Today’s featured crafter is Rachel Humphries of Simply Handmade. Rachel makes beautiful beaded jewellery which she sells through Etsy and several retail outlets.
What first made you want to become a Craftsperson?
I starting working full time as a teacher and became a daycare provider once my children were born. I was so busy with children and cleaning, my husband insisted I get a hobby.
Around that time my sister made three beautiful Swarovski necklaces for my three girls. She decided jewellery making wasn't something she had the patience to do and handed me her tools and what beads she had left. That was almost four years ago.
How did you get started in your handmade business?
During the first year and a half I began handing out samples of my jewellery to find out what worked and what didn't. I learned from my mistakes.
Soon after that my husband pushed me to begin having jewellery parties and enter local businesses to inquire about selling my jewellery. I now have my jewellery in seven locations in two States.
How did you come up with your shop name?
My husband is a huge part of how I started my small business and he is the one who named it for me!
How long have you been creating art / crafts and how long have you been selling online?
I began selling on Etsy in January of 2011 but just recently started to try to gain a following and be diligent about posting my jewellery. It wasn't until then that I really understood how both Etsy and the Teams worked.
Apart from crafts what do you like to do in your spare time?
I don't have any spare time as I take care of children during the day. I make sure my own as well as others get to and from school each day.
I spend the evenings preparing for the following day and doing my housework before I can sit down to begin my creations. I am continuing to take classes to keep my Education Degree as well as spend quite a bit of my evenings on Etsy. I get to do this while sitting with my family. My children and husband stay involved in my hobby.
What are the three tools in your workspace that you could not live without?
While creating jewellery, 
I could not do without my long nose pliers, wire cutters, and my white paper plates. That might sound silly but I have tried various trays to hold my beads and I just need a white paper plate. I can see everything I am working with and nothing gets lost.
When I teach a jewellery making class, this is the first thing I hand out!
Any other handmade shops you’d like to recommend?
I have many shops in my favourites section. I enjoy looking at various creations. My all time favourite bracelet that I stare at quite often was created by whimsydaisydesigns (www.whimsydaisydesigns.etsy.com). I admire the work that went into it as well as the colour combinations.
I also admire the shops who create the beads and supply me with items to fulfil my passion!
To see more of Rachel’s work visit
I love gardening. In the spring I planted tomatoes, basil, squash, zucchini, all kinds of lettuces, etc, all over my yard. I don't yet have one big garden so I pick & choose spots I can plant.
