Oh Canada: Of all the things that you sell, which item or style is your favorite?
Sarah: My favourite piece is always changing. Right now I really love geometric stone pendants, like the pink and green pastel triangles that I use to make my Miriam necklaces and the amazing crystal quartz pendants that I use in my pendulum necklaces.
Oh Canada: Where did you learn your skills?
Sarah: When I have an idea for something that I'd like to make I generally teach myself how to do it through a lot of research and trial and error. I do find that the people who work at local supply shops are really helpful in pointing me in the direction of new materials or helping me learn new techniques. When I was learning to use the laser cutter to make my baltic birch pieces I spent a lot of time watching amazing YouTube videos about drawing in Illustrator (the computer program that I use). I love that people take the time to make tutorials for others just out of their own love of the subject matter.
Sarah: As a landscape architecture intern, a lot of my design work stays in the computer and is done on the screen. I started making jewelry as a way to work creatively with physical materials. I love experimenting, the tiny scale of jewelry pieces, and making something that is 100% unique. Making jewelry makes me happy after a long day drafting architecture projects on the computer.
Oh Canada: If you could learn to use any new technique or material, what would it be?
Sarah: While I was finishing up my degree I bought myself a steel bench block as a promise that I would teach myself more involved metalsmithing techniques this summer. I really want to start working with copper and repurposing some of the metal plates that I used to make etchings in my fine arts degree.
Sarah: I really do dream of adding photographs to Sadie Designs. I love taking pictures and have a bunch of really fun cameras. For now, my blog is where I share my photos, but I do hope to be able to offer some prints in the future in the Sadie shop. Perhaps even some large scale photographic posters.
Oh Canada: What is your favorite thing about selling on Etsy?
Sarah: Etsy has been a great place to connect with other sellers. I love being part of national and regional teams and meeting like-minded creative types. Ultimately, though, I most appreciate Etsy for giving me a fun venue to connect with potential customers from all over the world. This week I shipped orders to Sweden, Germany, Australia and Winnipeg. I love writing out those addresses, it's exciting to think of people half the world away wearing a piece of jewelry that I made.
Sarah: Just keep going! It takes a while for people to learn about your shop and in the meantime you can spend your time perfecting your techniques and improving the appearance of your shop. Concentrating on making the best possible product you can will get you far, so stick with it!
Oh Canada: What is your favorite thing to buy on Etsy?
Sarah: I love shopping on Etsy! I buy a lot of jewelry and supplies, but I also love buying paper goods and accessories. I'm planning my wedding for the fall and I know I'll be buying things from a lot of fabulous Canadian Etsy shops as we get ready.
Sarah: The best-selling items in my shop are definitely the dipped crystal pendant necklaces. Right now amethyst is the most popular, but around the holidays it was the citrine points. I've been making these necklaces almost since I opened my shop and I really can't see myself stopping any time soon.
Here's a special message from Sarah:
Thanks so much for featuring me on the team blog. As a special thanks to my Oh Canada teammates you can always use the coupon code "FRIENDS" in the Sadie shop for 10% off your order. Happy spring, everyone!
So drop by the Sadie Designs shop and buy yourself something special. You can also keep up with Sarah through her Blog, Facebook, and Twitter.
Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team
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