Who are you? My name is Lori Citsay. I am a wife, a mother and a retired school teacher --
turned jewelry artist. I was fortunate to be able to retire early and set about
expressing myself through different creative outlets, including building
furniture. When my inventory threatened to overrun the house, my family
suggested I scale things down. I tried jewelry making and soon I was beading
with a vengence! It was a natural progression for me to move on to sawing,
forging and soldering -- I am tool obsessed :)
What is your Etsy Shop Name/link? http://www.LoriCitsay.etsy.comWhat tag categories do you specialize in? I make sterling silver jewelry, much of it from recycled/reclaimed silver. Some of my most popular pieces are my personalized items. I also started a line that I call “
Beach Beans” in which I incorporate stones that I’ve collected from the beaches along the Jersey shore.
Do you create for children or adults, women or men?Many of my pieces were originally created as gifts for specific people in my life.
My daughters, ages 27 and 21, are the most frequent recipients of my pieces so
the bulk of my jewelry is created for young women. There are a few items for
children and men that actually began as custom order requests, which I have
kept as permanent items in my shop.
I recently added some small
sterling silver post earrings that are equally appropriate for women and girls. I guess the ones with the skull-and-crossbones could also appeal to boys and men :)
What do you like about Etsy?I like the name recognition Etsy has and I like that it’s an international site. There’s certainly no shortage of people browsing the site at any given hour of the day!
Where do you find inspiration for your products?Just about anywhere...the other day I was running errands and I found inspiration at Staples and Dick’s Sporting Goods!
What do you love about your business?I love that I get to create stuff using tools and fire!
What is your favorite product right now?Whatever new product I’m working on is always my favorite. Right now it’s the
charm holder necklaces I’m making that were inspired by my recent excursion to Saples and Dick’s.
What makes you unique at Etsy?I have completed a 25-year career doing something that I was trained to do (teaching) and begun something new that I am learning how to do as I go along. At this stage of my life, I am making things that I love and I’m loving every minute of creating them. I don’t know if that makes me unique but it sure makes me look forward to getting up each morning.
What are some other sites to find out more about you and what you love to create?I don’t have a blog and don’t ever intend to have one. I don’t have a Facebook fan page but I’m thinking about starting one. I do, however, have another shop at
1000 Markets.
http://www.1000markets.com/users/loricitsayjewelry
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