Maker Spotlight – Get To Know The Face Behind The Brand.
Meet Erin from Rine Studio. Erin lives in Portland, Oregon and has been selling her fantastic earring creations since August of 2020. She got her love of crafting from her mother and has been doing all kinds of crafts since she can remember. She started visiting the local bead shop and creating her own beaded necklaces and earrings at age 10 or so. Since she has been working more with acrylic, she has been inspired by the material itself – how it interacts with light, how different colors interact with each other, how the acrylic moves and sways when it’s worn. When she isn’t creating, she enjoys skating – ice or roller! She played roller derby in the past and also coached during her long injury/recovery. She assistant coached the Rose City Rollers for the 2019 season and they won the World Championship! When she is in maker mode she loves listening to pop music in the morning to get energized, and then podcasts later in the day. Her favorite podcasts are @wineandcrime and Juicy Scoop.
Rine Studio currently specializes in uniquely designed statement earrings made from acrylic. Her pieces are conversation starters and when I wear her earrings, my badass level significantly increases. Erin does not accept custom orders at this time. Her website is located in her IG bio. Erin drops new styles as she creates them, so make sure you are following her so you don’t miss out! In addition to her fabulous acrylic earrings, you can also find suncatchers on her website. Erin plans on selling limited edition polymer clay earrings in the future so keep an eye out for that!
Here are some words from Erin:
-What made you want to start creating?-
“I had an issue with my spine in the Fall of 2018, which caused me to lose about 50% of the strength in my right (dominant) hand and arm. After having surgery to correct the issue, I went through extensive rehabilitation. An occupational therapist gave me some clay to work with to regain the strength in my hand and a lightbulb clicked! I had done a few projects years earlier using polymer clay (shout out to @honestlywtf ‘s marble ring dish project). So I picked up some clay and started making! At first I just made things for myself and my friends, and then in 2020, when I was furloughed from my job, I started up Rine Studio.”
Would you like to share any family info? Pets?-
“My husband Jay and I started fostering cats last year and adopted our foster fail baby cat Jarvis in the fall. Jarvis enjoys laying on my Glowforge which is an entirely inappropriate cat bed, but unfortunately he does not listen to reason.”
-What is your MOST FAVORITE item you have created?-
“So hard to choose! But I’d say “Interplay 3d” is my favorite. I wanted to create a style that really demonstrated the properties of the acrylic that I found interesting. They are definitely different so whenever someone likes them I squeal with joy a little!”
-What makes your shop unique? What is your specialty?-
“My goal is to design pieces that embolden the wearer and fill them with a sense of confidence. I pride myself on creating unique, statement earrings that are comfortable to wear. In addition to only using hypoallergenic findings and lightweight materials, I soften the corners of all my designs so there are no sharp edges. So pop them on, feel fierce, and go out and slay the day!”
-What is the story behind your business name?-
“It is a play on my first name. I’m notoriously bad at naming things and wanted something that would not pigeon hole me into a certain medium or style.”
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