If you do not know about the wonderful world of Etsy, then you my friend are missing out! Etsy is a website community full of artists and hand crafters that make creations just for you. This year, for Christmas, you should support local artists and give handmade items. Etsy is the very best way to find unique, well crafted items for your loved ones or yourself.
One of my favorite sellers on Etsy is BrianaRose. Being so fond of the ocean, Briana Rose’s Swarovski Starfish Hair Clips really take me back to when I was young and searching for sea shells on the beach.
Although these creations are 100% real starfish, they do not flake, smell fishy, or are brittle like you may think. Briana takes a tremendous amount of care and puts a lot of work into each one of these pieces to ensure they will be in your collection for many years to come. She uses Sugar Starfish from the Caribbean. She then has to clean, shave, and strengthen each one with a special glue. They also each have a protective coating. After all the preparation she adds gorgeous Swarovski Crystals on each star. Just so you know, these starfish are not endangered and are very abundant. Each one of her Starfish Hairpins are a steal, seeing how much work goes into each one, BrianaRose sells them anywhere from $14 up to $28 each. A small price to pay to be able to put on such a gorgeous hair pin to bring out your inner star.
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Briana and learned a lot about her and her craft.
“My craft of choice is sugar starfish from the Caribbean. They’ve got more character than other starfish.” BrianaRose
She started selling starfish hairpins in high school. After a break, she started again after getting a scholarship to pursue her business a few months ago. She likes new ideas and trends and wanted to start something that wasn’t typical, was totally natural, but still kinda girly. She hits her mark perfectly with her Starfish creations. The crystals give the glitz that every girl wants but the starfish bring you back to nature, which fills the hearts desire.
Her Etsy Shop name comes from her first and middle name “Briana Rose”. She said “My great grandmother and I share the same middle name, so that’s why I like it so much.”
When asked where she finds her inspiration she said “I like to flip through magazines and pictures for my inspiration, but in hasn’t really aided me with the hairpins thus far. I think my inspiration comes from the Lord, ya know?” No better place to find inspiration!
She does have a few local events going on right now:
December 3rd, an open house, at Hungry Hair in the Fig Garden Village, in Fresno, CA.
December 5th, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, she is having a Trunk Show at Carmel Kids, in Fresno, CA.
Of course, if you are not in the area, you can always go to her Etsy Shop and conveniently purchase a star.
Briana eventually would really like to distribute throughout the country and one day possibly throughout the world. She is currently recruiting and would love some applicants.
You can find BrianaRose:
Her favorite color combo in general is black and white. But in reference to the stars, she does like the bright orange stars and crystal iridescent Swarovski rhinestones. Nice! Maybe I’ll spin up some “BrianaRose” Yarn and ply it with some shiny threads.
Lastly, know each star has its own personality and great character. BrianaRose likes to think that the starfish you pick for yourself reflects your personality as well.
Please help support this fantastic Etsy Artist and get an exquisite, unique Starfish Hairpin for the star in your life. ♥