Fellow Folksy-ers! Sue Mellem of Beadstorm Jewellery

This is the second in the series of interviews with fellow Folksy sellers to find out a wee bit more about them and what they do :)  This week we have Sue Mellem from Beadstorm Jewellery!

Dragonfly Charm Necklace with lavender jade and Swarovski crystal

First of all, could you please tell us a bit about yourself ?

I qualified as a Mental Health Nurse many years ago and worked in mental healthcare for over 30 years - as a nurse and later as a manager. I count myself very lucky to have had such a fascinating and rewarding career, and to have helped some lovely people along the way.
I finished work a couple of years ago and now dedicate my ‘working’ hours to my business Beadstorm Jewellery.
I live in Northampton with my husband, teenage daughter and 2 lovely cats (husband and daughter are lovely too!)

Tell us about your shop, Beadstorm Jewellery

I started selling my jewellery through Beadstorm Jewellery nearly 3 years ago. My first customer was my secretary from work, who was great in giving me lots of encouragement in making my jewellery – as well as modelling quite a lot of it!
I use mainly gemstones, crystals and pearls in my jewellery as these are the materials that I am drawn to and love. I like to think of my style as being something of a modern take on classical styles.
I have developed several sales outlets – I opened my Folksy shop in September 2011 and after a slow start I’m pleased with how it’s developed. I also sell through a couple of ‘real’ shops & through craft fairs, school and village fetes and any other events that I can find.
I love the interactions that I have with other crafters. The supportive community at Folksy is great and there’s so much knowledge that people are always willing to share. I’ve also made some great friends through doing craft fairs.

Red Jasper Pendant Necklace

How did you get started?

I started making jewellery by accident. My daughter was doing a Product Design course at school and decided to make a bracelet using wooden beads. I went to a well known national craft store to look for them and saw a vast array of beads. I then looked on line and discovered even more beads.
I bought some jewellery making magazines, watched some tutorials, had a go myself and got completed hooked!
Since then it’s been a steep learning curve to get proficient in all the other aspects of selling jewellery – the greatest challenge has been turning myself from a complete novice with a camera to being able to take reasonable photos that I can use on line in my Folksy shop and on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Beadstormjewellery



Handmade Bracelet, with blue gemstones, crystal and heart charm

What’s your favourite item in your shop and why?

Difficult question – and if you asked me again tomorrow I’d probably come up with a different answer.
Today I’m picking these earrings http://folksy.com/items/5899151-Handmade-earrings-with-delicate-peach-agate-and-copper- because I love the agates in them and I’ve got a thing about working with copper at the moment!

Handmade earrings - with delicate peach agate and copper


Favourite place to visit?

We were lucky enough to visit San Diego last year & I love it there. The coast is fabulous, with beautiful sunsets and the climate is great. San Diego is an ideal size and people are friendly. Plus I found a wonderful bead fair to visit while we were there!

A random fact about you?

Last year I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of 100 featured sellers by Small Business Saturday UK, and as a result of this I was invited to a reception at number 11 Downing Street on the eve of Small Business Saturday.
I attended along with lots of other small business representatives for what was a fabulous memorable day.  Small Business Saturday really gained momentum last year and I hope more people will support it this year.

Handmade neon green peridot and metallic crystal earrings

Pick three of your favourite items/shops on Folksy

There are so many lovely shops and talented makers of Folksy it’s hard to pick just three.
I love the humour in Snappy Crocodile’s cards.

I really like the items in Steph Short Supplies and I have bought some lovely patterned shapes from Steph that I like to include when I wrap my parcels. Steph also has a stationery shop stocking some beautiful cards.

Handmade with Love Labels

Last, but not least, I love the work of Funky Mosaic and this is one of my favourite items from Liz’s shop.

Tulips Mosaic - Garden Ornament or Wall Plaque

Thank you very much Sue!  One of my personal favourites in her shop is her beaded bracelets - I have two already and I love them!  Here's one that's available now - I love how it's such a classic colour combination:

Handmade white jade and blue crystal bracelet

 If you'd like to have a proper look at the beautiful range in Sue's shop then here's the link: www.beadstormjewellery.folksy.com 

All the images above have the link to the appropriate shop in the caption, just click on the name :)

Kathelle x