You’ve seen the name. You’ve probably even seen her work.
Q. How long have you been making jewelry?
A. I’ve been making jewelry since the huge-earrings-padded-shoulders-big-hair-days of the early ’80s!
Q. What inspires you to create your items?
A.I’m a “stewer.” I buy materials that I like, usually with no idea how they’ll fit into a design. Then I “stew” over them for weeks or months and they eventually spark an idea in my head, letting me know what their destiny is.
Q. Do you have any major influences?
A. I’m influenced by a love of all creatures, especially if they live in the ocean. The ocean itself is my inspiration and my muse. I’m also influenced by an almost pathological desire to make order out of chaos…I was a math geek in high school and geometry was my favorite subject.
Q. When did you decide to start your own business and what prompted you to do so?
A.When people to whom I was giving jewelry kept saying, “you know, people pay good money for this,” that was a big clue! Then I wanted to get more involved in metalsmithing and forging and that required more formal training and better (more expensive) equipment. So selling some of my designs became imperative to being able to support that goal.
Q. Has being a military spouse had an impact on your business, life?
A. Oh yes!
Q. How so?
A.Well, earlier in our marriage, I would make jewelry mostly when my husband was deployed. He was overseas through 7 of our first 9 years of marriage. It kept my mind and hands busy and kept me from missing him as much. Now that he’s retired (he retired after 23 years in the Army), he actually has begun learning the silversmithing craft himself. He loves it and it’s one hobby that doesn’t hurt his knees (injured from years of jumping out of airplanes).
Q. How did you find ETSY? Has it been beneficial for your business – good /bad?
A.I honestly can’t remember how I found Etsy. (You younger gals will laugh, but once you hit your 40’s your memory will start to fail at the strangest times!!!) I have had moderate success on Etsy as far as sales are concerned. About 90% of my sales come from repeat business, referrals and custom commissions. About 10% comes from Etsy sales. I haven’t marketed my Etsy shop too heavily and I could do much better if I did, but I’m not sure I’d have time to do much more than I’m doing now. I never want to have to lower my quality in order to fulfill a certain quantity.
Q. How did you come up with the name of your store?
A.mod stands for missouri ocean design. What, you don’t believe there’s an ocean in Missouri? Well, you’ll just have to read my Etsy profile to find out all about it!!!
Q. Do you sell outside of ETSY? If so, where?
A. I never have weekends off, but I try to schedule one or two large craft shows a year. In addition to those I get a lot of repeat and referred business. I’ve got some of my pieces out on consignment as well.
Q. Do you work outside of your business?
A. I am a full time Certified Professional Air Traffic Controller. I’ve worked for the Federal Aviation Administration for the last 19 1/2 years. I also serve as a national aviation safety representative to the National Air Traffic Controller’s Association. The Safety Committee role has me traveling out of state several weeks out of each year.
Q. How do you juggle being a military spouse and running your own business?
A. Well, my husband actually now stays home and takes care of our home, yard and dogs, so that frees me up to do my full-time job, serve as a national safety representative and run my jewelry business. I guess I’ve always been very much a type A personality, so I am used to juggling many things at once.
Q. How did your spouse/family react to you starting your own business?
A. I’ve made jewelry a lot longer than I’ve been married, so I think he was just glad I finally might earn some money to support it!
Q. What are your hobbies?
A. I love to scuba dive, sail and swim. If it happens in, under or on the ocean, it’s a hobby I’ll love!
Q. What is the best and worst thing that has happened after starting your business?
A. Well, best would be getting repeat business…that’s so gratifying and flattering. Worst was when I had to actually turn away potential clients just before Christmas…I simply didn’t have time to take their commissions.
Q. Is there anything you would change?
A. I’d make every day about 30 hours long, I could do so much more with 25% more time!
Q. If you had one wish what would it be?
A. That there would be no need for a military to exist anywhere in the world. Wishing for world peace sounds so trite and predictable, but that’s what I would wish for the most.
Q. What is your goal for the next 6 months?
A. I’ve got a lot of travel coming up, both for business and pleasure. My goal is to be able to find time somewhere in there to make some quality pieces!
Q.How did you come to join Homefront?
A.I actually am the founder, first member and original team leader of Homefront! Patti (from Etsy Brats street team), encouraged me to start Homefront so I did! I quickly realized that, with all my other commitments and responsibilities, plus the overwhelming interest in the Homefront team, I was way over my head. I yelled for help and it arrived in the form of Robin (CreationsAnew) and Teri (TerisTreasure), who saved me and the team from drowning! I’m proud now to just be a member of Homefront and am eternally grateful to Teri and Robin for stepping up, stepping in and taking over in such a professional and enthusiastic manner!
Q.What impact has Homefront had on your business?
A.I am just grateful for all the new friends I’ve made through Homefront. Etsy has always been more of a social outlet than a business venture for me.
Q.What does Homefront mean to you?
A.Homefront means mutual support and encouragement. As the wife of a retired service member, I feel it’s my duty to give back support and guidance to any member of Homefront whose spouse or significant others is currently serving his or her country in any capacity. I’ve been there, I know how it feels and I know how isolated you can feel. Although I know my husband is home and safe, I still feel anxiety for the loved ones of others who aren’t as fortunate. When my husband was active duty, I had others to whom I could turn for a good cry, a good laugh, a broad shoulder or an outlet to vent. I want other Homefront members to feel free to contact me any time if I can provide any of those services for them!
One day I was talking with a Military Brat friend of mine who said how unrealistic living on base is, she went on to describe how when she was growing up no one was divorced. How she felt protected from a real world where families are messed up and she herself suffered greatly when her own marriage fell apart, because she hadn’t seen that and felt not successful. I, on the other hand being the “Pollyanna” that I am, said how I saw things differently, I always saw how through thick and thin those marriages stuck, how even with death, destruction, separations, war, lack of money, and moving all over the world they managed to stay together. I knew some didn’t make it, however, I saw what the successful people did to keep it together. I was a child studying healthy relationships in order to find one of my own.
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