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a fellow weekend designer...
Ansley Schrimsher

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Girls.  I'm so incredibly excited. I have someone I'd like you to meet.  Ansley Schrimsher started designing jewelry after her grandmother gave her boxes of vintage pieces.  She grew up here in Orlando, where she currently resides with her husband, Jake, and children, Cade and Haven.  But, I'll let her tell you the rest.  So, without further adeu, in her own words...

*Note:  I will use "was" many times in these answers. Dora Mae is still alive but has severe dementia and is no longer able to recognize most people or recall most of the skills/talents she once had.  This has been an incredibly tough time, especially for my mother, who cares for her everyday. However, we still love to celebrate her incredible life, amazing personality and God-given talents.  Dora Mae Jewelry has been a wonderful way to do just that!

Tell me about your grandmother.  Is she the Renaissance woman I imagine?  Was she expressive in ways other than poetry--art, interior design, etc.?  Do you identify with her creatively?

Renaissance woman is the perfect way to describe Dora Mae! Besides being quite the clever poet, she was an accomplished seamstress and made most of my mother's clothes growing up - including her fabulous wedding dress! She also took up quilting as a hobby later in life and made over 50 of them.  They are beautiful and intricate - many are "authentic" versions of the kind you might find mass produced in stores like Anthropologie. All her children and grandchildren enjoy them today.

She had a beautiful voice and the uncanny ability to sing the alto harmony part of just about any song.  She sang at almost every family get together and also sang in her church choir for over 50 years. She was a wonderful pianist and could play almost any song by ear.  From a very young age, she'd sit with me at her piano and we'd sing and play for hours.  One of my most favorite possessions is her piano she gave me when she moved into her nursing home.  She also passed to me the ability to play by ear and it's a gift I enjoy everyday of my life.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that she creatively expressed herself through her fabulous baking skills! Her cakes, cookies, pastries, candies and pies, all homemade from scratch, made her the favorite guest to invite to any dinner or holiday party!

Tell me about your professional life before Dora Mae and now.  How do you juggle your personal life as a wife, mother, and jewelry designer?

Before I discovered my love of jewelry design, I was designing gardens and landscapes.  I learned everything I know about plants during my years working at Apenberry's Gardens.  Lisa Apen was and still is an incredible friend and mentor and gave me the confidence start my own design company, Avant Garden Design, when my son Cade was born.  I wanted the option to stay home with Cade, but also knew I'd still need a creative outlet.  I worked two days a week and loved the balance.


Meanwhile, the boxes of vintage jewelry my grandmother had given me years earlier were still stacked in my closet. Over the years, I'd played around with some of the pieces and created some new combinations for myself and my sisters.  I even made all my bridesmaids necklaces with vintage beads from her collection.  It seemed the more I made, the more positive response I received from others.   Slowly but surely, Dora Mae Jewelry came into being.  I was already used to balancing being a mother and a designer, so it was a slow and easy transition.

I soon had my daughter Haven, while taking garden design clients and Dora Mae was steadily becoming more demanding! I realized there was no way to have two children, juggle two jobs and keep my sanity! I've cut back on garden design (although I still do take a client here and there because I truly love it!). I've chosen to focus primarily on Dora Mae.  I only have childcare two days a week, but the responsibility never seems to end when you have your own company.  I work many nights after the kids go to bed.  Thankfully, I truly enjoy it so it rarely seems like work. The real challenge lies during those precious days I've chosen not to work and focus on my kids.  I often feel the tug from my office to be productive and get things done.  It takes real discipline to resist that temptation and remain present - physically, mentally and spiritually - with my children.  Admittedly, some days I can't resist the pull! However, I try not to let "mommy guilt" set in and find strength/wisdom from God to focus on what's most precious to me.

Did you have an epiphany or watershed moment that led you to dive in with Dora Mae? 

Like I mentioned before, the transition into jewelry was gradual.  I seriously had no idea people would respond so positively to my designs! What began as just a hobby started taking up more and more of my time.   It really began with custom orders using people's family heirlooms and was a full-fledged business before I'd even decided what to call it.  One hilarious occasion, a friend of mine took a box of pieces I'd made to check them out over lunch. She sold $1000 worth of jewelry during that one lunch! That really pushed me to go out on a limb and create a full collection using pieces I found at antique shows and estates. 

I held my first trunk show in November 2007 and I've held 4-5 trunk shows at year ever since. One thing led to another and I began selling online and through local boutiques.  Then I created a vintage children's line called mini mae, then a bridal line called marry mae...and it just keeps growing just like it started...slowly but surely!

In the near future, I hope to create a line simply called "mae."  This will be a line priced between $50-$100.  It will have the same vintage, one-of-a-kind feel but will be created from less valuable/collectable antique components.  Dora Mae, one of the finest and most accomplished bargain shoppers ever to walk the face of the earth, would very much approve of a less expensive line!  She went by just "Mae" so I think the name is quite fitting. :)

What is your favorite part about doing what you do?

The bottom line is, I love to create.   I truly lose all track of time when I settle into my office. In a way, it's really a worshipful time for me.  It's amazing that we are made in God's image. Part of that is being given originality from the one true Original...creativity from the one true Creator.  Expressing that is a joy for me! It’s almost like making jewelry is a celebration. Each time I sit down to create, I can celebrate that God gifted to me some of His originality. Very early on in this endeavor I felt God sparing me from this single, empty pursuit: striving to come up with something totally original so people can see how cool and unique I am. Instead, I learned that He would be creative THROUGH me so my life would point instead to how amazing He is! 

This naturally leads me to my "favorite part" of doing what I do - Dora Mae gives me the ability to give to others.  Through Dora Mae I've learned about and partnered with so many organizations that do wonderful things for those in need.  Half the profits from each  show are dedicated to one of those organizations - International Justice Mission, House of Hope, Magdalena, New Start for Moms to name a few.  From nearly the very beginning, I knew this was what Dora Mae would be about and it has been a true blessing to me! In the future I hope to incorporate other creative ways to serve with Dora Mae that go beyond just giving away profits.

How do you find inspiration to continue to develop exciting designs?  Travel? Art? Shopping?

I wish I could say there is rhyme and reason to my inspiration! But the truth is I just play around until something feels "right"! It is absolutely key for me to find the right pieces.  There is so much vintage stuff out there and a lot of it should be laid to rest! It can be tempting for me to compromise and buy a piece I don't love just because it's there and easy. I've made many mistakes and actually have a "what was I thinking??!!" box of pins, pendants, chain and beads. Of course, the right pieces provide inspiration and lend themselves to certain designs.  But sometimes when something feels like it should go in one direction, I go the opposite way. 

I experiment with all different styles - chic, simple and modern/victorian, feminine and frilly/big, bold and edgy/the grandmother's attic feel/delicate and demure/versatile "can wear with anything" pieces/"matches nothing but goes with everything pieces"/layering pieces...and the list could go on and on.  Right now I love brass mesh, buckles, fringe and tassels, watch fobs, shoe clips, lots of layers, mixing silver and gold, every shade of blue, components from the art deco era, ridiculously wide bracelets, etc. etc. I really DON'T love metals that are too shiny or too many rhinestones (unless they are high quality or over a hundred years old!)  

The single most awesome thing about hand-making one-of-a-kind pieces is complete flexibility - the ability to create anything I want and mix any styles I want on a whim. I love juxtaposing eras and combining the unexpected. If I hate it, I can take it all apart and start over! I guess you could say that freedom really inspires me.