Etsy artist of the week: JulieRose

If you think buttons are just for holding your clothes shut, think again. Julie Vire, aka JulieRose, transforms them into fashion for your fingers. Actually, Julie produces many kinds of art—photography, knitting, stitch counters—but her bead and button rings take center stage in her Etsy shop.

“It was Etsy that inspired me to try making these rings,” she says. “I saw a similar one in someone's shop, and said, ‘You know what, I think I could make that.’ I started out with beads, but then thought that buttons could be really neat. And I hadn't seen many people making button rings. I mostly use vintage buttons that have been given to me. Each button kind of has its own personality, and it's interesting to see which ones people will pick out for themselves.”

Julie is one of our younger Etsians. At 23, she already has a long artistic history.

“I come from a pretty creative family,” she says. “My mom quilts and paints, my dad plays and builds guitars, and my brother is a writer for Time Out Chicago and did a lot of theater in the past. I didn't think I really had much creative potential until about 6 or 7 years ago, when I started doing photography. And then three years ago I took up knitting, and then this past summer I began making rings.”

Imagine what Julie’s resume will look like by the time she’s 35!

Her haiku about her Etsy work:

Finger adornment
Wire-wrapped rings--of course, handmade
Stones, buttons, or beads

Julie and her fiancé live in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where she’s pursuing a Liberal Arts degree. They’ll be married this spring.

Julie’s an active member of AREtsy, the Arkansas Etsy street team. You can get to know her better on MySpace.