One of the greatest additions to the internet, in my opinion, has been Etsy.  In 2005 when Etsy launched it gave artists and crafters a place to sell their wares that was more geared toward an audience of customers that actually wanted unique handcrafted and vintage items.  No longer did artists and shop owners have to try to compete with people that use eBay and no longer did folks have to go through the hassle of creating a website to try selling their creations that would just lost on the web.   Etsy drives people to your shop with it’s wonderful Collection feature and well thought out search options.  It gives people a chance to make money doing what they love, creating beautiful things!  Candy, the soul force behind the Etsy shop My Sweet November, is one of those people that loves to create and is now able to reach people all over the globe with her beautiful creations!

Candy’s Etsy shop, My Sweet November, offers a variety of beautiful handmade items including some really different cameo items; one of my favorite things in the store is her Zombie Elvis cameo necklace.  She has a number of beautiful skeleton themed cameos that when you see them from a distance just look like an odd cameo but up close there’s no mistaking that it’s a skeleton woman who’s wearing that brightly colored rose that draws your eye!  Amazingly uncommon and special items, for sure!

I have a necklace and earring set from My Sweet November that I just adore.  It’s a set of nautical themed items with coordinating navy blue background and creamy white colored anchors.  I love anything with this sort of theme and as I was moving back to the beach on the east coast I felt that this was something that I just had to have.  Here I take a ferry to get to Boston and out to the Cape in the summer so I thought why not have some beautiful boat themed jewelry to wear across the seas! 

The cameos are extremely light weight making the cameo earrings perfect for all day and long wear.  My ears never feel weighed down.  The necklace is much larger than I expected but it’s definitely not too big!  It’s the perfect size for people to be able to see what it is that you’re wearing without them ending up squinting at your neck or chest.  One of the things that I love with these is the little bow that accentuates the piece.  It’s little touches like this that make them special and seem like they were really thought out and created with love!

It’s always great to find out more about the artist and the shop behind these goodies and I had a chance to talk with Candy and get to know her a little more, finding out what’s behind the name and the shop My Sweet November.

When did you start making jewelry?  What has been some of your inspiration for taking this on professionally?

I started making jewelry shortly after I was laid off from my job in the corporate world. I disliked that type of work very much and decided that I needed and wanted to do something that I would really enjoy and could be passionate about. I’ve always had a creative streak but I’ve never really did anything with it and I thought about my love for jewelry and thought about how fabulous it would be to create items that would be fun and affordable for others to buy. So I decided to go into business for myself.  Knowing that people from all over the world are wearing items that I’ve created and that my pieces bring them joy are the coolest part of what I do. It’s very inspiring and is the reason I get up every day and keep doing what I’m doing.
Your Etsy shop has been open since 2009 but had you been selling your items elsewhere before then?  Where did the name for your shop originate?

I started making jewelry in June of 2009 and knew it is what I wanted to be doing so I decided to start selling online right away because I knew it would be the quickest way to share my creations with a lot of people. I opened my first shop, SerendipityLicious on Etsy in July of 2009 and did really really well with it. I decided I wanted to change the name of my shop so I opened my new shop, My Sweet November, in January of this year. The name My Sweet November came about because I just love everything that is associated with the month. Cooler temps, Fall, Thanksgiving, it’s also my birthday month. I think the word November is just beautiful. 🙂

 

On your Etsy profile you say the My Sweet November is a “one woman show” and that you handle all design and production by yourself.  What is your process for designing your pieces?  What kinds of materials do you typically work with and are there reasons what you have chosen these specific things?

My mind is constantly racing with ideas for new designs. Sometimes I will seek out certain supplies for those designs that pop into my head and a lot of times I will just come across really fabulous unique supplies and snatch them up and design ideas will come when I’m looking at all my supplies and I’ll just start piecing certain things together and then “voila!” my newest design is born! lol  As you can tell from my shop, my most favorite medium to work with is cameos. Love them!! I just love the classic look of a cameo necklace. So romantic. I came across some super cool skeleton lady cameos in late 2009 and made necklaces with them and they turned out to be my biggest seller in my SerendipityLicious shop in 2010! People absolutely love them! I love all kinds of cameos though. From modern to classic. I will be adding more classic style cameo pieces to my shop soon.
What are some of your favorite pieces that you make and sell?  Are there certain pieces that you feel are that “stars” in your collection?

I love all the pieces I make, but my most favorite pieces are the Madame Mayhem necklaces and the You Anchor My Heart necklace.  I wear mine all the time! 🙂 The “stars” of my collection are definitely anything from the Madame Mayhem collection. The nautical themed items are pretty popular as well.
You have a lot of really cute gothic themed items like the skeleton cameos and and an adorable zombie version of Elvis.  What inspired you to go with these less traditional items along with the more traditional cameos and the nautical themed items?

I’ve always loved skulls, especially sugar skulls. I love Dia de los Muertos tattoos and art. It’s so beautiful! I also love Halloween and have always been fascinated with the darker side of life. I know that others are equally fascinated with those kinds of things and so I wanted be able offer unique affordable jewelry that would appeal to the “gothic” crowd as well as anyone who just loves skulls and dark beauty. I think having a variety of items in different themes really works best for my shop. I’m able to cater to more people that way. Making people happy is what I enjoy doing so the more the merrier. 🙂
If you’re looking for something cute and unique to give to a friend this Yule season, definitely check out My Sweet November!  You’ll find things for just about anyone, especially if you’ve got some younger vampire and zombie fans to buy for.  🙂

As a special gift to One Witch’s Way readers, Candy is offering a 15% discount on your total order from now until November 21st!!

Just visit My Sweet November on Etsy and use the coupon code 15OFF at check out!