Little Studio Jewels

Little Studio Jewels is a wonderful shop on Etsy. She has earrings, necklaces, wrist and ankle wear, and has started collections! They are amazing!! They are called the NeoAmour (NewLove) Collection - Based on Powerful Women of the Past, but Redesigned for Women Today! Meg is from Merrickville, Ontario. This is what Meg says about her home town: "Merrickville is an artist town, full of wonderful artists' shops, and I'm not among the shops, unfortunately, lol" Well - maybe one day Meg, you just never know!! Would love to visit one day and take a tour with you. Meg also has a wonderful BLOG that she updates with new items from her shop and give aways!! Meg is offering to give one lucky person, who comments on this post, $10 their next purchase in her shop!!

And the winner is: Cabin & Cub!!! Congratulations! Thank-you to everyone who commented.


How did you decide on your Shop Name?
I started my business offline in 2005 and Little Studio Photography was what I registered. I started selling my jewellery full-time through my business in 2007, so I added "Jewellery" to my business name so people wouldn't be confused. When I started on Etsy, I thought an Etsy search title of "littlestudiophotographyandjewellery.etsy.com" would be too long, so I settled on "LittleStudioJewels.etsy.com" - not quite what I wanted (LittleStudio was taken), but it was all that was available! The business name is still officially "Little Studio Photography and Jewellery", however.

How did it all start?
I started in photography as a kid, always fascinated by cameras and how you could get really really good images. In high school I was lucky enough to get into an arts-specific school and did some sort of visual art for at least 2 hours per day in school. We did photography and darkroom classes and I was hooked!
The jewellery came later in high school when I wanted to be able to wear cool jewellery, but couldn't afford the things I wanted. I loved items in a jewellery store, but could only afford the cheap stuff in those unnamed "teen" accessories stores - you know the ones; cheap prices, trendy pieces with such horrible quality, it's a wonder they are still in business. I started making my own jewellery, focusing on quality materials and craftsmanship and making pieces similar to things I'd find in higher-priced stores, but without the higher price tags!

Are there other crafts you would to try?
I would love to be good at sewing. I'd love to be a better (read: faster) knitter and crocheter. I love to knit, crochet and sew, but I need WAY more practice at them - my jewellery just seems to take up all of my time (which I really don't mind)!



Where do you get your Inspiration from?
Wow, that is a hard one! My fiancee inspires me, for sure - he went to university and worked his butt off to get his current job, which he loves to death and gets paid well for.
I'm also inspired by powerful women of the past, which is where my new jewellery collection, NeoAmour (which means NewLove), comes from. Women like Boudicca, Marie Antoinette, Elizabeth 1, all had positions of power, dealt with people hating them, trying to kill them, stop their way of life, etc., and they said NO! This is how things are going to be, deal with it (and they looked pretty fabulous doing it)! Basically, I suppose, I am inspired by those with courage, who are willing to work for what they want and are always trying to improve themselves.

What is your day job?
I was originally planning on working and going to school, in addition to running my business, but in early 2006 I got really sick with Fibromyalgia, and by the end of 2007 I was unable to work outside my home, which is when I started pushing my business. I do not qualify for disability (I was off sick and didn't work enough hours to get it), so my business, Little Studio Photography and Jewellery is my only source of income. This is now my "full time" day job, and I hope that one day it will be a "full pay" day job also.

What is the favorite item in your shop and why? Oh gosh, this is tough! I love my new collection, it is so inspiring to read about these women, do research on jewellery of that time, and then translate it to something we'd wear today. I love my NeoAmour collection, probably my newest pieces from the NeoAmour Marie Antoinette section would be my favorite - she was so feminine and unafraid to do different things with jewellery. The newest pieces - the Pink Daisy Lace Necklace and matching Bracelet - were wonderful as I had previously done all wire work, and these are actually bead woven (using special thread and 'sewing' the beads together in a specific pattern to achieve the desired effect). They took ages to make and every second was such a labor of love, I can't even describe!