Ladybird bracelet - copyright Kirsty Sullivan
Kirsty Sullivan is the designer and owner of Ladybird Beads. She lives with her three small children and partner in a small town in Essex just north of Epping Forest, but is originally from Wales. Kirsty started making jewellery in 2009 and in her day job she works as a Programme Manager at the Museum of London Docklands.
Do you have any pets?
Not any more, though I have a history of gerbils. I would love a Devon Rex cat!
When did you start making jewellery?
I started making jewellery in early 2009, when I wanted to make a bag charm to finish a cross stitch project and then got a bit carried away.
When did you start your business?
I sold my first pieces in June 2009, firstly to Facebook friends who were really supportive and then I set up my website about 6 weeks later – my first craft fairs were in December that year.
What do you like about creating jewellery?
I’m a bit of a magpie and love shiny, colourful things so making jewellery is the perfect hobby. I also like the fact that however mad my pieces has ended up, they have all found a home eventually.
How did you come up with the name Ladybird Beads? Are ladybirds your favourite animals?
In our back garden in Cardiff we had a quince bush that was always covered in ladybirds and my mum used to explain that they were all families, just like ours, and that if I took them away the little ladybirds would be upset. Then she found me eating something in the garden…and when questioned, I said, “Daddy Ladybird crunched!” I’m not sure how this translated into a lifelong love of ladybirds, but I do love spotting them when I’m out and about, and I love the odd one you always get in the house in winter. They are also supposed to be lucky, which is always a good thing!
How would you describe your jewellery?
Fun, funky, colourful, cheerful, playful, conversational! The usual reaction when people see my stall at events is huge smiles when people spot the polymer clay sweet jewellery, which then draws them into looking closer at the other things I have on sale.
Fuzzy Felt ring - copyright Kirsty Sullivan
Do you have a favourite material you enjoy working with? What is it you like about working with this material?
Currently I love wool felt and have been making chunky felt ball bracelets, and corsages and rings with felt flowers. All of these have had buttons as accents, which means I now have a stash of buttons that will end up being used as jewellery! Felt is so tactile and comes in so many colours. I also love Lucite flowers and tend to make a couple of statement seasonal pieces every year which are usually one-offs and combine Lucite with glass and other materials, and I’m playing about with polymer clay making Halloween and Christmas pieces.
Do you have a favourite technique you like working with?
Not really – as my crafty background has mainly been in textiles (I love cross stitch, patchwork, knitting etc) it’s all about the colour rather than the technique! I’m such a dabbler that I love to try new things all the time.
Where do you sell predominantly?
At the moment it seems to be at local craft fairs and events, which is great as people come and see me if they know I’ll be there.
Knitwits charm bracelet - copyright Kirsty Sullivan
What’s your best selling item?
Online, it’s the Knitwits charm bracelet and the Ladybugs bracelet that sell better than anything else, but at all my summer events this year it was strawberry jewellery that was flying off the stalls! It’s funny, as I only made some lamp work strawberry pieces to use up beads I had left after making a commissioned piece, but they were really popular!
What’s your favourite item?
My favourite item is the Harvest bracelet I made a few years back – one of the seasonal pieces inspired by a walk up to the nursery to collect my daughter!
Berry bracelet - copyright Kirsty Sullivan
What or who inspires you?
I’m really lucky in that although I can’t live where I really want to (by the sea!), I do live very near Epping Forest – nature inspires me, especially in the autumn. I love the colours and shapes of the leaves – my favourite artist is Andy Goldsworthy, and I’d love to be able to create the way he does!
How do you plan your designs? Do you sketch things before you start creating them?
I’m a terrible artist and what I see in my head is never what ends up on the paper, so I think if I tried to sketch out an item I would be disillusioned before I started – I prefer to use a bead board or mat and pile up the beads and charms I want to use to see how they look together, and work from there.
What would you recommend people who would like to start making money from their craft?
Be prepared to work hard at it! Make sure your items stand out from the crowd in some way, especially if you’re a jewellery maker, because you have a LOT of competition. Investigate online markets thoroughly to make sure you’re not duplicating hundreds of other identical items already available. Concentrate on customer service, too – if people want something a bit different to what you have ready-made and you can make it for them, why not? They’ll remember you, they know they have something completely unique to them, and that’s the difference between handmade and ready made. Wrap all your sales beautifully, not just the ones you know are gifts, as everyone loves getting presents. And if you’re on a stall, SMILE! Acknowledge your visitors but don’t be pushy, respond if they look interested in something, and don’t just sit around waiting for customers – craft stall holders who are making items on the spot are clearly ‘the real thing’ and they are also creating a point of interest for passers by. If your work isn’t portable, then try making up gift boxes or tags or packaging. The personal touch can’t be underestimated.
Strawberry Fields bracelet - copyright Kirsty Sullivan
And finally: What are your plans for the future?
In my fantasy world, it’s winning the lottery and being able to concentrate full time on jewellery making and craft – my best friend and I used to have a fantasy book shop and gallery which would be a social space as well as a shop (long before Borders hit the UK shores!) and it would still be amazing to do that if the opportunity comes up. I always eye up vacant shops in my local town centre and plan out where everything would go!
In the real world, I’d like to be able to start placing my jewellery in local shops, to learn to drive so that I have more freedom to do craft fairs further afield and to discover a few extra hours in the day so that I have time to do all the things I want to do! So much inspiration and so little opportunity…
Thanks Kirsty for taking part in this interview.
Thank you Helen!
You can find Kirsty’s Facebook page here
Kirsty’s website
Kirsty’s Etsy- Shop
Kirsty’s Folksy-Shop
Kirsty’s Blog
Recent Comments