I specialize in soutache jewelry. Soutache is a braided French trimming
used to make fanciful, bold, and lightweight fiber jewelry and
accessories. Layers of soutache are painstakingly hand-stitched and
hand-formed into curvilinear shapes, incorporating one bead at a time in
a technique called “soutache embroidery”.
It can take yards of soutache braid to make one piece! I also make beaded necklaces, lucite flower
earrings, freshwater pearl jewelry, and headbands. I am also a milliner and working hard at building my hat collection. It's just so much FUN!
For many years I was an author. I wrote and published five nonfiction books. One was a
bestselling craft book, "Paper Clip Jewelry" (American Girl, 2000). I
also had a parallel career as a freelance book editor. I worked on lots
of heavy scholarly tomes guaranteed to make you take long naps. After 18
years of that, I felt burned out and had to stop. I decided to turn my
jewelry hobby into a business.
I began beading back in 1995 when a relative left her craft supplies to
me. A shoe box of beads was my starting point. Of course it got rapidly
out of hand from there! I knew zero about retailing and made lots of
mistakes, but I had a lot of fun and made a decent living at it. I did
dozens of craft shows per year. Everything was going swimmingly until
the 2008 recession hit and put the brakes on my business. It was a rough
spell for a few years.
Then the internet reared its ugly head, and I've
spent the last 18 months learning how to do e-commerce in an official
way. It's a slow process of rebuilding and it will take time. 2015 saw
me replace or upgrade my car, my computer, my iPhone, my website, my
Etsy shop, my packaging and displays, my branding, and just about
anything else you can think of.
It was WAY past time for me to update
these things. 2015 was the year I had no choice but to embrace a lot of
technical change very rapidly and make it work for me. I was definitely
out of my comfort zone, but I've come through feeling a lot more
confident about myself. Meanwhile, I have enjoyed the creative outlet of my work–that has not changed! I am looking forward to making more of this work I love so much.
I am inspired by art, history, architecture and design. The past evokes a
special romance for me. I create unique items for the woman who love
wearable art. They are highly collectible and intended to make you stand
out. I source unique vintage materials from Paris, France and the
garment district of New York City.
My goal is to give you a
sophisticated, fashionable look. Many of my designs are one-of-a-kind
pieces. I am a perfectionist and every detail is of the utmost
importance to me.
To see more of Kelli's amazing creations:
www.etsy.com/shop/pureblissjewelry
Join My Facebook Group for Special Deals:
Pure Bliss Boutique Facebook Group
Also of Interest:
www.facebook.com/pureblissjewelry
www.pinterest.com/pureblissjewel/
