SPOTLIGHT ON ... DESIGNER
May 2006

Our featured designer for this month is Mary Ann Springer.

It was an accident. It really was.

I did not mean to become a jewelry designer. It just sort of evolved. As a former third grade teacher, I have always been known as a "crafty" person, both in and out of the classroom. I am always trying something new, whether it be knitting, sewing red heel sock monkeys, throwing pots, creating stained glass windows you name it, I probably tried it and ended up being fairly good at it. I remember once going to one of those paint-your-own-pottery places with a bunch of girlfriends and everyone joking that my piece was going to turn out like something you find in a Pottery Barn catalog. That's just the kind of person I am. Who knew that this trait was going to change my life forever during the summer of 2003.....

That's when my daughter came along. "How cute", I thought, "would it be if she and her Godmother wore matching name bracelets at the christening?" The thought that started it all. After searching the world over via the internet, I finally found what I was looking for. When I received the bracelets in the mail I thought they were beautiful, but the first thought in my head was, "I could have made these." And make them I did. After much research, I taught my myself how to crimp and I made them for all my friends as each had a baby throughout the rest of the year. One fateful day my friend's son was invited to the birthday party of another toddler and she asked if I could make one to fit the birthday girl. "Something unique," she said. I finally broke out of the name bracelet box and came up with a sweet bracelet fit for a princess. It was a hit! I received many calls for orders from that birthday party alone, and I realized that I was onto something!

As I searched around for children's jewelry for comparison, I became aware that there really was not much out there in the way of quality pieces of jewelry for little ones. What I found was either outrageously expensive, or very low quality and contained lead warnings! I decided that pink papillon was going to focus on creating beautiful, boutique quality pieces of jewelry for children that would last a lifetime and hopefully become an heirloom. I wanted to use only the best of everything and that's where Soft Flex® wire came in. I did not start out using Soft Flex® wire. I was going on the advice of a beading instructor I ran into at a craft show and was using a different brand. I actually ordered Soft Flex® wire by accident and when I used it, I could not believe the difference! It was soft and supple, and I was able to knot it and weave with it! I am particularly partial to the .014/21 strand fine variety perfect for those sweet little bracelets. As I expanded my line to teens and adults, I now find myself also using .019/49 strand medium, although fine remains my favorite. I teach a number of bead classes locally and tell my students every session that it is the only wire to use. I even have them do a stringing comparison and they always agree with me, hands down!

It still astounds me that I am as successful as I am. I love creating new pieces and learning new skills. I have so much fun doing it, it does not seem like "work". I feel very lucky.

I recently signed up to take a class in lamp work bead making....heaven help me!

Mary Ann's work can be seen at her website www.pinkpapillon.com