Meet the maker Vicki Brown

Hello, my name is Vicki!
I set up selling my handmade items in 2006 as soon as I discovered Etsy and started selling on Folksy as soon as it launched. It took me a little while to find my feet and turn my hobby into a proper business, but by the time I went on maternity leave with my son in 2009 I knew I would be able to turn this into a truly successful endeavour.
I work out of my basement in a great space I've set up especially for me. It's generally chaotic and the walls are covered in pictures pulled from magazines for inspiration but it's the perfect place for me to work.
For the most part my handmade beads and charms are made from polymer clay (an oven baked clay that comes in a fantastic range of colours). I use a variety of brands depending on who has the best colours and texture for the specific piece I'm working on.
All my jewellery findings and supplies are sourced from UK suppliers.
I'm pretty much a one man show, my partner and son pitch in once in a while but mostly it's all me, for now.
Each bead or charm used in every piece of jewellery is handmade by me, so even though I may produce 10 of the same necklace, each and every one will be unique.
I made my first set of ninjas back in 2007 as part of a challenge organised by a group of etsy UK sellers. They were so popular I made a few more, since then I've sold well over 1,000 of the little guys, in all manner of colours and holding all manner of accessories.

You can read more about me over on my blog http://www.vickibrowndesigns.com