Tell us about yourself
Hello everyone, my name is Stephanie Fong, I'm currently base in Penang , but my hometown is in Selangor. I've been crafting since i was very young, I love making cards and gifts for my friends and family, even until now,my passion for craft never fades, i continue with what i love to do most and discover jewelry making is fun. I am very new in jewelry making, started only about few months ago.I am a full time layout design engineer working for a flash memory company.
Do you intend to make jewelry making your full time profession?
No, not at this moment.
How did you start doing jewelry (or beadmaking) as a business? Do you specialise in specific Why?
I came to Penang about a year and a half ago to start off my career as an engineer, only then I discover the fun in polymer clay,i started to read blogs and youtube for polymer clays, from there, i venture into jewelry making. I started this hobby with a few basic tools, soon, i was possessed that i made more than 10 bracelets a week.
Later I'd realized I had too many bracelets and my friends and sister were encouraging me to start selling online. Therefore, stephaniefong,blogspot.com came into picture.
When people start doing jewelry, they tend to try a lot of different things before settling down to something that resonates with them, tell us how has your jewelry work changed since you began?
My earlier designs were simpler and less detailed. But i must say that i am still trying a lot of different designs and methods, I always wanted to make something extra ordinary.
This was my very 1st bracelet design, something really simple and elegant. As you can see, i started off with very simple design and as I read more about jewelry making, I tends to make something more detailed.
What would you like to work with/or what skill would you like to learn that you haven't yet?
How many hours a week do you spend in the creative side of your business vs… the business side?
It depends, sometimes during festive seasons, I will be spending most of my time completing orders(which is the business side). Other time, i spend about 10 hours in my creative side and about 5-8 hours in the business side.
What inspires you creatively?
About anything! Colourful pictures especially.
Where do you sell at primarily-website, brick & mortar stores, shows, etc. Based on your experience, where is the best place to sell jewelries?
As for now, I'm selling my jewelries in my tiny blogshop only. I am thinking to set up an online store in etsy.com but it will be sometime later.Do you sell mostly to customers of your local market? What are the main issues you face in selling to international market?
Yes, mostly from Malaysia. I believe the main issue with selling to international market is the delivery time frame and the cost of shipping is higher.
Can you tell us about some important goals you have achieved with your jewelry work?
Be frank, before i started with my jewelry business, i don't know where my life will be heading to, I don't have goals and directions. But with this, i know exactly what i want and i seems to have something to long for. Aside from that, my network of friends have grew bigger and i met all different types of person whom indirectly had inspired me in every way in my life.
To me, jewelry making is not just another hobby of mine, it's about sharing my passion with someone who appreciate it.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested doing jewelry as a business?
Go ahead! You have nothing to lose. Life's too short to just sit down and worries about things you might not have control with it. Don't worry about your jewelry can't sell, because you gotta believe that some day someone will love your designs as much as you do.
Do you have any big/exciting news or different directions for your business this year or year 2009?
YES! I will be making a series of polymer clay charms and beads.
Who are some of your favorite artists and crafters?
Martha Stewart! Wanna find out more about Stephanie? Visit her at http://stephaniefong.blogspot.com/
