in a jewelry design studio in Mobile, Alabama walked her through a quick fix, leading to a passion she never knew existed. The spirit behind the local shops is something that stuck with her and has been a driving influence as she opened Lauren Antoinette Designs.
Lauren uses only 14k gold-filled or sterling silver materials to ensure the longevity of the timeless pieces. They are hand-made to order using the simplest tools – her hands and a hammer. By personally molding and hammering the quality wire, each piece is an individual and can be client customized.
The pieces are referred to as “Little Happies." Growing up, Lauren’s mother would randomly give a small gift to someone and say, “She just needed a little happy!" The phrase stuck - a collection of unique little happies to share with the world. As she reminisced, another "happy" came to mind - music. Whether it be an exciting moment or an upsetting one, there was a gravitation towards music in order to express those feelings. If she couldn’t find the words to express her feelings, Lauren knew EXACTLY which song did. That's why you will find some hidden musical inspiration in the products. The songs or lyrics they are inspired by hold a story in her heart. As Lauren shares her happies with you, she hopes you will share a little happy with someone you love.
Come back to meet more of our makers next week and if you missed part 1 you can read it here.
Look out for Karen, Lauren and Jill May 13th at the Handmade Nashville Summer Arts & Crafts Show!
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