The Little Black Box

Meet Our August 2011 Sponsor

Many thanks to Jerri of Gems by Jerri for sponsoring our August Boxes! We actually have two different Boxes available this month - our standard monthly Boxes and our Happy Everything Boxes. Jerri's wonderful earrings will be in both of these Boxes, and she has also generously donated 2 vouchers for free surprise gifts - one voucher will be in one of the August Boxes and the other will be in one of the Happy Everything Boxes.

I am very excited to share Jerri's interview with all of you! This interview will stay posted on the website until the September Boxes go on sale on Sept 15th. So, grab a cup of coffee or a glass of iced tea and join us as we get to know Jerri a bit better!

What is your "Real Life" name?

Jerri Chatham

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I live in the Texas Hill Country about 40 miles from San Antonio. I have a regular day job and do all of my jewelry creation in the evenings and on weekends. When I'm not being creative you will either find me on my computer or reading a book.

What is your favorite color?

Teal

What are your two most and least favorite movies?

My favorite movie is Gone With The Wind. It's really long, but I have loved it since I was in middle school and read the book. I can't give you just one as a least favorite, I will just say that the gross out comedy type movies are below the bottom of any list I would make.

What are you reading right now?

I am currently reading The Land of the Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel. It is the final book in the Earth's Children Series.

What is your favorite handmade item either purchased for yourself or received as a gift?

I bought a beautiful stained glass pendant and earring set from a fellow ArtFire artisan. I absolutely love them and will wear thelm every chance I get.

What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? How and why did you make it?

I was spending a couple of weeks with my aunt when I was 14 or 15 and she was making wreaths. She asked me if I would like to help and I created a wreath for my mom. It had a red, white, and blue ribbon wrapped around it and I had glued on some Texas themed items that my aunt had on hand. Mom loved it and used it for many years until it was totally faded out.

Why do you create?

I create because I enjoy it and because for me it is a stress reliever. Sometimes you just need an outlet for whatever may be going on in your own little part of the world. It is my drug of choice if you will.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by all kinds of things. The colors of the leaves of the trees in the fall, the spring blooms, the way the light shines through the tree branches in the winter, you name it and I can usually find something to spark my creative inspiration.

What are your favorite materials?

I like to work with all kinds of materials, from Swarovski Crystals to Gemstone. My favorite stone to work with is fancy jasper because it comes in such a wonderful variety of colors. Right now my current obsession is rubber o rings. I've been using them to make these really cool earrings and I have started trying them out in necklaces as well.

Do you sell only online, or do you also sell in shops and/or at craft shows?

Right now I am only selling online.

Any tips on selling Handmade creations online?

It is an ever changing thing to sell online. You can't expect to have sales right away, patience is the key to this type of selling. Spend time getting to know your fellow artisans, they are more often than not willing to help out if you have any questions or need some advice.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I spend a lot of time online shopping for beads, looking at what other artisans are doing, playing games on Facebook, and promoting my ArtFire Studio. When I am not doing those things, I am either out with friends, working, reading, cooking, or sleeping.

Where can we find you online?

ArtFire Studio ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Here a few examples of Jerri's work...