Tory has been making things her whole life. She grew up constantly crafting and creating, and that turned into a year at an art school in the south of France. Tory spent time studying weaving and jewelry making in Italy. She started her Etsy shop Tissage in July of 2008 after her friend Megan urging her to do so. Tory attended some local shows, but was uncertain about expanding into online sales. She got her first sale in about a week and haven't looked back. She says, "It's been great to be able to connect with so many people. I've sent my creations to Europe, Australia and all over North America. I've also had a great time doing custom work; working on bridal jewelry is one of my favorite things to do".
Tory has always been drawn to all things sparkly and she never lost her childhood love of playing dress up, so she thinks it's really fun to be able to make extravagant and sparkly pieces for a special day in a customer's life. Necklaces using vintage rhinestone pieces are probably her favorite things to create, whether they incorporate pearls, faceted glass or gemstones. She also loves searching for rhinestone finds at thrift stores and online. Tory even enlisted her mother in the search; she calls her, "my rhinestone huntress". She often has more luck searching in the midwest than Tory does on the west coast. Once she's found a fabulous vintage rhinestone brooch or earring Tory builds her design around it, sometimes just working with her own ideas and sometimes making something to a customer's specifications. Creating and selling her work has been really rewarding and she's grateful that she gets to do something she loves and add a little sparkle to people's lives at the same time.
For more info about Tory's shop, Tissage or to request a custom order go to: www.etsy.com/shop/Tissage
