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| Arts & Crafts >> Green Heaven |
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Have you always been crafty or is this more recent? Fiona: I've always been pretty crafty and I have tried lots of different types of craft. I used to do encaustic wax and embossing and I really enjoy baking! I've been into beading for years too. My family and I used to visit friends in Edinburgh a couple of times a year when I was younger. I would always visit this shop that sold shower gel that had about 5 plastic beads in it! Eventually I had collected enough beads to make a necklace. I guess my bead fascination started back then!! Where do you do most of your crafting? Do you have a specific area set up at home? Fiona: I have a desk in my computer room where I make most of the items. It's handy having my work station near the computer because it means I can check my website easily and if an order comes through I can make it up there and then. |
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 Wooden Bracelet - £3 |
 Thread Bracelet - £1 |
 Acrylic Leopard Print Plug - £5.50 |
 1" Buttons - 50p |
 Cowgirl Necklace - £4 |
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Tell us about the shop, what sorts of items are you carrying, and tell us about custom work. Fiona: I mainly sell bracelets made of plastic, glass, wood or thread. Many Of the beads are brightly coloured or interestingly shaped, such as skulls, but I have lots of neutral beads too. Shell bracelets are a recent addition to my shop. I also sell plastic necklaces and chain necklaces. I put all sort of different charms onto the chains, such as plectrums, bells and Russian dolls. I've done a few custom pieces for customers, such as a plastic personalized nameplate necklace or adding a charm onto an existing item. Customers are also encouraged to select their own bead colours when choosing an item. Most items are made to order, or can be easily changed, so if I have the beads anything is possible! When did you decide to start up the shop? What was behind your decision? Fiona: I started the shop last July. I had been making bracelets for years And people admired them. I also noticed that other people were wearing similar ones but were restricted because they could not find the beads they needed to make exactly what they wanted. So the website started so that customers could "design" their own bracelets. Being based in Scotland, where do you find most of your orders are coming from? Fiona: I get a lot of orders from the local area and certainly the bulk of My orders are from customers in the UK. But I've also had some international interest and have sent a couple of parcels to America, which was really exciting! |
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 Navel Bar 10mm - £2 |
 Russian Doll Necklace - £6 |
 Heart & Bow Necklace - £4 |
 Glass Bracelet - £4 |
 Shell Heart - £4 |
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Do you think you have any specific challenges or advantages being based in Scotland? Fiona: Because my shop is web-based, anyone can reach me so from that point of view my location is neither an advantage or disadvantage. Bead shops and suppliers are few and far between in Scotland and I enjoy the challenge of sourcing beads from abroad, so I think being based here works in my favour. However I also sell my jewellery at a local, outdoor market and so the weather is often a challenge! What are your plans for Green Heaven? What do you hope to achieve with this shop? Fiona: Ultimately I would like to expand. I really enjoy making jewellery and the feedback from my customers has been great. I would like to move my site to a larger home. Myspace.com is great, but space is limited. I would like to get a website where customers can brouse separate pages for different items. I would also like to expand into new products and I have lots of ideas up my sleeve! However my main goal at the moment is to continue to satisfy my customers' needs and to further promote the Green Heaven name and product. |
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