Zibbet is excited about introducing you to Sylvie, the owner of the fabulous Albina Rose where you will discover jewelry for the free spirit within you.This is a Zibbet shop you will want to take your time browsing through to see if you can find the faeries. In Sylvie’s words: “If you look very carefully as you wander through, you might catch a glimpse of a little faerie or hear the tinkling sound of her laughter, like chimes in the breeze, as she flits here and there between the shimmery treasures.”
Please enjoy the interview, leave Sylvie a comment, and then use the Share Tools so others can read it, too. Please spread the Zibbet Love!
The love of handmade is in my blood. The first ancestor on my paternal grandmother’s side was named Olivier Quesnel. He was a master armorer who emigrated from St. Malo France to Montreal, Quebec in the late 1600s. I am a direct descendant of a long line of people who worked with their hands. My father is a master carpenter and my mom is a seamstress. My grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was 9. My mom taught me to sew around the same time and I made all of my own clothes until I was in my early 30s when my time became occupied with raising 3 little boys under the age of 4. I have been married 28 years and my 3 sons are now young men. My hubby and I live on a very peaceful 8 acres in the country just outside a large metropolitan city in Western New York. My studio loft is surrounded with windows overlooking the woods on two sides of the house. It is where I am most at peace and content. It’s where I spend everyday. I truly am blessed. Life is good.
If I could, I would spend just about every waking moment in my studio making ’stuff’. But I do have a life. A life that includes a lot of outdoor activities. Walking, hiking, kayaking, riding my bicycle…my pink beach cruiser with whitewall tires. And a basket. I drive a Jeep Wrangler and wouldn’t want to drive anything else. My husband has a Harley motorcycle and as soon as the weather permits, we ride every chance we get. I even took the class and got my motorcycle license. I just haven’t decided yet, if I really want to drive on the road in traffic. We love to entertain and according to our friends and kids, give the best parties. And now the boys are grown and our schedule permits, we are starting to travel. Last year I went to visit a friend in Brisbane, Australia. As amazing as it may sound, I had never been off the continent. So this was a BIG trip for me and I loved it. Except the 14 hour flight over the ocean. I’m not the best at sitting still for very long. Our idea of a great date night is a long leisurely dinner at a nice restaurant. And I love ‘redecorating’ my living environment. We seem to have a habit of taking on renovation projects. When finished, we always say, that’s it! No more. Then the next thing I know, I’m looking at something else that “would be fun to do”. Hubby shudders when he hears these words: “I saw something on HGTV that I think….” It’s safe to say that we like to keep busy and love to relax. I will never be without something to do.
I don’t know where my inspiration comes from. Maybe that’s because it’s everywhere I look, everything I see. Somehow when I look at something, I just see another way to make it. Sometimes I pick something up and keep looking at it trying to figure out how could I incorporate this into what I make. Most of my creations simply evolve. I pick up some materials and just start working with no vision of the final product. I start, then keep adding to it until I think it’s finished. Mostly, though I am inspired by nature. I can think of nothing else that is as beautiful as nature. Leaves have always and still are a big part of my works. Whether I’m using an old leaf brooch as a clasp on my wire crochet cuff. Or I’m using natural leaves I pressed. I have an unexplainable affinity for leaves. They seem to define my work more than anything else.As cliche as it sounds, my hubby is who I look up to. He has been my biggest supporter. Not only for my Albina Rose business, but for everything I take on in life. He truly is my best friend and understands me better than anyone else on the planet. He gives me encouragement when I’m struggling. Great advice when I ask for it. 
Kudos when I achieve a success, no matter how small that little accomplishment may be. And lets me dip into our house checking account when I’m in the red. And lets me know when he thinks I’m wrong. Howard is always there for me when I need him and even when I don’t. He is and always has been my rock, my anchor, my guiding light. We have three grown sons who have brought us the most love, joy, stress, pride, challenges…they are the best thing we have accomplished together. Our biggest success. And Howard has worked hard with more tenacity than anyone else I’ve ever known, to support our family and allow me to be a stay-at-home mom. To allow me to pursue my passion. He is the one person I look up to, admire and respect more than any other.Entertaining. Cooking. Being outside. Those are my favorite things to do, if I’m not in my studio. I especially love to cook for our guests. My specialty is breakfast. Creating something delicious, out of the ordinary, and the presentation of the food…seeing people enjoy it and the smiles on their faces. 
Makes me smile and feel good to know I can make others feel good. Being outside is heaven to me. Even on the cold winter days of Western New York. Breathing in the fresh air, experiencing the dead silence in the woods, feeling the wind on my face…that’s when I feel the freest. And that explains why I love driving my jeep with the top down on a gorgeous summer day.Oh there are a few things I love about Zibbet. The first one that comes to mind is the ability to customize our shops so we can better express our own brand rather than the venue’s branded image. You do have to be a Premium seller to have that capability. Paying an annual fee rather than listing fees. My sales so far have already paid for my fee and then some. I like that. I also enjoy the fact that Zibbet admin respond immediately to concerns and issues. That is like icing on the cake. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Zibbet community. It’s very upbeat and the members are some of the most helpful I’ve ever met in any other online venue. You do feel a real sense of community that is not like others. My Zibbet experience has been very positive and I have been enjoying it.
As much as I love Zibbet, I do have a wish list. But it’s short! At the top of my list is a guest check-out. I know this is not likely to happen due to the type of venue. And I understand quite well why having this feature would defeat a part of the purpose of a marketplace. But I have heard from enough people that they don’t like having to sign up online to make purchases, that I see it as a possible detriment to our businesses. I must repeat though, I do understand the nature of a marketplace is different than an online store who offers this feature. The other thing on my wishlist is a different forum format. I find it a little cumbersome as it is set up now. Maybe if it were not separated from the marketplace. I find it a little confusing trying to keep up with replies that are within a reply, within a reply…but my husband would also tell you that I am easily confused sometimes. Other than those two items, I’m quite happy as far as features within the site.
Aaaahhh…how do I promote my work? I haven’t been the best at offline promotion. Like the business end of business, I do it only because I have to, not because I like it. I would prefer my time be spent creating. But. The reality is, there does have to be promotion. So, I have all the usual suspects lined up. Facebook, Twitter, Blogger…I hand out business cards, I have a link to my shop in my email signature. I give away little freebies. My biggest offline promotional efforts are having home jewelry parties. I usually have a couple big ones a year. I’m always adding to the mailing list so attendance does improve. But I have to say that my biggest promotion are my friends and family who tell everyone they know about me. In the end it is a combination of all the above. And quite honestly, I should be doing more. That is one of my goals for the upcoming year.How to make the most of Zibbet.com, I think, is the same answer to making the most of anything in your life. Get to know the site, its features, everything it has to offer. Pick and choose those that you feel would most benefit you and your business. Then make it a habit to use them on a regular basis. I enjoy getting to know members of the community so I will spend time in the forums when I have the free time to do so. I learn alot from interacting with other artisans. I have customized my shop as much as possible to reflect my brand. I have tweaked and tweaked over the past few months til I couldn’t see straight. 
But I finally have a look that best reflects me and my creations. I think making the most of anything, including Zibbet, will be different for each individual. The trick is finding what works best for you. Maybe, that means, my answer is use the site to its full potential to your best advantage. Tailor it to fit you.In the future I want to be exactly who I am meant to be. There is a saying “It takes courage to grow up and be who you really are.” It’s taken me 56 years to get that. I like who and where I am. I’m exactly what and where I’d like to be. Now and in the future. But this doesn’t mean I’m not open to a new adventure or anything like that. I’m always open to new ideas.Tags: Albina Rose, Featured Zibbeters
