Monday's Feature Artist- Raziela Designs

My name is Shelly, I am a wife to a dear loving man named David. We have been married going on 5 years now. We have to wonderful boys, Matthew age 20 months and James age 3 ½.  I'm a stay at home mom, director of Women's Ministries at Trinity Gospel Fellowship as well as their in-house graphic designer, and somewhere in the mix, I make jewelry and sew.  I currently have an online store at Etsy.com as well as a blog on Tumblr and still find the time to tweet and update Facebook.  That's a lot.

 http://www.etsy.com/listing/73081846/peacock-stripes-polymer-clay-post-style

I enjoy craft venues. This year I will be at Arts Alive in downtown Jackson in May and planning to be at the 2011 Mississippi Pageant Expo in Raymond, MS come September.  I hope there will be more in between. 

I have people ask about the name Raziela.  It's a rather odd name. It is an Aramaic. It means “the secret of the Lord.”  I chose it because I wanted something that would glorify God.  Psalm 25:14 says, “The secret of the Lord is with them that fears Him; and to He will shew them His covenant.”

My boys bring my joy and their sense of wonder at the world around them is so inspiring.  My husband's unwaivering fatih inspires me.  He is such a strong man of God.  Strong women of faith inspire me, too.

As far as jewelry inspiration, I look at the things around me.  I draw inspiration from water, trees, flowers, leaves, etc. I also find a lot of inspiration in prayer. I have a lot of  designs to come to me when I pray.

Currently, I am not working outside the home.  I was laid of from my graphic design job back in July of 2009.  I have been at home ever since.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/71831529/gothic-flower-choker-necklace

 I started creating when I was still in high school.  It began as a reuse and recycle project for my Venture class.  Off and on through high school, I played with jewelry but never really did much with it.  In 2005, the church I was attending was trying to raise money for their building fund. I decided since I was doing pretty good at repairing my own personal jewelry that I could make jewelry too.  I was right.  Within the first week of making jewelry and selling as a fund raiser for the church, I raised about $367. After the first month, I raised just over $1,000.  And from there, I began making jewelry in my spare time.  In 2009, I opened my Esty store.  I only had a few items posted and never developed it until April of this year.  Currently, I have 77 items listed with more being added weekly and sometimes daily.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73197002/funky-hobo-style-handbag

What are some of your favorites (websites, materials, foods, books, other people’s work, etc.)

As much as I am on Etsy and Facebook, they would have to top my list of favorites.  I also enjoy Biblegateway.com, Michaels.com, and Kyria.com.

My favorite materials are mainly beads.  I am quickly falling in love with wire though as well as sewing and polymer clay.

Favorite foods would include Sushi and Hibachi, Mediterranean and Greek, and Mexican.

My favorite books would be more magazines I can draw ideas from like BeadStyle, Wired Jewelry, Bead and Button, Stringing, Art Jewelry, etc.  I do love books by John and Lisa Bevere as well as Beth Moore and Joyce Meyer.

I love looking at other jewelry designer's work.  I love Dale “Cougar” Armstrong's work.  She is amazing with wire.

Where do you live, and do you hope to live elsewhere?

I currently live in Pearl, Mississippi.  One day I would love to at least visit Australia and New Zealand as well as Israel.

Short term goal would be to get a good quantity of items made before the Arts Alive Festival on May 13^th & 14^th.

Long term goal would be to have a successful and profitable jewelry business that would overtake what my husband makes working as a manager at Chick-fil-A. I would really love to have a very comfortable lifestyle.

 My most treasured possession would be my family.  Without them, I would be completely lost.  You never know how much having a family is important when you are single. When you receive that blessing, you can't imagine how you got along without it.

I was raised up in Full Gospel and Pentecostal churches my whole life.  I don't like the idea of being stuck in a denomination.  I always say,  “It's against my relationship to have religion.”  I love my every deepening relationship with Jesus.