Spec-ta-cles: Kansas City Etsy Team Member Bio

As one of the newest members of the Kansas City Etsy Street Team, I would like to take the time to be able to get to know each of the other members and to give them a chance to tell me and my readers a little about themselves, their shop, and their awesome products.

I started first with Cindy Jurries of FabTabulous, a shop based out of Kansas City, Missouri. FabTabulous turns recycleable items, including bottle caps and pop can pull tabs, into wearable and useable art. Cindy was also one of the first KC Etsy Street Team members to welcome me to the group and point me in the right direction. Continuing reading Cindy's bio below and follow the photo links to her Etsy shop!

About me....I'm Cindy, mom to three great children, two rescue dogs, a stray parrot, and a rat who looks like Stuart Little. I also have a husband, who at times qualifies as a fourth child. Actually, it's because of my wonderful husband that I'm fortunate enough to stay at home and do what I love to do, which is raising my children and creating jewelry. We've been a military family for 21 years--my husband is a pilot and now flies the Stealth Bomber. I used to be a dental hygienist, but I've since traded in my dental tools for jewelry tools. My other interests include home decorating, gardening, traveling, and reading.

About my shop...FabTabulous is a line of beautiful, handmade jewelry and accessories fashioned from the pull tabs of recycled aluminum soda cans. Not only lightweight and very comfortable to wear, each piece is sure to be a conversation starter because of its "green-ness". Whenever I can, I love incorporating vintage, discarded, and out of style jewelry and buttons into my jewelry to create something fresh and up-to-date. Because of this, many of my accessories are one-of-a-kind. I started out with just the bracelets, but soon added soup pull necklaces and energy drink earrings. The latest additions to my shop have been my soda tab napkin rings, keychains, wine charms, and custom belts.

My shop was established on Etsy almost one year ago on October 19, 2010, but I've actually been making FabTabulous bracelets for almost 3 years. My son, then 10 years old, and four of his friends were raising money for the World Wildlife Federation and wanted to sell items door to door. I suggested that they use post-consumer goods to upcycle and found a simple tutorial for the soda tab bracelet with elastic cord. They decided to sell hot cocoa instead and made a tidy sum to donate to their cause, but I couldn't get the idea of upcycling out of my head. I decided I wanted to take the soda tab bracelets a step further to incorporate old beads and vintage buttons that I had collected through the years. My first client was the City Museum (love that place!) in St. Louis.

I have a wonderful work space inside of my home that has a beautiful view of the forest (we have our own herd of deer back there, as well). My next goal is to paint and decorate my craft room so it feels cozy and inspiring. We moved to KC two years ago, and that seems to be the room that was last on our list of priorities.

Upcoming Shows...No upcoming shows right now, but I'd like to start approaching shops and boutiques to inquire about their interest in carrying FabTabulous Accessories.

Parting Words...I now purchase all of my soda tabs from the Ronald McDonald House in Kansas City. Their soda tab collection program raises money to help with many of their expenses. If you would like to help their wonderful cause, you can donate your used soda tabs to a RMH near you!