African Bead Necklace

MY BUSINESS OF JEWELRY I FINALLY OPENED MY STORE JEWELLS DREAMS BY VICKIE.  I ALSO STILL HAVE MY HANDMADE JEWELRY AT www.jewellsdreams.etsy.com   My goal is to make the best possible jewelry that people really love.  I make all of my jewelry by imagining it, drawing it, making it and loving it.  The personal approach?  I do custom orders.  If you find something I make and need a special size, I will try to accommodate you.  Or, if you have an idea of something, we can discuss it. I don't just make my jewelry - I dream it.  I'm always thinking about the next design.    ABOUT ME   First, I have to tell you that I am crazy.  I love to have fun and take risks.  I have been independent too long.  Once you get my age there's no turning back so you might as well take control of your life.  I had to decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I finally found it and I’ve never been happier.   I get my ideas in my head by just daydreaming.  I vision what it would be like on me. Then I try to make jewelry that no one else has - all one-of-kind.  It's just like a photograph – you can take a picture of the same view that someone else did – but the results will be different.  We all see things a little bit different.  I must like the items I design or I don't sell it.    I love going to estate and garage sales to find a great bargain.  So now and then you will notice some antiques, vintage, or books on my item list.   A LITTLE MORE ABOUT ME.    I’ve been making jewelry since I can remember.  I’ve gone through so many trends throughout the years.  I’m 55 now, but I still have the hippy ideas. However, I feel like I’m getting better with age.   I started out making the “Y” necklace and selling at craft fairs.  I was pretty successful.  Also, I made photo cards and sold them.  My other hobby is photography.  I love to create and make things.    At first selling on eBay was to make a little extra cash, well still is. But now, it’s more competitive for me by giving me the motivation I need to get better.  It makes me happy when my customer is happy.   My dream is to be successful and move to Wilmington, NC to be with my son who is 34 years old.  He has a new home, wife and a brand new baby, which means I’m a grandma.  I plan to spend my latter years with him and my grandbaby.  He was in military from the time he got out of high school until he was 28 and then he moved to North Carolina for a great job.  So I haven’t watched him grow very much.  But I hear his voice and the love just comes swarming out.  My heart aches, because I so much want to be with him.  With that – it’s another reason to sell my crafts to make money so I can go see him.

Women's Red Bola with Jewels on the Tips

Another story and why I enjoy making turquoise jewelry.   I’ve always been interested in the beliefs of the Native American.  Even when I was a little girl I’ve always cheered for the Indians in the western movies.  As I grew up I believed there was Native American blood flowing through me that generated believable thoughts of my background.  My dad started doing genealogy of our heritage, and found that we have an ancestor on the Native American Wall of Honor of the Smithsonian Institute.  We seem to have a lot on both sides of the family.   A Story to Share   Six years ago, I met a full-blooded Mescalaro Apache Indian. I was shopping at a flea market that was holding their Annual Pow Wow. All of a sudden coming out a crowded scene – there he was! He was coming straight towards me and he looked straight into my eyes. I melted!  It was love at first sight. I mean it.  He was so handsome. He looked like Randy Grant in the movie Dances with Wolves. He also looked similar to one of the handsome guys you see on the front of romance books with his long flowing jet-black hair. He would hold me in his arms tightly - staring deep within my soul.  I never felt that way again.   He taught me a lot about the Indian beliefs and the power you can hold.  I went to Pow Wows, sweat lodges, etc. I was convinced I had native blood – I always heard the beat of the drum.  My heart was always filled with him.  Then one day he walked out the door and never came back.  I never knew why.   But, the fantasy was real and I’ll always have that to hold on to.