HoldfastDesigns's Profile

Bio

I've been doing work with my hands for as long as I can remember. My love of hardware, tools and such came from my father, who had me as his helper on all the projects he worked on. My love of the needle arts came from my mother and grandmother - I've gone through needlepoint, knitting, crochet, embroidery and finally found jewelry making. I've found the outlet that lets me combine love of tools, love of color, and love of creation!

Throughout the years as I learned how to do things, I also learned the benefit of using quality raw materials and supporting other small businesses whenever possible. My focal beads on my jewelry are handmade beads, made in the US by small, self-representing artists. They are embellished with Swarovski crystals or pearls and use either sterling silver or 14K gold filled findings.

My id badge necklaces use a steel cord retractor (unbreakable!) and are designed and manufactured by Kyle McKeown Mansfield (another self-representing artist) in the US.

I take pride in my work, and am always striving to improve the quality of my goods. A perfect example is my badge reels - when I started, I used much more fragile chains and findings - that doesn't work on an item you wear and use every day. I also started with gold plate chain for those reels with a gold tone finish. If you wear gold plate all day, every day, the plate wears off quickly. So, I searched, hunted and scavenged and finally found gold filled chain that will not tarnish or turn black.

This is my sideline job for now - maybe someday I'll be able to turn it into my full time profession so that I can work out of the house and be with my German Shepherds all the time!

I'd like to give credit to Cynthia at Terra Treasures for the avatar artwork. She did a wonderful job on this, with very little guidance from me! Please take a look at her shop as well - terratreasures.etsy.com.

Shipping Information:
Shipping is via USPS First Class Mail or Priority Mail. I will combine shipping on orders placed on the same day. I generally ship Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. If you buy multiple items, please wait for a revised invoice before paying.

If you are outside the US, please wait for me to determine the exact shipping to your location and send you an invoice before paying.

Discounts:
If you are using a discount code or requesting combined shipping, please do not pay until I send you a revised invoice.

Return Policy:
Returns are accepted within 7 days. Buyer must notify me by email of intent to return. Purchase price will be refunded upon return receipt of merchandise.

If you are returned pierced earrings, I will also deduct $1.50 from the refund amount to replace the earring wires.

Repairs offered for free for 90 days. Buyer should notify me by email of request for repair. Insurance is at discretion of buyer. Buyer pays postage to return for repair - shipping back to buyer is free.

*************************************
For those who wonder where my business name came from:

"Dreams" by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

Favorite Materials