I want to tell you all how I came about finding my hobby! I first want to give you a little background on my childhood so you'll understand why finding this was such a relief for me:
My mom and I lived alone most of my life. I didn't have siblings around and we weren't close to any family. My mom had her own set of serious problems and I was never encouraged to DO anything. I was never encouraged to go outside, to make friends at school, to join athletics, to go to after school events, nothing. I went to school, came home, cleaned our house and then listened to music with my door closed until I fell asleep... Every single day.
I couldn't relate to the girls at school because they were all in athletics and I was in P.E., they were wealthy, in church, and treated me like a freak because I didn't have a "normal" home life like most of them did.
I was a hermit crab. I specifically remember one year I would sneak away to the bathroom during lunch and stand in the stall until it was time to go back to class because I felt so intimidated and hated by my peers for being different.
When I came home everyday, I didn't have anything to occupy my brain...which led me to think about how dark my life was, and led to deep, severe depression.
That depression then led me to unhealthy relationships with boys who were way too old for me and ended up making me spiral deeper into depression.
Side note: the father of my baby is not one of those guys I just referred to - he is fantastic, treats me like a princess and I love him endlessly.
SO, when I was nineteen and pregnant with my daughter, I was going insane. I was so bored. I didn't know what I was good at because I never tried anything. I was always a braniac, always wanting to learn, read, and write, but other than that I just lacked talent. I was working as a receptionist at the county hospital and there was a lot of down time. My boss kept telling me to bring something I enjoy doing to work to help kill time. I didn't HAVE anything.
There was, however, one thing I was able to do several times growing up that I never forgot. We went to the Renaissance faire almost every year. This faire is called Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie, Texas, a city near Dallas. It's open for one month every year from April to May.
Growing up and attending the faire, I was always mesmerized by the art that surrounded me. I could not process how humans created all those different treasures simply using their bare hands. If you have never been to a Renaissance festival, you NEED to attend one. You will be blown away by the talent that not only the vendors, but the live acts possess.
There was a vendor at the faire I would purchase a ring from every year. I always purchased the same ring from her every single year - just in a different color. They were only $6 and I thought the simple detail and wire work were incredibly beautiful.
I got to thinking: why not try to make beautiful rings like I've seen at the faire? Maybe I could even be a vendor someday!
So I went to Michael's, bought some beads and a roll of wire and I just started making stuff. Within weeks I was making rings, ear cuffs, necklaces, keychains, etc. I opened at Etsy store and was doing very well at first. Then I couldn't pay my Etsy bill because #poorpeopleproblems. 😂 So my store is on hold for now... But I would love to show you some stuff I've made.
I am no where near as talented as the vendors at the faire, but for someone who never tried to make anything in the past and taught herself, I think I'm on a great track. I find joy, peace, and contentment when I make things.
These are a couple rings I've made:
I can honestly say I've never seen rings like mine, even at the faire. I hope one day we'll be in a place financially where I can buy enough supplies to make a ton of them and apply to be a vendor.
These are a couple amethyst rings I made, and yes they are genuine amethyst crystals. 😊
I sold a lot of these necklaces last year. I wire wrap a charm to a vial and then fill the vial with stones of my customer's choice. Most people choose their birthstone, others choose what they think is pretty, and I've had a few people pick stones according to what healing power they're supposed to have. I don't usually tell my customers that stones have healing powers because I don't know if they do or don't - but I've had a lot of people choose their stone based on that belief. My personal favorite is orange calcite, which is shown in the picture with the sun charm!
The elephant vial is filled with rose quartz.
This is a matching set with a ring and an ear cuff. I think this is one of my favorite things I've made so far.
And another ear cuff:
And here's a few other things I've made. 😊
I know my jewelry isn't for everyone, but it's very special to me. I try to reflect the Renaissance/Gothic theme as much as I can while still making my items look girly.
I hope you guys enjoyed learning about my hobby and I would love to learn about what you do for fun in the comments! Thank you so much if you've read this far.