About Me

My name is Chantal and I live in beautiful New Brunswick, Canada.

Since you’ve just clicked on the “About Me” tab, I’m assuming that you want to know a bit more about me….or you’ve found this post on social media….

Either way, I’ll give you the short version and the long version on how Studio 73 Designs came to be….(depending how much time you have).

Short Version

I’m a recovering alcoholic – sober since December 05, 2015.
When I got sober, I started a blog based upon inspirational quotes, which became quite successful.
In March 2017, helped my daughter raise money for TADD which lead me into jewelry making.
In April 2017, sold my blog and used the funds to invest into tools and equipment for jewelry making.
In August 2017, launched Studio 73 Designs – Handcrafted jewelry for free-spirited and bohemian souls. Ecommerce store is launched on Shopify
May 2019, close Shopify store to move over to Etsy.
June 2019 launched Etsy store (Check out Studio 73 Designs on Etsy)

Long Version

I’m a recovering alcoholic and I’ve been sober since December 05, 2015.

Why am I telling you this?

Because my sobriety is what led me down my jewelry making path.

So here’s my story…

At the beginning of my recovery, I started an inspirational/motivational quotes blog. It helped me stay sober and it grew….FAST!

I worked on it everyday….designing images in Adobe Illustrator and posting them regularly on my blog and various social networks.

My images were getting shared a lot and my blog was getting about 50,000 page views per month, which for me was a big deal.

Fast forward to March 2017…My daughter was raising money for TADD (Teenagers Against Drunk Driving) so I decided to help out . I didn’t particularly agree with the school’s fundraising idea – it involved a toilet (enough said).

My idea? Hand-stamped bracelets with inspirational quotes.

Judging by the high amount of traffic that my inspirational quotes blog was getting, I knew that people LOVE quotes…why would it be any different with bracelets?

So off to Michael’s I went in search of supplies.

I didn’t really have any experience in jewelry making (aside from my short stint in making hemp necklaces back in the 90’s.)

First I had to learn how to stamp….practiced for a bit….then stamped a bunch of bracelets and posted pics on local Buy and Sell groups on Facebook.

They were a HUGE HIT and the fundraiser was a total success!

Hand-stamped Inspirational Bracelet Cuffs

I immediately saw the potential in selling handcrafted jewelry, and most importantly, this gave me the opportunity to tap into my creativity again….something I had lost during my drinking career.

By this point, my inspirational quotes blog had become quite successful so I sold it in April 2017 and used the funds to invest into tools for jewelry.

That’s when Studio 73 Designs was born.

Since then, I’ve learned many different techniques – all self-taught.

I mostly work with copper at the moment but hope to incorporate sterling silver in the near future.

In June 2019, I launched my Etsy store and am currently working on expanding my online presence.

Making jewelry allows me to work with my hands and create unique pieces that I sell to people all over the world.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces ❤