This month we’re focusing on Ana Carter of Silver Ink tree a local jewellery maker who we’ve just started to stock at Chirpy.

Here’s a little interview we did with Anna.

CH: Tell me a little bit about yourself

I’m Anna, the owner and maker behind Silver Ink Tree. I make bright and bold polymer clay jewellery inspired by the colour palettes of the 60s, 70s and 80s (think vintage wallpaper and retro tracksuits!). And I can’t resist a rainbow. 

 Before rediscovering my love of polymer clay, I made silver jewellery for many years selling at markets, shops and galleries.  In the early days myself and a friend (who sold beautiful photographic prints) shared a market stall and froze our faces off on many a Saturday to make some extra pennies! The name of my business ‘Silver Ink Tree’ comes from these days - I was the ‘Silver’ and she was the ‘Ink’ and we had a metal tree that we hung things from on our stall! 

After having a family, it became hard to dedicate time to my silver making (and my jewellery bench is in our cold garage!) so aside from having a small Etsy shop and doing the odd commission it took a backseat.  

In 2019 I re-discovered polymer clay and things went in a different direction.

CH: How did you get into doing what you are doing?

I actually began using polymer clay when I was about 11 years old.  I used to make and sell little ornaments at my mum’s church coffee mornings and make things for my dolls house.  Fast forward about 30 years and my mum was downsizing from our family home and came across my old ‘Fimo’ box with all the tools and left over old polymer clay that I had loved so much all those years ago.  Incredibly, the clay - although a bit dry and crumbly - was still ok to use and was perfect for practicing with and making my first pairs of earrings.  I fell back in love with polymer clay pretty quickly.  It’s such an accessible, versatile and colourful material to work with.

I gave one of my first pairs of earrings to a friend for her birthday and she was really chuffed with them and I had a really positive response on Instagram when I posted pictures of my early pieces which gave me the confidence to start selling pieces in my existing online shop.     

CH: What does a ‘normal’ day look like?

I work part-time in a heritage education role so I fit my small business around my day job and caring for my two young children. Generally I work on my jewellery during the evenings and at weekends, but since my youngest started school this year I will finally have a little bit more time for developing the business which I’m really excited about.  I feel very privileged that I am able to do this whilst still having the security of a stable day job (which I also really enjoy). 

I tend to do as much making as I can during daylight hours as it’s much easier with good natural light and do all the other important (but less fun) jobs like sanding, polishing, adding findings (earring backs, necklace chains etc), carding and boxing up my pieces, social media and admin tasks in the evenings. I have been known to spend a whole evening punching holes in backing cards for earrings!

CH: What’s been your biggest achievement to date?

Supplying Chirpy and seeing my handmade jewellery in such a gorgeous independent shop of course! Over the past 18 months I also feel really proud of managing to continue to work, homeschool my children, continue with my creative business and stay positive during such a challenging time with the pandemic.

CH: What’s been the favourite thing you’ve made?

I recently made some polymer clay earrings for a friend for her civil partnership celebration.  I loved making something bespoke for her, it always feels special to be thinking about a particular person when you’re making something.  I also managed to incorporate some silver into the design - I’d love to design more pieces where I mix silver with polymer clay. 

I also made my husband’s wedding ring - which he actually recently lost after 10 years so I will definitely have to dust off the silversmithing tools again soon to make a new one!  

CH: What’s the best thing about running your own business?

I honestly feel that I’m still at the very beginning of my small business journey but the flexibility it offers around working and family life is really important.  

Being part of a community of brilliant makers online and in real life through fairs is wonderful.  

 CH: What advice would you give to anyone looking to turn their hobby into a business?

Just go for it.  It’s never been easier to set up an online shop through platforms such as Etsy and Folksy and these can be a great way to test the water.  My small business has grown slowly and organically and this works for me with my other commitments. 

Be original, try not to compare yourself to others - be true to yourself and your ideas. 

I think it’s really important to take time to research and learn - there is an absolute wealth of information out there these days about running a small business - online tutorials, patreons, templates and tools but it’s also important to realise that you don’t need to know absolutely everything before you launch your business, it’s ok to learn as you go along. 

CH: Is there a craft / activity you haven’t tried but would like to?

I am a self-confessed craftaholic (I need help!) so there isn’t much I haven’t tried and my craft stash will attest to it. 

I love crochet and always have a crochet project on the go (ok…. sometimes two or three).  Having done a number of weaving workshops at Chirpy with the fantastic Agnis Smallwood I could be very tempted to take up weaving if someone could just add a few extra days onto the week. I’d like to try using jesmonite sometime, the colourful materials really appeal to me. 

One of the crafts I don’t think I’ll be trying again is spoon carving. The multiple finger injuries and need for plasters didn’t do it for me.  Although I was quite pleased with my little wooden spoon at the end of it,  I’m not convinced it was worth the bloodshed!

 CH :Why should people shop local?

 There are loads of brilliant reasons to shop local.  Local independent shops can create the identity of an area making it a vibrant, interesting place to visit or live and if we don’t support them we will lose this character. 

For me, I love to be able to find unique, unusual and high quality gifts that you don’t find on the high street and it feels really good knowing that I’m buying from an independent shop or maker and directly supporting them as individuals and the local community. 

Shopping locally often means you’re making a better choice for the environment too.  Many makers and small shops are much more conscious about their environmental credentials than larger companies.  I put a lot of thought into my making process to reduce waste and ensure that my packaging is all recycled and recyclable - this is especially important as the material I work with to make my jewellery is plastic based. 

We've all seen how important small independent shops have been during the pandemic from local green grocers and farm shops to book shops and gift shops - some truly providing a lifeline for people. I hope people remember this and that shopping local (when you can) becomes part of everyday life. 

 Why not check out Ann’a gorgeous range of colourful jewellery at Chirpy - we’re delighted to be her 1st stockist!