I personally LOVE the ‘Milk and Bread’ pendant! Who would have thought you could make a stylish piece of jewelry from what looks to be a shiny bread bag tag! Love it! Here is a little interview I did with Melanie!

Website: www.melaniefavreau.etsy.com!

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Mélanie Favreau and I’m a jeweler for more then 8 years now. I live with my hubby in the city of Montréal, in the province of Québec, Canada. I’m also a crazy cat lady (I have 5 cats) and I love cheese and eyeglasses I only sell my jewelry online on a few websites: Etsy, Supermarket, Dawanda and Artefaks.

When did you start and what got you interested in jewelry making?

In 1998, I moved in Montreal and found out that university was definitely not what I expected! So, I drop out of my philosophy class and started a class of jewelry making for 3 years at the École de Joaillerie de Montréal and finished in 2001. Then I started to work for other jewelers for 5 years. I always knew that someday I would be my own boss but, I wanted to get some experience first. I started
selling on Etsy the day of my 30th birthday, November 29th 2007 and got my first order a week later!

Why do you work with sterling silver and resin as opposed to other materials?

When you learn to make jewelry, you start to work with copper and sterling because it’s an inexpensive material. I love to work with sterling now for the same reason! Would you buy a 300$ moustache ring? I don’t think so! Seriously, I really love working with sterling and resin because I can turn it into any crazy idea I may have and I know it will still be affordable for most of my customers. It’s really
important to me to be able to make nice custom made pieces of jewelry that will really mean something to you or to the one you love but at a reasonable price.

What inspires you and how do you come up with new designs?

Recently, I found out that I get my best ideas when…I’m angry! Crazy, isn’t it? Is there a psychotherapist in the room? But when I’m happy (99.99% of the time!) I like to get a pen and some paper and start to draw shapes, words and ideas. I got tons of small papers all around my computer with little sketches that will turn into a piece of jewelry…or not! My husband loves it!

Any advice for someone trying to open their own online business/shop?

Do it now! It is the best way to express yourself and make your creations available to the whole world! Don’t censure yourself, do what you love and only what you love. Take your passion and try to turn it into a profitable business but, don’t try to do it JUST to make money. Always keep the faith! Try not to get discourage if it
doesn’t work as well as you thought. Give it some time, be patient. For me, Etsy is the best way to start your own little business. So, now your Etsy shop is full of nice stuff and now what? Get out there! My favorite thing now is Twitter but I also like Flickr. I know, I should have a Facebook page and a blog but, I got to make jewelry too, you know?

What’s the best part about living in Canada?

Maple syrup…it’s just the best! lol!

Check out Melanie’s jewelry at www.melaniefavreau.etsy.com!

“Robot Candy was started in 2001 by Jenn Hill and Jenny Tiffany. Using recycled materials wherever possible, Robot Candy carefully handcrafts useful house wares that are visually pleasing as well as affordable.”

They have an eclectic mix of recycled ceramic tile coasters, light switch plates, magnets and greeting cards. Most of the images that are put onto the coasters and light switch plates are vintage, kitschy and very bright, making them an interesting addition to any household!

Robot Candy sells their wares everywhere from Los Angeles, to Portland to even Belgium! Prices are VERY reasonable, at ten dollars for light switch plates, and six dollars for the ceramic tile coasters and magnet sets. Greeting Cards cost around three dollars each.

Make sure to check out Robot Candy at their website www.robotcandy.com
or their Etsy website as well, www.robotcandy.etsy.com

We all know what a molecule is right? This is something you learn in junior high and high school. Molecules that you might recognize by name could be serotonin, dopamine, caffeine and estrogen just to name
a few. How creative can you get with molecules though? Science is just science right?

In Raven Hanna’s world, molecules are just the gateway to making beautiful pieces of art. She graduated from Yale with a PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry (impressive), and then completed her post doctorate at UC Berkeley (even more impressive). Although she loves science, she also had a creative side that needed to be satisfied as well!

Raven Hanna makes unique pieces of art for the science lover, or appreciator in all of us. She makes necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and more, all while using handmade charms that take the shape of
molecules! A few of my favorites are the serotonin necklace, which is the molecule that induces happiness, and also, the caffeine necklace and earrings are pretty awesome as well. Who doesn’t love a little
caffeine?

The majority of the jewelry is made out of sterling silver and ranging in price from around 40-260 dollars depending on the size and complexity of the piece. She also makes some of her molecular jewelry
in 14K gold as well. Also make sure to check out the other wares on the website as well, not just jewelry has been inspired by these molecular wonders! You can also find, molecular inspired holiday
cards, shirts, glassware and even baby onesies!

www.madewithmolecules.com

www.molecularmuse.etsy.com