Blue Ribbon Salvage

Melissa runs Blue Ribbon Salvage out of Petaluma, California. We're excited to have her at Handmade Ho-Down this year, and hope you enjoy her booth!

As this is a charity event for DrawBridge, give us some insight on how you personally, or your shop, gives back to your community.

I'm a planning commissioner for the City of Petaluma and I have worked for several years as a volunteer in many capacities for my local government. I avoided politics all my life but once I had my sons I knew I needed to make sure that I knew the issues effecting our community and used my voice as required.

It's funny but many of my craftiest moments have been in areas I would hardly have considered creative. I think creative people should share their voices in all aspects of their lives.

What does buying and selling local handmade mean to you, and how has it affected your life?

I ran a sustainable development campaign focused on localized economy and services. It's a high priority to me to support my neighbors and local business owners. I like knowing the maker of what I own, I like trading directly with and end user, and I love knowing the back story behind the things that surround me.

What inspires your creations?

The past. I like recontextualizing objects, people, and images. Tying them into the present. So much of our day to day life is devoid of historical context or perspective. My objective is to create pieces that have a sense of place or time. I like to think that half of my creative process is being in the role of a hunter tracking down creative inspiration. From there, I fashion the best format to showcase and tell the story of my treasures.

Red Stem Studio

Drawing upon her art history training and informal background in applied arts, Anna creates a handmade jewelry line that is playful, stylish, and versatile. Her designs are inspired by Chinese ink painting-turned-technicolor and are created on recycled plastic. The hardware found on the jewelry is hand-crafted from recycled sterling silver.


How did you get started on Etsy/Making things?

I have always been a tinkerer.

I came across Etsy and knew that I had found a good thing. I knew that I wanted to sell on Etsy, but I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to sell. Before I knew what I was going to make I read all of the Etsy tutorials on setting up shop, creating a brand for yourself, how to market and that sort of thing.

I created Red Stem before I knew what Red Stem was going to sell.
I fell into jewelry naturally. My mother is a jeweler and entrepreneur herself, only she deals with precious stones and metals. She helps me create a business strategy, shows me where to get supplies, and counsels me daily.

What inspires your creations?

Supply-wise, I try to be as eco-conscious as I can. My works are created on recycled lucite and recycled sterling silver. All of my packing and display materials are recycled, reused, or both. It was very important to me that sustainability be part of the underpinnings of Red Stem.

Design-wise, I have a graduate degree in Chinese art history and draw my (current) inspiration from seventeenth century Chinese ink paintings of bamboo and flowers. I have always loved bright colors in unexpected combinations.