Serendipity Blu’s Erin

While trying to come up with different ideas to help promote people from one of the teams I am on in Etsy, I thought I would try to use my blog to help. On another team, a member had done the same thing and I was featured in one of her posts. I thought it was great and it was a way to get exposure to people that I probably would never have otherwise. So, I wanted to return the favor. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be a featuring a team member of mine who filled out a questionnaire. Hopefully these posts will expose my readers to some amazingly talented people and our teammates will also get to know a little bit more about each other.

The first artist I am featuring is Erin Gravlin. She is the owner of the shop Serendipity Blu and you can find her at the following addresses:

Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Serendipity-Blu-Jewelry

Twitter: @serendipityblu5

Pinterest: pinterest.com/serendipityblu

Erin describes herself as “a beach bum, intrepid traveler, and jewelry junkie”.  She’s been selling on Etsy since July 2011 and her shop mainly features woven leather bracelets and sea glass pendants. Erin recently moved away from the shore after being there for over 8 years, but says if she ever won the lottery, she’d move back and start an artist co-op featuring local jewelry artists! She also said she’d feed her wanderlust by traveling to Fiji and Costa Rica in the off season.

One of the questions I asked Erin was how did you start selling. I am always fascinated by what motivates people to start creating and what inspires them! She told me that she’s been making jewelry since she was a teenager. Giving homemade gifts is something that she loves, so she started giving her friends and family pieces. This led to them encouraging her to sell her work and she started on Etsy!  Her inspiration often comes from nature and often features sea life and flowers. The colors that she tends to gravitate towards are blues and greens (like the sea!). In life Erin is a very laid back person and she tries to convey this in her pieces. I think you can really see that in her bracelet below, which she calls her Betty Bracelets. This particular one is a Bonsai Pipeline Recycled Glass Bracelet that is designed with the “grown-up surfer girl” in mind. It happens to be one of her favorite pieces because it reminds her of a trip she took to Hawaii.

In the questionnaire I made, I also asked what your greatest accomplishments were. Erin told me that personally her greatest one was taking solo trip to both Bali and Thailand. I am sure that she got some great inspiration in both places! Professionally, her greatest accomplishment was when she was asked sell her sea glass pendants and recycled glass bracelets wholesale. She was approached on Etsy  by the owner of  REcologie, an eco-lifestyle boutique, and did very well with Erin’s items at the store. She sold out of all the pendants and is in the process of restocking for the holidays!

One of the things that makes Erin’s jewelry stand out from the other “boho style” bracelets is that she uses designs from vintage macrame books from the 1970’s instead of making crochet wraps or Chan Lu style bracelets like some other artists. This look is then updated by using distressed leather and chunky recycled glass beads so that her pieces have a fresh, rustic look.

The last question I had for Erin was to tell me something that she would like her customers to know. She said that she tries to be environmentally conscious in all aspects of her life and that includes her jewelry. Erin works with recycled glass beads and recently started sourcing them directly from Indonesia. Those beads are handmade using centuries old techniques. They are made from discarded glass bottles, which help keep the beaches of Indonesia clean.

Thank you Erin for participating in this questionnaire!