About two weeks ago I received a message from a reader telling me how much she’s been enjoying my blog (hearing this from you guys never fails to make me smile!). Her name is Sabrina and she runs a small business via Etsy in jewelry design. She asked if I wouldn’t mind doing a product review.
For those of you who don’t know, I also am an Etsy shop owner! I make and sell weavings and a bit of macramé, and I started my shop almost exactly one year ago! Being able to make things with my hands is one of the things that brings me the most joy. And being able to share those things with others is really the icing on top of the cake. So, as a fellow Etsy shop owner, I was more than thrilled to accept Sabrina’s offer! For those of you not familiar with Etsy, it is an incredible site filled with makers of all sorts. I recently introduced my mom to the site and she has utilized it for so many wedding things throughout the past year. The talent that people out there have leaves me speechless sometimes. If you’re looking for a thoughtful and unique handmade gift for someone close to you, check out the site!
I visited Sabrina’s Etsy shop – IrisDesignBuild – and was instantly drawn to the uniqueness of Sabrina’s designs. But it wasn’t until after I asked her to tell me more about her work, however, that her products really began to shine in another light.
Sabrina, an architectural engineer, was living in Palestine at the time where she was working on a graduation project about re-imagining abandoned structures and shaping them into common lands that would inspire people and heal the social life after independence. It was this project, she says, that inspired her to find value in all spaces and materials.
One day, she said, she was rummaging through her dad’s toolbox for another project when she came across some old, rustic washers that caught her eye. She wrapped the washers with thread and suddenly the old, worn down washers were reborn and had a new sense of life and purpose. The positive reaction she received from both friends and family have moved her forward in creating more unique pieces from ordinary materials. After finishing school, Sabrina moved to California and opened up her Etsy shop in 2016. Sabrina says, “I love to experiment with different shapes and materials to capture the intrinsic beauty of geometry and color, and I believe everything has a spirit of its own which I honor and aspire to pass on to my customers who bring my humble pieces to life.”
The piece that I chose from IrisDesignBuild is a copper infinity symbol with black suede braiding as the band. I love this piece! I’m a big fan of the copper trend going on right now, and I love pairing different bracelets with my watches. I love the quality of this piece and the clasp makes it easy to put on and take off. What I think I love most about Sabrina’s work though, is the fact that she brings new life and purpose to otherwise normal materials. Sabrina let me choose what material I wanted the infinity symbol to be made out of, and what color band I would like. (“Don’t worry,” she says,you won’t find rust underneath the threaded jewelry. Each item is new, unique and made with 100% pure love, passion and a lot of soul.”) I love the option of being able to personalize my piece! If you are looking for a unique piece of jewelry, take a minute to check out Sabrina’s designs and make sure you read to find out how she has re-imagined these items! She is truly an artist.
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Thank you, Sabrina, for the beautiful bracelet, which I have been wearing nonstop and have already received so many compliments on! There is nothing I love more than to support other artists out there, and I am a big supporter of shopping small! I think it is so fun to surround ourselves with handmade and unique pieces, especially when they have a story behind them.
If you’re interested in visiting IrisDesignBuild, you can click –> here!
If you’re interested in visiting Sabrina’s Instagram page, you can click–> here!
LAUREN LIVES 