Day 17 in Christmas in July Craft Challenge and Meet the Maker: Ashley Leiendecker from Beauty from Asher

'Twas the seventeenth day of crafting

and we have paper cuts to show.

How much we love to do crafting.

All through the year and now!

Hi, friends! How was your weekend? Did you do any fun crafts? I would love to see them. Here is a flashback to last years craft on this day: Salt Dough Ornaments. These were a lot of fun. It is neat to look back and see where we have come.

Today is a choose your own craft, finish up a craft or do a coloring page from Quiet Grove. Did you know that even a coloring page counts as an entry in the giveaway? So share your pictures either in the comments below or in our DIY Facebook group and fill out the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I love our Meet the Maker series. It has been so fun interviewing the various makers, getting to know them and see their great work. Today, we are interviewing Ashley Leiendecker from Beauty from Asher. Without further ado, let's get to know Ashley. She did such a beautiful job writing up about herself that I will just have her take over the blog for the day :). Thanks, Ashley it is so fun to meet you.

Hello! I'm Ashley Leiendecker and the owner of Beauty from Asher! I was born in St. Louis, Missouri but raised in Houston, Texas. This past September, I moved to Ruston, Louisiana where I attend school at Louisiana Tech University where I plan to earn my degree in Early Childhood Education. I have been making jewelry since I was in middle school so about 7 years.

Now the story behind the name is pretty unique and I absolutely love it! My great grandfather's name was Jacobus meaning "Jacob" and my father's side of the family are descendants of Jacob (in the bible). He blessed his descendants including Asher. From the tribe of Asher, it is said, "the women who came from Asher were beautiful [and were sought after for marriage]...his daughters were married to high priests, who were anointed with olive oil", which is where the idea for my logo came from. Although the priests came from the tribe of Levi since Asher's daughters married priests, his grandchildren were eligible for - and eventually served in - the position of high priest. Asher's daughters were so beautiful that bachelors from all the tribes wanted to marry them. They were known for being beautiful and refined just like my jewelry!

When I started making jewelry, it was just a hobby my grandmother and I did together. We would sit around her table and craft just the two of us.

I started selling on Etsy the summer after I graduated high school in August of 2015. I decided to sell online because I really enjoyed making jewelry and I wanted to be able to share my creations with others.

I will be changing our grab bags in the next month or so, but currently, you get a necklace (there are 5 different options), our leather pearl bracelet, and a pair of our pearl cluster studs.

I am so excited for the future of Beauty from Asher! My hopes for my business is that it will continue to grow and that it will eventually become a full-time job and my main source of income. There is nothing better than your job being something you absolutely love doing.

I think my favorite piece that I have made so far, would have to be the very first item I sold. It was a simple gold necklace featuring a vintage gold coin that actually happened to be from the materials my great grandmother used to make jewelry. It made my first sale even more incredible!

The one thing that I think everyone considering going into the handmade business should know is, even when you are feeling discouraged, do not give up! I remember being open for six months and I hadn't made a single sale. I felt like giving up and I almost did. I began asking for help and just really working hard and then all of a sudden, my first sale came and it felt so rewarding. So keep going and keep pushing along, I promise it's worth it!!

Thank you so much for sharing Ashley. I really love the story behind your shop's name and how you got started with your grandmother. It is stories like these that make shopping small so intimate and unique. I wish you all the best at school and in your business in the future.

Links:
www.etsy.com/shop/beautyfromasher
www.instagram.com/beautyfromasher/
www.facebook.com/beautyfromasher
www.twitter.com/beautyfromasher