Through the Looking Glass - Who is Alyce n Maille

“Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, 
"and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” 

― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Emerald Green Glass Caterpillar Bracelet

I think this is the scariest post I will ever have to write.  How does one describe oneself without sounding too pretentious or like a complete goofball?  I am not quite sure how to do that but I will try to do my best.

I guess I will start with a quick touch on who I am in my home life.  My name is Jen.  I am the "Alyce" in Alyce n Maille.  I am a married mom of many.  I say "many" because I count my furry and feathery babies too.  To be specific though, I have 3 amazing boys.  You could say 4 if you count my husband.  Anyone who can put up with my randomness is pretty amazing as well.  As for babies of a different kind, I have two dogs, two cats and two birds.  It is a full house, and if you have boys, you know how lively everyday life can be.  There is never a dull moment in this house.  Being the only female though can definitely be a challenge at times, but I wouldn't change a thing.  Professionally, I am a graphic artist and have been doing graphics for approximately 13 years.  I have a BA in Graphic Design and love anything pertaining to the arts.

For me personally, I like to absorb as much as I can from different sources.  I think it helps feed creativity.  That is how I found my passion for chainmaille.  Besides being beautiful, I think what drew me to it was that it is something that has been around for centuries.  You can look back and see it in various forms ranging from intricate armor to delicate jewelry.  The first piece of chainmaille jewelry that I actually saw was created using the dragonscale weave.  It was multicolored and I thought it was stunning.  After that, I had to learn how to make it.  I researched all over the internet about chainmaille.  It opened me up to a whole new world of artisans.  I found even more cool and unique ways to create chainmaille jewelry.  That was it.  I was hooked.  So I started making some pieces for myself.  Soon I had some interest from family and friends.  After selling some pieces by word of mouth, I decided to take the next step.  Being a graphic artist, I couldn't just go at it so simply.  I needed to come up with a shop name that fit my personality and what I want to sell.  Some say that I have a very active imagination.  I like to say that I am very "open".  Words, pictures and just about anything can trigger songs, thoughts and images in my brain.  That is the randomness I was talking about earlier.  In terms of chainmaille though, every piece has its own "Wonderland" story in my head.  Hence this is where the name "Alyce n Maille" was born.  So I setup a website and opened Alyce n Maille on Etsy in December of 2012.  It was the beginning of my new online adventure.  Maybe I will have to write about that in another post.  :)

Thank you for checking out my blog.

♥ Jen