Etsy Seller Profile: ValerieBeads

All crafters and artists need to get their supplies from somewhere, and Etsy offers many opportunities for crafters to purchase both commercial and handmade supplies. Etsy seller Valerie Moore, the artist behind the Etsy shop ValerieBeads, is one such artist who creates handmade supplies. In her case, she creates handmade polymer clay beads and focal pieces, as well as offering some of her drawn artwork on artisan beads and in other formats.

ValerieBeads has been a shop on Etsy for nearly a year and a half, but Valerie Moore has been making handmade polymer clay beads for around seven years. Prior to that, even as early as childhood, she was interested in artwork--crayon drawings and Play-doh sculptures as a child, graduating to drawing and beads later in life. Aside from her artistic endeavors, she has worked as a vet tech, and has two dogs of her own. She loves animals, and enjoys featuring them in some of her artwork, including as a part of her Drawn Sketched pendant line.

Valerie's handcrafted polymer clay beads at ValerieBeads take much of their inspiration from natural themes. Some of the beads feature flowers or insects, while others are shaped like small leaves, complete with vein lines. Her focal point beads and pendants are considerably more detailed, particularly the Drawn Sketched pendant line. These pendants are made of polymer clay, but feature Valerie's drawings rather than patterns created with the polymer clay. She says that she very much enjoys making the Drawn Sketched pendants, because they combine two of her favorite things: drawing and polymer clay. Valerie is also happy to do custom work, and has fulfilled a number of requests for artisan beads similar to those she had already made, but in different color schemes or patterns. In addition to her handcrafted beads, Valerie also sells some of her artwork in other formats, though the focus of her shop is most certainly her handcrafted polymer clay beads.

Whether you are a crafter looking for a new supplier of artisan beads, or someone who is interested in picking out a few choice beads or a pendant for a necklace, ValerieBeads offers a wide selection of options. She also has a webpage where she offers free tutorials for those who are interested in making their own polymer clay beads, choosing to relinquish some of the rights to her designs so that other may benefit from her experience.