The Artist Behind The Etsy ~ TJB Designs

Being a part of the Etsy community, not only as a seller but as a customer, I have come across many talented individuals.  With this series, I hope to introduce you to some of these creative people, finding out where they find their inspiration, and a little bit more about them.

Good morning, Friends!  I hope you will sit back and enjoy your coffee while visiting with Tommye of TJB Designs this morning.   I fell in love with Tommye’s creations, especially her scissor fobs and couldn’t wait to invite her to join in the series. 

What a thrill to be included in this great series of Kathy's.  Browsing through the imaginations of other artisans is always a treat and I'm honored to be included.

I'm a geek.  I've been married to my even geekier husband for 32 years and we live with our two pug babies, Otis and Lester.  I started my professional life as a software engineer for a major aerospace company.  But I've been stitching since I was a teenager.  Counted thread needlework  is my passion...cross stitch, hardanger, drawn thread, and especially band samplers.  It appeals to the logical side of my brain, which I admit, is the dominant side.  I left software engineering to open a needlework shop.  It was a lot of fun and very successful, but when my husband and I retired and moved to the beach, I sold the shop.  But I just can't sit and do nothing.   I love stitching and teaching stitching, so I work part time and teach a stitching group at my local needlework shop.  I knit when I'm not stitching.

I also love gadgets, especially embroidery scissors. Hence, the creation of beautiful scissor fobs. I started out trying to think of something to make for the ladies in my stitching group for Christmas and before I knew it I had about 2 dozen fobs designed!  I only needed eight.  So I developed a line of beaded needlework tools for stitching, knitting and crochet. Having owned a brick and mortar needlework shop before, I decided to approach some people I knew from that life.  That led to a wholesale business.  One of those shopowners suggested Etsy as a retail outlet for me. And thus TJBdesigns on Etsy was born in January of 2009. 

All my scissor fobs are unique and made by me with whatever beads fit the shape and color scheme that pops into my imagination.  The tassels and cording are also handmade by me with embroidery floss.  I try to incorporate interesting beads and color combinations in all my tools, whether they be scissor fobs, stitch markers, eyeglass chains or laying tools.  Adding bling to your needlework is just plain fun. 

A fob doesn't have to be for your scissors.  They make a great decoration for a purse or backpack. They add pizzazz to a china cabinet knob or armoire. I've even sold one as stethoscope bling!

And for those who don’t stitch, knit or crochet, I make book thongs! A great bookmark that the kids can’t pull out of the book because there are beads at both ends!

You can also find me here.
Blog: http://stitchingandbeading.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TJBdesigns
Facebook: http://facebook.com/TJBdesigns/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/tjbdesigns/
Google+: plus.google.com/u/0/117068101682733611480

 

Thank you for taking the time to share your story with us, Tommye!  As with all of the shops I’ve featured, some really great gift ideas here.  As someone who loves to sew and does needlework, I can tell you that any of these items would make for lovely gifts.  You can visit Tommye’s shop here.

If you have an Etsy shop that features handmade items, or know of one that might be of interest, please send an email to kpassarette(at)yahoo(dot)com.