An Interview with Tamara Lance from Musing Tree Studios

 

 

In line with our Bohemian Summer Series, browsing through etsy, I came upon fabulous bohemian jewelry that immediately caught my eye and when I learned that it is made of vintage tins I was already in love with it. I couldn't help myself and contacted Tamara to be a guest on my blog and tell us more about her designs, which to my great excitement, she readily accepted. So without further ado, here's Tamara!

Hello and welcome to the blog! Please introduce yourself for my readers. Who is Tamara Lance? 

 The basics are that I am a 36 year old lady in the birthplace of sweet tea, Summerville, SC. I have a wonderful husband, a teenage daughter, a five year old son, two crazy dogs and a couple of rats. We live in a very cliché suburban neighborhood on the edge of the national forest.

Beyond that I am a creative person. I grew up in a creative family and my art was always encouraged. So as an adult I find that everything I enjoy doing is a creative pursuit and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love cooking, writing poetry, photography, painting and of course, making jewelry.

I also really love nature, the outdoors, hiking and camping. We have a camper that we take out whenever we get a chance. We love to go for long meandering drives and one year were even lucky enough to go on a cross country road trip to Washington state twice. My wanderlust inspired a tattoo on my right arm that says, "Blame My Gypsy Soul." (Did I mention I also have two full sleeves of tattoos?)

Your shop on etsy is called “Musing Tree Studios”. What is the story behind the name?
When I started Musing Tree Studios we lived in the country about 45 minutes from where we live now. We were surrounded by trees on seven acres of land and I knew that my business name would have to have something to do with trees. As I said before, I love nature and I do try to incorporate a sense of that into my jewelry whenever possible.
 

I met you through your enchanting tin necklaces. How did you start working with vintage tins transforming them into extraordinary jewelry pieces with bohemian quality?

I used to run a vintage shop on Etsy and would go to estate sales a lot to get my stock. On one occasion I came across a random estate sale with a treasure trove of vintage tins. There were tons and they were all collectible English tins with amazing designs. I had to have them all. So I asked the guy how much and he said $30! For 50+ tins I now know how very lucky I was to come across this.

Anyway, I got the tins home and eventually I started thinking about what else I could do with them. I thought the patterns were so amazing that maybe I could make jewelry with them somehow. I had no idea what I was doing, but I went and got some tools and some beads and went to work. I listed my first pair on my vintage shop and they were so popular that I decided to start a new shop.

Musing Tree Studios was born.

 

 

And judging by the sales and wonderful reviews, it is a very successful shop. Where does inspiration come from?

I find a lot of inspiration in antique jewelry, jewelry around the world, and sometimes even home décor. But a lot of the time the tin itself inspires me and somehow designs just build around the colors and patterns in them.

Can you describe an ordinary day working on your jewelry and accessories?

 I usually start working on jewelry in the early afternoon after I have had a chance to catch up on regular business and household tasks. I try to make five pieces a day if possible. I listen to music or let Grey's Anatomy reruns play in the background. I spend most evenings listing and promoting. I will occasionally take a day or two off to refresh. 

What part of the process is the most enjoyable? Is there a particular place where you like to work? Or a particular material you’d like to try your hand at?

 I have a room for my jewelry making and it had a lot of things in it that inspire and appeal to me. It kind of helps to have a place to go to just let my creative juices flow. My favorite part of the whole thing is seeing a design come to life. I kind of enjoy seeing the photographs of my jewelry afterwards as well.

I am going to BeadFest in Tacoma, WA in October and I am taking a few workshops. So I am looking forward to learning soldering and how to work with resin.

Tell us more about your digital art and photography.

 My formal education is in graphic design and I have been creating illustrations for many years. I create a lot of surface patterns for stock illustration. I also LOVE photography. I am mostly into nature and macro photography, but more recently have been doing a lot of lifestyle photography. I can go out for hours on end taking photos. My photography website is at Tamara Lance Photography.

 

 What do you do in your free time?
I love to play with my son, cook, paint, do photography, write, go camping, go for random drives, watch TV shows (I have way too many I follow), and listen to music. 

 Your plans for the future? I take each day as it comes and hope that I get to continue to have an awesome life. It has been quite an adventure so far! :)

You can also find Tamara on Instagram and Facebook.

Her shop on etsy too if you missed it above.

Thank you so much for sharing a glimpse of your life and work with us Tamara! I wish you loads of success and many new tins reborn as jewelry that will steal hearts away!