Let’s celebrate the New Year with one of my favorite subjects, locally made artisan jewelry! I had the pleasure of interviewing Tammy about her jewelry line and what inspires her.
My personal favorite, the flor de campana de oro earrings
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and what inspires your work.
Hi! I’m Tammy. I’m a wife, mom to two grown boys and grandmom to a gorgeous 6 year old girl.
I love making things and have done so for as long as I can remember. I can’t draw but I can paint, do woodwork, ceramics, and a number of odd things. When I started creating jewelry about a year and a half ago I found my true passion.I had to teach myself every little part of metalsmithing, and I still learn something new almost every day. I have a wonderful group of online friends that help me in any way they can, and I’m grateful for them.I think I am inspired most by an innate need to try new things and create beauty with my hands.
Copper and sterling cuff bracelet
2. Your pieces have an interesting textural feel, particularly the mixed metals such as copper and silver. How do you go about picking your materials?
I pick the metals I work with by choosing what I love, with the hope that someone else will love it too.
I like the warm look and feel of copper in contrast with the coolness of sterling silver and sometimes the sunshine feel of brass.The textures I add to my pieces create an interesting look and feel so the piece is as much fun to touch as it is to look at.
3. I noticed you mention interesting bugs a lot on your blog. Do you incorporate your fondness for them in your work?
I do like bugs! I think they are tiny little works of art in themselves. Unfortunately I haven’t used them in my work yet except for spiders, which I used to be totally phobic about! I would love to create some of the weird bugs that I see, but I haven’t quite figured out how to do that.
Rosetta picture rock necklace
4. How do you find time to do what you love?
I am very fortunate to have children and a husband that don’t care if I stay home to do what I love. I worked for 20 years in various retail jobs. I hated it snd I now think that everyone should be able to go to work in their pajamas. 🙂 I work more now than when I had a “real” job, but it is so much more rewarding to work for myself that I don’t mind the hours.
5. Define southern style.
To me Southern Style is romance and whimsy with fun pieces of jewelry that can be worn everyday.
There is a little bit of Scarlet O’Hara in all of us Southern girls.
Blueberries and chocolate ring
Tammy’s jewelry is available for purchase, with free shipping, at her Etsy shop. Don’t forget to keep up with what inspires her on her blog.
Twitter: slowsouthstyle Facebook: Slow Southern Style
