Please introduce yourself and your brand….
I am Amandine, a Frenchie living in Brighton and my brand is named Fleur de carotte, which as you can guess carrot flower. I picked this name because it inspired me! I love the nature and wild flowers. Carrot flowers are unexpectedly beautiful and delicate. I also chose this name because of my hair colour which is like carrots!
Fleur de carotte is fairly new, I have started to sell my jewellery on Etsy in February this year and this is my first fair.
I am passionate about crafting and discovering new techniques. I pretty much taught myself how to sew clothes, screenprint, embroider,weave and make jewellery. I usually get intrigued by a type of craft, buy some supplies and get started! I am lucky enough to have two dedicated spaces at home to fulfill my love of crafting.
I am trying to do my bit for the envrionment and the local community. I am committed to making and selling products which are the most eco friendly possible. I obtain about 80% of my supplies and making material in Brighton and Sussex and I am happy to give my money to local businesses. I also make my jewellery using leather off cuts and I handprint on organic and fairtrade cotton.
How would you describe your style and your creations?
I make leather pendants using leather off cuts which I buy from a local craftsman and I play with geometric, minimalist designs and colour combinations. I created my own technique through experimentation. I also make jewellery using semi-precious stones in delicate pastel tones that is inspired by an eclectic mix of Art Deco and Memphis Milano!
I feel like my style is constantly evolving, which I assume is pretty normal! I am inspired by mid-century and scandinavian design, nature and also what I see around me, whether it is a colour combination or a shape. I would say my style is bold, graphic and minimalist.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I love experimenting and creating things through trial and error. I often need to get out of my comfort zone which always leads to new interesting designs. I make sketches in different notebooks whenever an idea is crossing my mind. When I make jewellery or when I weave I usually put all my supplies in front of me and start assembling elements together following my intuition. I also keep a notebook which has bits of leather stuck in there as a reference of good colour combinations when a new one is crossing my mind!
What can we expect to find on your stall at The Fairy Tale Fair Brighton this May? And are you looking forward to taking part?
On my stall you will find my full collection of jewellery that I sell in my Etsy, including my upcycled leather pendants and necklaces with semi-precious stones. You will also find some little haircombs ornamented with leather shapes in my favourite colours used in my jewellery, these ones are new! This fair is quite exciting as I will be selling my handprinted cushions and woven wall hangings for the first time!
Do you have any plans or ambitions for the future?
I want to carry on creating new designs and develop my jewellery collections. I also want to continue weaving and making more handprinted textile wares. I would love Fleur de carotte to grow and hopefully sell my work in some shops one day! But the most important is to keep enjoying it all.
Do you have a motto or inspirational quote?
I heard a lot of people say ‘work hard and be nice to people’, I thought about it and I actually think it is true. It seems that success (and I talk about small success like making a sale on Etsy, which is still huge for me at this point) finds you when you are not thinking about it but working hard and loving what you do. And being nice to people seems normal if you want others to be nice to you! Life is too short to have negative feelings and I want to live in a beautiful world!
How can we find out more about you?
You can see my work and find out about my making process on my website (http://www.fleurdecarotte.org
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/
