ABOUT

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THE ARTIST
My name is Stacy and I’m the one-woman show behind The Drift Handmade. I live in Ashland, Oregon with my husband, 3 sons and pup, Zoey. My studio is currently located in my garage that I have converted to half work space and half work-out space.  When I’m not working on dreaming up and making new jewelry designs, you can find me doing yoga, hiking, riding my Peloton, gardening, camping, planning an epic road trip or dreaming about traveling to new places. In addition to jewelry making, I’ve dabbled in all kinds of arts and crafts, including, sewing, knitting, cooking, working with leather, woodworking, and home improvement projects.  I love to learn new skills, am confident with power tools and am eager to try my hand at new tasks.  My hands are in a constant need of movement and are always aching to stay busy with something new and creative. Life has taught me the joy in being able to recognize and embrace my strengths AND my weaknesses and I’m grateful for both.  I put my heart and soul into the work I do and strive to make the highest quality pieces I am capable of.  I’m always open to answer any questions you may have about the work I do, or the materials I use, so If you have any, never hesitate to ask!
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THE ART
The Drift Jewelry is made using high-quality metals and materials, including Sterling silver, Jeweler’s Brass, Gold-filled and a variety of hand-picked stones to create heirloom quality pieces that can be worn, loved and passed down. The inspiration for my work comes from nature, historical sources,  Art Deco and Art Nouveau print and fashion, ancient silversmith and goldsmith work and from the materials themselves.   I use a combination of old-fashioned, modern and improvised techniques and I pour my heart and soul into everything I make.  My jewelry line covers a wide range of price points in the hopes that anyone who feels a connection to my jewelry may be able to own some.
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THE STORY
I have been a maker, a builder, a creator, an experimenter and an all-around lover of music and art from the absolute beginning. I didn’t begin jewelry making until later in life, but from the first moments, I was in love.  The Drift Handmade’s story starts with a frustrated lady (me!), a copper pipe, and a hammer.  I always wanted to be an artist, but I spent most of my life ignoring my calling and basically getting in my own way.  One day, feeling backed into a corner and unable to control some stressful events that were happening in our lives,  I looked for a creative outlet that could take my abundance of anxiety and angst and channel it into something else.  I found that outlet in the form of an old scrap of 3/4” copper pipe and rusty ball-peen hammer.  It turns out, hammering metal is good for the soul! The process brought up questions for me,  and before long, I was researching the basics of metallurgy and teaching myself some beginning jewelry making skills. I began by making rough, rustic copper jewelry, selling it to friends and family and putting all the profits back into more supplies and tools.   I read, watched videos, took an online class and learned a LOT by trial and error. I made TONS of mistakes, but I became so obsessed with learning the new skills and making designs come to life that I pushed forward and let the failures motivate me instead of crush me.  I’m now five years in and am still collecting new tools and pushing myself to learn new techniques and skills.    What started as a much needed creative outlet, turned into a hobby and is now a full time job that we rely on to supplement our income.  I’m grateful for every person who has helped me along the way by providing feedback, sharing my work with others and purchasing my jewelry for themselves, or someone else.  It brings me an immense amount of joy to know that something I’ve made with my own hands can make another person happy. I don’t think I can fully express what a dream come true it is to be a working artist.