From Megan: I really wanted to have signature Dragonfly Hot Yoga jewelry available at the studio. My friend and Dragonflyer, Ann Imig (annsrants.com and creator of “Listen To Your Mother“), told me about Ellie Schoenberger and her beautiful jewelry. I contacted Ellie and she was amazing to work with. Right away she was sending me designs with our colors and was willing to work with me and our budget. I LOVE our new necklaces (available at either studio!) and hopefully, Ellie will be designing more custom pieces for us in the future. If you’re looking for special gifts to give to friends, family, co-workers, teachers, etc., you must check out her etsy shop!
Ellie was kind enough to answer a couple of questions for our newsletter.
Megan: You are the author of the popular blog “One Crafty Mother“. How long have you been blogging and what made you start?
Ellie: Actually, jewelry made me start my blog. I am in recovery from alcoholism, and I was newly sober and looking for a creative outlet. I have always loved stones and the meanings behind semi-precious stones, and I started making jewelry for the recovery community. I started to write the blog to talk about the creative process and what it meant to me, but really quickly it turned into something else. I started writing about recovery and a community formed around that, too. It was the best of both my creative passions – jewelry making and writing. Now my blog is more than four years old and has evolved into much, much more than I ever dreamed it could.
Megan: How did you get into making jewelry? What do you enjoy most about creating custom pieces, such as the Dragonfly necklaces?
Ellie: Being in recovery got me into making jewelry, but I was too impatient and stubborn to take time with classes, etc., so I’m entirely self-taught. Playing around is a huge part of the creative process for me. Some of my most interesting creations evolved out of colossal mistakes. :) I LOVE making custom pieces, working with clients to create something that is meaningful and unique just for them. One of the BEST parts about custom pieces is how inspired I am by other peoples’ ideas. People usually say “Oh, I’m not creatively inclined”, and then come up with the greatest design ideas. So I learn a lot that way, too.
Megan: What inspires you as far as your jewelry making?
Ellie: At the risk of giving you a disappointing answer – I’m not sure. I love chaos and jumbles of color, and I’m not a linear thinker, so when I’m designing something new I’ll spread out all sorts of metals, stones, crystals, etc. with different textures and colors and then start messing about. I usually don’t know what it will look like until it’s done. The stamped pieces are more precise, of course, and I draw inspiration for those from other people who inspire me – writers, friends, my yoga instructor — other soulful people whose words and actions inspire me to stamp meaningful pieces. I also love nature and the ocean, so I love incorporating greens and blues into my pieces.
Megan: Anything you want our readers to know about? (favorite blogs/websites?)
Ellie: Oh my. I am surrounded by talented bloggers in my life, and you’ve already mentioned one of my favorites – Ann from annsrants (she is one of those inspiring people I’m talking about). Another fabulous blogger and good friend who is spiritual and soulful and all around awesome is Heather from The Extraordinary Ordinary. I couldn’t possibly list all the talented writers I know. And, of course, I’m a *wee* bit addicted to Pinterest (cough). Lots of inspiring things to be found there.
