Bead Chat Magazine Fall 2014 | Page 32

Meet The Maker Across The Pond With...Suhana Hart Where and when did it all begin for Buttoned Up Beads? It all started as a need for a hobby. I wanted to do something with my free evenings other than watch TV and read books so I looked into crafts and tried to find something that I would be interested in doing. I bought a felt mat and a few beads and started making. In mid 2012 I noticed several Facebook pages where people were advertising and selling their crafts, and they were doing really well. I came across a button jewellery page and literally fell in love with buttons, particularly the vintage and antique types. I started buying lots of buttons, both old and new, without any real idea what I was going to do with them. I started making bracelets and necklaces using basic instructional videos from You Tube and books. I bought a set of tools and away I went! Since then there has been no looking back! I started a portfolio of stock items and moved into beads later on, which have become the staple of my work. Buttoned Up Beads was born when I started up my own shop on Facebook and since then I have opened an online shop with Etsy. What is your favourite medium to work with? I love working with wire. The look and feel of a piece of jewellery can be made or broken by the detail in the end loops or bead wrappings. There are so many unique and intricate ways of finishing each item. What do you love most about what you do? Everybody wants a job that they enjoy, and I have one. I love being creative with my beads and taking it to the next level. Every