Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar: Briana Hefley-Shepard

Up today: Briana Hefley-Shepard of Tulsa.

Q: Tell me about your company and what you make.

A: I work under the name SheezKrafty and I make offbeat jewelry; light switch plates from discarded magazines, maps, sheet music, vintage papers and more; and most recently, bags out of vintage fabrics, curtains and tablecloths. Nearly all of what I make is made from reused and repurposed goods.

Q: Why do you do hand-made items? What do you get out of it creatively, personally, professionally?

A: I LOVE creating! My day job is teaching English as a Second Language so I welcome the opportunity in the evenings to not think about language skills, grammar, reading strategies, etc. It’s a mental vacation for me to create one-of-a-kind wares that I would like to use and wear; I cross my fingers that other people appreciate my creations as well! I’m a very visual person so I love to put together things that people normally wouldn’t. I hate buying something from a store and a week later see it being worn on somebody else! I strive for uniqueness and I have learned that making something yourself or buying handmade is sometimes the only way to achieve that! Also, since I reuse and repurpose, I do much hunting about at garage sales, estate sales, flea markets and other venues where I can buy ‘junk’. Half of what I do is about the hunt. I was raised in an antiquing family so hunting about on the weekends was something I was born to do! Sometimes I will hold onto a piece for years until I find the right pieces to join it with and the joy I receive from explaining how those pieces came to meet each other is never-ending. I love breathing life into items once forgotten and discarded.