Cyndie joined team treasury in May 2009 and she has been so much fun to get to know better and is an awesome team member! Cyndie is a very talented artist that works with metals, making amazing and unique jewelry. I hope you enjoy getting to know Cyndie even better with this questionnare she filled out and with the pictures that she provided! Thank you Cyndie ( :
Visit Cyndie at her...
Etsy Shop - www.cyndiesmithdesigns.etsy.com
Personal Blog - www.cyndiesmithdesigns.blogspot.com
Website - www.cyndiesmithdesigns.com
*What furniture/design/home decor piece do you love most? My Art Wall. I painted two walls red, and hang all the art I collect from galleries and art shows on it.
*Married/single? Married, 23 years!
*Kids/no kids? Two boys, both married now.
*Pets/no pets? Two cats, Zena and Zack
*Day job? My art and on-line stores are my day job.
*Location? New Port Richey, Florida
*How many languages do you speak and what are they? 2 - English, Spanish and not so fluent in French, Japenese and a few select words in Arabic.
*Do you play an instrument? I learned to play the violin as a child, the piano later in life, and played at learning the guitar.
*Can you sing? LOL! Depends on who you ask?
Lets Talk Business…
*What's a good story behind your craft and what got you started? I was actually on my way to sign up for a pottery class when I looked in one of the rooms and saw someone using a torch. Out of curiosity, I signed up for a metals class instead. The first time I held a torch to metal, I was hooked!
*Where do you get your inspiration? From the metal itself! I love what happends to a sheet of metal when you hold a torch to it! I can plan a design, but once I get into it, the metal usually lets me know what it wants to do. If I fight it, I wind up with a mess...so I've learned to watch and let it do what it wants. Then I just help it along with my tools.
*Does your family help with your business/hobby? No, but my husband is very understanding about the time demands and will help around the house if I get busy with custom orders or am on a deadline getting ready for a show.
*Do you like your craft/hobby? I love it!
*How do you market? Blog, relist on Etsy, join teams, avail myself of all the social venues, like twitter and facebook, advertise in local publications, and wear my jewelry. I've sold a lot right off my body!
*What gets neglected when you're tending to your shop or creating? Everything! I still struggle with balancing personal life and business life.
*What are your future plans for your business? I am hoping, after the conference/show in Miami at the end of July, to venture into other forms of Metal Art, such as wall hangings, and sculpture.
*Any bad experiences with etsy...rude customers/bad buy? I've been very lucky in all my dealings on Etsy. My customers often become friends, and i've partnered with a couple of sellers to collaborative designs. I've never been disappointed in anything I've purchased, and as far as I know, I've only had one customer who wasn't happy with her purchase.
For Fun…..
*When was the last time you had a staring contest? Probably when my son was around 5 or 6.
*When was the last time you fell asleep with the TV on? Actually, it's embarrassing to admit this...but I hate silence. I have to have noise around me, TV or radio, all the time, even though most of the time, I can't even tell you what's on. Can't sleep without it, so I fall asleep (in bed) every night with the TV on.
*Do you believe in love at first sight? Absolutely! And lust at first sight too!
*Are vampires real? I have no idea, but I never disregard anything.
*Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster? Probably not, but don't you feel better when you push it a few times?
*Were you named after anyone? My mom claims I was named after a song, "Cynthia" but I have searched and never found it.
*What is on your mouse pad? Spilled wine!
*If you were another person would you be friends with you? Yes, though I'd probably be neglected for art!
Favorites…..
* Favorite flower? Orchid. Because they're exotic and often rare.
*Favorite color? Any shade of blue.
*Favorite smells? A baby's head! So sweet!
*Favorite food? Pasta! It's the Italian in me, I guess.
*Favorite etsy shop? www.pattylakinsmith.etsy.com
*Favorite pass-time? Boating
*Favorite memory? Way too many to list!
*Favorite youtubevideo? A little snippet from little shop of horrors. I designed a neckpiece in collaboration with Patty Lakinsmitth (lampwork artist) based on this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLO7xKwruc&feature=related
10 comments:
What an awesome necklace! Love your story! Cathy
I agree--that necklace is amazing! Great profile. Thanks for sharing it. :)
It's so nice to learn more about you, Cyndie. I love your work and love to hear how your find the time to make such loveliness (as I am in the midst of raising two sons and a baby girl myself). Two questions I still wanted to ask were about how long you've been metalsmithing and how your aesthetic and process has developed over time. It's so nice to be able to put a face and a story to the beautiful work.
I think it's always great to here an artist letting the material speak to them. I find it creates more interesting textures and wonderful happy accidents. You make such beautiful creations and are an inspiration to keep up the hard work. Thank you for sharing with us :)
Thank you all for your wonderful comments. Can't wait to read about all of you too!
Aimee, I've been doing it for 5 years now....not long in metalsmith years, I guess (kinda like dog years!)but I learn new things every day!
By the way, Jewelbabe is me, Cyndie Smith...it's my blog identity!
Great story!! I love hearing about all the people I've met through Etsy.
This was a wonderful feature. It was great to hear how you got into the metal design business and how you come up with the inspiration for your beautiful pieces. I love the bracelet.
ooooh, i love this! so great to put faces and personalities to our little team!
nice to meetcha, cyndie!
xo,
michelle
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