Dot Girl >> Meet Molly Gaines

Today's post is a special interview with this month's featured sponsor, Molly of Vivi Dot.  Molly is rad you guys.  Really rad.  She is one of the sweetest people ever, an amazing dancer, an awesome dog and cat mama, and an incredibly talented accessory designer.   I own three of her rings and a pair of her earrings, and they are among my absolute favorite jewelry pieces!  I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into Molly's world...

Hi Molly!  Tell us a little bit about yourself.  Where do you live, what you do for a living (if anything) besides making your jewelry, and what are your favorite hobbies?
I live in Ballard, which is a cute little neighborhood in Seattle. In addition to running Vivi Dot I also have a full time day job - I'm the Director of Partnership Marketing for an Internet company.  I also teach tap and hip hop classes two nights a week.  Juggling all of my jobs doesn't leave too much time for other hobbies, but my husband, Duncan, and I try to cook and work in our yard whenever we can.  We also have a dog, cat and three chickens so they're always a fun distraction too.

How did you become interested in making jewelry (specifically your fantastic dot jewelry and accessories)?
I started making and selling jewelry when I was in the fifth grade so it has always been something I've loved to do. As for the dots, I was casually collecting 1-inch buttons at all of the concerts I went to when I was living in San Francisco, and eventually decided I wanted to make my own.  I started out making earrings and magnets with comic book pages and origami and it all evolved from there.

What are your favorite materials to work with?
I have an intense love of fabric so I'd say that's my most favorite material. I design a lot of the prints myself and use fabrics I fall in love with from other sources as well.

What types of things inspire you in your work?  Are there any other artists or businesses who have influenced you?
It's all about color and pattern for me. The changing seasons here in Seattle constantly give me ideas for new color combinations and I am always looking for pattern inspiration in ordinary objects.  

The Bubby and Bean blog focuses on living a creative lifestyle.  Aside from making your art, are there other things you particularly enjoy creating?
Definitely!  As a dance instructor I'm not only choreographing dances, but also putting together costumes and building props.  I love cooking and making up my own recipes.  My husband and I also just bought our first house last summer so another creative outlet is decorating and working on remodel plans for our home.

If you had to pick one of your designs that was your favorite, what would it be?
This changes all of the time, but right now I'm seriously in love with the print I call Midnight Garden which is a fabric by a Washington State designer. I also wear my Shimmering Denim Cocktail Ring more than any other item these days. I usually wear dark denim so it goes with pretty much every outfit I wear.

Where do you see yourself and/or your business in 5 years?
I hope to grow both the retail and wholesale sides of my business in the next 5 years. I'd love to get to the point where I feel like I have to give up my day job because Vivi Dot has grown too much for me to handle them both.

One of our most popular series on Bubby and Bean is 'Friday is For Favorites.'  Tell us your favorite of each of the following:  color, movie, food, band
Color: Green. //  Movie: The Fantastic Mr. Fox.  //  Food: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies  //  Band: Hot Chip

Huge thanks to Molly for taking time out of her busy schedule to share a little about herself and her work with us!   Make sure you take a minute to check out more of her incredibly cute jewelry and accessories in the Vivi Dot shop.  Molly has also generously offered up this special coupon for you guys (it's a good one!)  >>  Take 20% off your entire order at Vivi Dot through May 31st with code BUBBYANDBEAN

You can also find Molly on Facebook, Twitter and her blog.  Keep your eyes out here on Bubby and Bean over the next week for a pretty incredible giveaway featuring Vivi Dot too!