Jessie Katz makes wonderful upcycled jewelry in her DESIGNosaurus shop, which actual on Etsy under her name, JessieKatz.etsy.com. From Nyack New York to the Today Show, Jessie tells all and even gives a bonus coupon code in the end!
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| Upcycled teardop earrings, lovely, $15, HERE. |
The environmental benefits are one obvious reason why I strive to make sustainable jewelry. It wastes less energy to REUSE something than to recycle it. So even though some of the plastics I use could be recycled, its saving energy to reuse them in my sustainable accessories.
Even more exciting for the customer, I love when jewelry can tell a story – its fun to see people try and figure out what gift cards make up each piece. The jewelry becomes a conversation starter, telling a story about where the gift card or scrap wood came from. And as an artist its more fun to create things from an ever-changing inventory of supplies, and you get that when working with recycled, found materials.
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| Jessie Katz's Designs are lovely and professionally displayed! |
My newest piece is always my favorite, whatever I haven’t been staring at as long. Currently one of my favorite pieces is this nautical inspired pair of earrings:
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| Nautical Earrings, $20, Here |
Q: What does Etsy mean to you?
I love that Etsy fosters communities of artists. Communities based on product, location, or mission; like those of us passionate about reusing materials in the Recyclers Guild! Plus, Etsy means I’m able to spend more time creating and less time marketing. …Ok… maybe not that much less, but it makes those marketing and selling tools readily available and easy to use, it would be much harder to start from scratch.
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| From Nyack with love... |
She is so very talented!
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| See this full size on her BLOG. |
Q: Tell us how your earrings came to be on the Today Show!
Etsy and Green is Universal sponsored Art of ReUse, a contest for artists who create handmade products with repurposed materials. I heard about the Art of ReUse contest from my friend Jess, another Etsy seller. (Plug: Check out her shop at Some Fine Folks!) I entered my gift card earrings and was blown away with the support from my customers, friends, and new fans who voted for my entry! As one of the top ten finalists my gift card earrings were featured on the Today Show. It was a really exciting experience; from addressing the package to 30 Rockefeller Plaza all the way to seeing my earrings live on TV.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:
Q: What are some of your favorite things, and who is Jessie Katz?
I grew up in a very small town, which really helped foster creativity, especially when it came to repurposing materials. We couldn’t just take a quick trip to the art store, so when I wanted to start a new project I had to find materials outside or around the house.
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| Hartford Art School. |
Later I attended Hartford Art School, where I graduated in 2007 with a BFA in Visual Communication Design. After a couple in-house design jobs I’ve found working as a freelance graphic designer affords me the creative flexibility and variety I crave. When I’m not working on these graphic design jobs, I make time for my own projects including sustainable jewelry for DESIGNosaurus and hand drawn typography for my other Etsy shop, TriSERIFtops.
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| Jessie is quite talented, this "all occassion" card is found in her second shop! |
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| Name Branding is important. |
Q: What are some of your favorite things?
Festivals and craft fairs. Collecting materials from thrift stores and flea markets.
Experimenting with repurposed materials I haven’t used before. Typography!
Sketching outside or at a café. Coffee. Reorganizing and redecorating my apartment. Autumn. Good vegetarian food! TV comedies!
Special Savings for Fans of Sustainable Art:
I’d like to offer you all a coupon code for 5% off in either of my Etsy stores, valid until June 30th, 2011: Green11
CONNECT WITH JESSIE:
On her Facebook Page!
On her Blog!
In her Etsy Store!
In her Second Etsy Store!
Tweet with her!
