About Epheriell Designs
Epheriell Designs is your daily dose of beautiful things – style, design, food, vintage and handmade.
Beautiful Things:
- Handmade goodness
- Vintage treasures
- Amazing Photography
- Art for the heart
- Design fabulousness…
About Me
G’day!
I’m Jess Van Den, and I’m extremely passionate and passionately extreme about all things handmade. I make my living from making and spreading the word about handmade.
As a multi-passionate entrepreneur, I wear many hats (some of which I wear AT THE SAME TIME on a regular basis, how’s that for an amusing picture…).
I’m a jeweller - I make eco-friendly, contemporary jewellery from recycled sterling silver under the brand Epheriell. I also run a fun, sweet, vintage-inspired line called Vintette.
I’m a blogger - You’ll see me nattering away here every weekday about beautiful things and how to run a bountiful business.
I’m a writer - I wrote the e-book Etsy Success Stories to find out how the top sellers did it – and convinced them to share their knowledge with you and me.
I’m a speaker - I give seminars regularly about how to use social media to grow your online business, as well as speaking on other aspects of running a creative business online. I’m also a regular guest lecturer at The University of Queensland.
Like to have me speak as part of your conference/to your organisation?
I’m also a wife, a cat-mummy, an only child, a tea-addict, and a bookworm – I tells ya, the kindle is both a blessing and a curse!
So how did all this begin for me?
Until September 2008, I didn’t think of myself as a creative person. I was an academic – the scientist, the logical, rational person… and I never felt fulfilled.
Then, I went to Fiji. My boyfriend (now husband) Nick and I met a lovely fellow Aussie family. We became friends, and the day we left, the mother of the family gave me a novel to read – she’d read it, and decided to pass it on.
I can’t remember what it was called, but it was a story about a woman who owned a yarn store in New York. When I finished that book, I decided to try knitting… and that’s where it all began!
I discovered that I LOVED creating, making, working with my hands.
The previously empty part of my ‘self’ was filled, and I finally became a whole person.
Now I not only make a living from my craft, I help others do the same. This combines my academic and creative sides, and I’ve never been happier!
Thanks for stopping by – I hope you find something to inspire you build your own online creative business!
Jess xx
Yo, bloggers and press-peeps! Here’s my 3rd person bio – share and share away.
{photos by Paul Harris of Seesaw photography – please credit}
After combining her degrees in science, arts, and education to work in a number of professional educational roles during her 20’s, Jess was dissatisfied with her career… and on a mission to discover her passion. In 2008 she started making jewellery as a hobby, and totally fell in love with it after taking a weekend silversmithing course. Soon after, she stumbled upon Etsy while browsing online, and found the way to earn back some of the money she’d spent on her hobby!
Fast-forward 4 years, and what started as a little hobby shop to sell off some of the excess jewellery she was creating has become a central part of her full-time business as a creative entrepreneur. As well as making her eco-conscious, modern sterling silver jewellery under the brand Epheriell, she blogs daily about beautiful things and how to have a bountiful business on EpheriellDesigns.com. She founded *bespoke*, a print magazine about all things creative and crafty, which is available online and Australia-wide.
P.S. Please feel free to use the above photo, just make sure to credit Paul. If you need high-res versions for print, please email me – jessica AT epherielldesigns.com
Buttons – please feel free to use these to link back to Epheriell Designs!
