Member Interview

Who are you?

Hi! I’m Karon of Wild Woman Jewelry and The Garden Shed.

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I live with my husband in Fredericton (our small capital city in New Brunswick, Canada) and we spend summers and lots of weekends at our cottage about 40 minutes from town. We are lucky to be close to the water (a river and a lake) in both places - the sparkles of dancing sunlight, the movement of the water, the birds, the sunrises and all the beautiful blues and greens connect me to nature and amaze me at such awesome beauty. I garden, read, and love to travel - especially to the seaside. Again, it’s the water that draws me – the amazing colors, and the ocean with its power, immensity and beauty. 

Wild Woman Jewelry and The Garden Shed are my two Etsy shops.

Wild Woman Jewelry was first - I’d been making jewelry for about four years, first as a hobby while I was still teaching. Looking for change and a different creative outlet, I decided to take a break from ‘school’ and really began to focus on my jewelry….the name came from my desire to capture a sense of fun and to touch on that river that runs through each of us, calling us to let go and enjoy and be who we really are…one of my favorite quotes is ‘Well behaved women seldom make history’…for me, this is not a want or need to be well known, but is a gentle reminder that we must follow our own voice in all things for the best possible result to occur! So, that’s what Wild Woman means to me.

 

The Garden Shed really combines several of my loves - my delight with photography, especially photographing flowers (it’s like discovering and seeing whole new and marvelous miniature worlds!), gardening, my own much loved garden shed and my obsession with old, rusty, well-loved ‘stuff’ also known around our house as ‘garden junk’. In this shop, I offer my original photographs and notecards at the moment, but I plan on adding some vintage garden collectibles at some point. I also totally love the photography of my jewelry and that whole aspect of both my Etsy shops.

How did you learn about Etsy Project Embrace?

I learned about Etsy Project Embrace early last July, before we even were Etsy Project Embrace. Kim (slinkymalinkicat) sent me a note while I was on vacation in Bar Harbor, Maine, telling me about Laura and her very recent diagnosis. She wondered if I might be interested in joining her, Amy (thepeachtree) and a few others in donating some or all of the proceeds from one of my pieces in Laura’s honor to ACS. I ‘knew’ Laura a bit, from the treasury of course, and already thought she was generous and delightful! And I was so moved by their efforts and what I could only imagine Laura was dealing with – that I said yes, of course! Just tell me what I can do… I remember Laura writing me a note within a day or two of this and feeling such admiration for her and inspiration from her strength and attitude - I was in for the long term.

What is your favorite item in your shop?

I’ve recently been inspired to create some pieces that remind me of the beach - right now, my favorite items in my jewelry shop are from that collection ~ BoraBora and Dunes Earrings. I love the color and etched finish of the lampwork beads and the silver sparkle! 

I also have a lot of fun with my Flower Child Earrings - I have a little ‘groovy’ in me as well!

What are your favorite possessions? 

My favorite possessions are probably my photo albums - I have tons of them telling the stories of family and friends and adventures going back at least 25 years.

What do you collect?

I collect old stuff – enamelware pitchers and bowls, especially in black and white, small weighscales (the rustier and worn, the better), bowls, garden ‘junk’, and shells and little jars of sand from our travels…and beads, oh the beads!

Where to you hope to be and what do you hope to be doing ten years from now?

In 10 years, I’d just like to be alive, healthy, doing things I love, travelling with my husband and continuing the adventure!