Handmade Spaces: Naughty Secretary Club

Today I'm oh so pleased to bring you the super colorful, inspiring space from Jennifer Perkins of the Naughty Secretary Club!  Jennifer is a jewelry maker extraordinaire who just released her first book, The Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girl's Guide to Handmade Jewelry.  She also is a host of Craft Lab on the diy network, is an editor on the Craft Gossip Blog, and a founding member of the Austin Craft Mafia among many other craft lovin, indie supporting activities.  She's a busy busy lady who needs a dedicated space where she can get all this work done- let's see where she does it all!

What do you create in this space?
My studio is primarily for running my jewelry business Naughty Secretary Club, although I have to say lots of other craftiness has been whipped up within these 4 walls.  Clothes have been sewn, web casts have been filmed, books have been written and more.

Where is it located?
Within the last year I have relocated my studio.  For the past 5 years Naughty Secretary Club has occupied the master bedroom of my house while my husband and I shacked up in a smaller spare bedroom.  Let me back track and say the house is located in Austin, TX on the South side of town.  I had outgrown the space so I was caught between renting out studio space, moving into a larger house or converting my garage.  We opted for the latter.  My husband built a shed in our backyard for things like tools, bikes and lawn mowers and we had a contractor come in and convert our 500 square foot 2 car garage into a studio for me.  I love it in here there is so much space.  Now I have room to have my sewing machine out, a separate desk for my assistant, a huge work table, tons of shelving and more.  Not to mention my husband and I are finally moving into our master bedroom.

What sort of tools/equipment do you use?
What tool I use depends on what mood I am in.  I would say the tools I use most often are my jewelry pliers and Dremel.  However I have been known to use my sewing machine, Two-Hole Punch, Dapping Tools, tin snips and more.  In the supply department if glue was a person we would be best friends.  I use mostly vintage beads and baubles in my work.  I travel all over the country to flea markets to shop for supplies, I never drive past a thrift store without shopping and I do a lot of searching online.  I tend to use a lot of non-traditional things in my jewelry like paper, fabric, cup cake toppers, hotel room key chains and more.

What inspirations do you keep nearby?
My computer, vintage toys and magazine clippings.  I am constantly saving pictures to my favorites on flickr or book marking things on Del.icio.us.  The internet is a source of endless inspiration.  In my studio I have some of my collection of vintage toys.  I love the bright colors and more importantly the color combinations used in the toys.  Above my desk I have a mega inspiration board.  It is the two biggest bulletin boards Office Depot had to offer covered in clippings from magazines, old pictures, pages from books and more.  I’m a bit of a fashion magazine junkie so cutting out the pictures helps me justify buying them.

What do you like to listen to/watch while creating?
I alternate quite a bit.  I love my iTunes, I just looked and there are 2,711 songs on there.  Currently Stereolab is playing before that was The Lapse and my most recent download was the Fleet Foxes.  Sometimes I am in the mood for music while I work and other times it is a TV kind of day.  I am loving having a TV and cable in my new office space. Before I found I was dragging jewelry into the living room a lot of times to watch movies and create and now I don’t have to.  If I can watch John and Kate Plus 8 and my Bravo reality shows all is right in the world.  There are also lots of times that silence is golden, like as I type this interview.  I can’t write and have music or TV on I find it very distracting.  I think it is my ADD flares up.

How do you feel when you enter your handmade space?
Inspired.  I walk into my studio and see the walls lined with kitschy beads and baubles and want to create.  I have been making jewelry for years and always worry that a day will come when I am over it, but so far day after day I still enjoy what I do.  Sure there are the times when I walk in my studio and feel stressed and don’t even want to look at my computer and think about the emails I need to answer and orders I need to fill, but most days I look forward to it not dread it.  Naughty Secretary Club has been my full time job for over 5 years so I know how to keep things balanced and not go too crazy.

Be sure to check out all the crazy kitschy goodness that Jennifer creates here at Naughty Secretary Club, and pick up her new book to learn how you can create jewelry like it yourself!