Hi, my name is Elise.
I started making jewellery when my mum bought me a jewellery beading kit. I started off making simple beaded earrings and sold them at markets. When i moved overseas to live in England i left my beading tools behind. I missed it so much i had to buy all new tools and keep making! When i returned home i started a Industrial Design course, instead of writing my essays i would fix my old jewellery - productive procrastination. I then decided to switch courses and study jewellery at NMIT in Melbourne in 2008. There i had the most fantastic 2 years of learning my craft! I worked with silver for the first time and loved it. I experimented with colour and form and precious metals! I still continue to make contemporary jewellery, you can check it out at my online shop www.elisenewman.com or in a small collection here under Sterling Silver.
Paws and Effect came about when i made a brooch for my dog obsessed friend Yasmin. It was a red staffy brooch - she loved it... she really loved it. Yasmin was an ideas lady - she convinced me to go into business making these brooches - if she loved hers so much surely there would be other people out there that would also want one. I was to be the designer and Yasmin was the sales woman. We did a couple designs and went from shop to shop selling them all around Melbourne. As we stocked more shops, we got more requests for new breeds. Our small collection turned into a large collection and we decided to open up our ETSY shop!
After years traveling and having a fun time making jewellery together, Yasmin decided to step away from Paws and Effect and spend more time with her wonderful family.
Paws and Effect is one of those rare products that just make people happy and that's why i'm so passionate about it! I love my conversations and interactions with my customers here on ETSY and i hope that shows!
So that's my story!
Happy shopping everyone!
X Elise