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| Me |
Who are you?
Hi! I'm Mollie. I have two shops on Etsy - RoughMagicCreations, selling my handmade jewelry and gifts; and RoughMagicHolidays, selling seasonal and special occasion items.
Tell us a little about your family.
My immediate family is small - my husband Joe, kitty cat Moonbeam, and me. Joe has four grown up children, whom I love as my own, and six grandchildren. The kids and grands are scattered across the country, from Missouri to California, but (to our good fortune) they travel.
Where are you in Maine and what's it like?
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| Me and Joe |
We live in Brooklin in Hancock County, way down at the tip of the Blue Hill Peninsula, looking across the mouth of Herrick Bay toward Mount Desert Island. Brooklin is a little boat building and fishing village, with a general store, post office, church, library, a wee cafe, a couple of gift shops, and an inn-cum-restaurant. It's also the home of Wooden Boat magazine and school. During "the season," the population swells with summer residents and visitors from away, but our winters are generally so quiet you can hear the snow whispering down - my favorite time … next to autumn, that is.
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| Moonbeam |
Are you a native Mainer? If so, what's kept you? If not, what brought you here?
Although I've called Maine home for almost 22 years, I'm a native of Dallas, Texas. Joe is a native of Portland, growing up on Forest Avenue and spending his summers on Sebago Lake. He and I met in Indiana, where my dreamy schoolgirl crush on my professor grew into a true romantic adventure, now in its 31st year. From Indiana we moved to New York City and soon were longing for the simple country life. So we retreated to Maine, found ourselves a ramshackle old house and set about renovating it room by room. It's a 1950's style rambler that began life as a camp and grew in all directions in a totally illogical fashion. For example, the front door is at the back of the house! But it's totally ours, and we love it.
What's the best thing for me about living in Maine?
Well … it's hard to choose just one wonderful aspect over all the others. Our beautiful state is so rich in history and variety of natural treasures (ocean, woodlands, rivers, lakes, mountains), that I can look around me and imagine myself anywhere in the world and in any era that suits my fancy. The light filtering through the trees can transport me to my childhood home so far away. Strolling down a quiet road, I can almost hear the hammering hoofs of Paul Revere's horse. Tramping through the woods, I inhale the smoky fragrance of a long ago Native American campfire. And exploring the beach, I envision the sails of a Spanish galleon on the distant horizon. The only thing I simply cannot imagine is living anywhere else!
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| Me in front (or back?) of our beautiful home |
How long have you been making your craft and what got you into it?
Several years ago Joe underwent the miracle of a bilateral hip replacement in Portland, and while he was recovering I lived for three weeks in a hotel room. Too fidgety to sit and watch TV all day, unwilling to shop till I dropped, I immersed myself in something I had always enjoyed casually - making beaded necklaces and bracelets. By the time we came home, I was totally hooked on jewelry making and decided to try my hand at crafting my own metal clasps and earwires. For practice I bought several rolls of affordable copper wire from Ellsworth Building Supply. I think I ruined every inch of that wire, but that darn copper got under my skin (literally as well as metaphorically), and I've never quite recovered. Now Joe and I are making our own copper chains and pendants and using them with the beads I've always loved.
Do you feel your craft is related to where you live?
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| Picture Tutorial on making Christmas Tree Ornaments |
Yes! When the idea of creating "Rough Magic" took over our lives, we started combining Maine's natural resources - beach shells and Joe's carved hardwoods - with gemstones, pearls and crystals. In our own dooryard we find stones, birch bark, pine cones, and moss for our wreaths and Joe's shadow boxes and dioramas.
How has being a part of the Etsy Maine Team helped you?
Belonging to this wonderful team is such a blessing for me - in more ways than I can count! I consider it a "home" on Etsy, where I can turn for friendship, inspiration, support, advice, laughter and fun. I especially enjoy chatting on our weekly forum thread, where we can share our private thoughts, dreams, triumphs and disasters with our generous and understanding teammates. It's "The Way (Team) Life Should Be!"
What are some of your favorite shops on Etsy?
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| My workstation |
For jewelry, I have several favorites, including our own AdroitJewelers, whose lovely beach glass creations can literally take my breath away. If I get my courage up to try precious metal clay, I'll be knocking at the door of willowandme for advice. Also high on my list are DesigningIt, theBeadAerie, WildWomanJewelry, and members of my other team (Jewelry on Etsy).
Being unable even to thread a needle without mishap, I stand in awe of my Maine teammates who can turn fabric into fabulous without batting an eye. To name just a few: HandMeDownDesignsME works miracles with recycled denim, camelotstreasures creates lovely dolls' clothing I'd like to wear myself, and worthygoods made the warm and comfy hat I'll be enjoying for many winters to come.
Also, my anklet from Sallybateau is my favorite fashion accessory this summer, and I'm longing to try out CountryFolkSoap's new sunscreen.
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| Maine Made Earrings |
Where do you see yourself and your Etsy shop in the future?
For myself, right here - hammering copper and trying to grow vegetables.
For the immediate future, I'm planning a new line and new look for RoughMagicCreations, concentrating on eclectic, boho style metalwork and promoting the concept of copper as "the new silver." For RoughMagicHolidays, I'll continue to focus on specialty and holiday ideas, moving appropriate items over from RMC, and rotating offerings with the changing seasons.
For the long term, I foresee a philosophical approach - experimenting with techniques and styles and creating my own niche in the highly competitive field of jewelry making.
Where can we find you online and locally?
My shops:
Blog:
Facebook:
Twitter:
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| Southwest Gemstone Necklace |
Thanks Mollie for sharing a little about yourself and how the wonderful state you live in helps you create!
Be sure to check out all the other awesome Maine artisans on Etsy, by searching "maineteam."