By Leeanne Griffin

Forget trekking to mall if you’re looking for distinctive, one-of-a-kind pieces of fashion or jewelry. You can find them right in your backyard.

The creative juices are flowing for two Central MA women who are turning their passions for designing into bona-fide business opportunities.

Courtney Ryan – Jewelry

West Boylston’s Courtney Ryan, 21, has been designing jewelry for several years. She has a store at etsy.com, an online market for “buying and selling all things handmade.” She has more than 300 jewelry items available there, ranging from crystal pendants to clay charms. Her most unique designs look good enough to eat ~ glazed ceramic beads decorated to look like chocolate truffles, cinnamon buns and cookies.

“Weird and wonderful ideas always pop into my head, especially in my dreams,” Ryan wrote in her etsy.com profile. “It just sparks the imagination ~ and the crafts run wild.”

Ryan said that although she has no formal art-school training, she’s been creative her entire life and her jewelry styles have evolved throughout the years. Her inspirations are high fashion, new-age jewelry, and modern ideas and design concepts.
“Designing is fun to me because it is never-ending, and I love waiting for new challenges to be presented to me,” she said. “It pleases me when I know people are wearing my jewelry around the world, and appreciating what I’ve made,” she said. “That’s my main fuel to continue.”

In addition to her website, Ryan has also sold jewelry at local gift shops and craft fairs. Those experiences have taught her a lot about the business end of design: “I’ve learned to never share your secrets, to protect your designs, and to protect any copyrights you may have,” she said. “You need to get your name out there with sales, and don’t forget business cards to get exposure.”

Visit Courtney’s etsy.com store at www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=18364

Kelly Ann Gorham – Clothing

For 23-year-old Kelly Ann Gorham of Clinton, fashion designing came out of a stressful period in her life. Suffering from a disability, she was in and out of the hospital and was often unable to get out and see her friends. Designing funky “rave”-type clothing became a healthy creative outlet during those times.

“I make a lot of my designs when I’m in the hospital or home sick, so I figure if I’m going to spend time on them…they should be comforting and look good,” Gorham said. “That’s why I tend to use bright colors and write positive messages, and make spunky things in all kinds of sizes.”

Gorham gets her ideas from a variety of sources ~ friends’ suggestions, trends, books, music, and thrift stores. She buys items from the Salvation Army, she said, and figures out how to customize them to her style.

“Fashion and clothing communicate personality, ideas, and beliefs,” Gorham said. “[This way,] my friends and I get to wear things we’ve specifically thought of and wanted, and it’s all our own.”

A student of complementary healthcare and massage at Mount Wachusett Community College, she said her education has also influenced new design ideas.

Gorham mostly designs fashions and accessories for herself and friends at the moment, but is looking to branch out and share her work with a larger market. She has set up a PayPal account and is looking to launch a MySpace page and website to display and sell her fashions.

“As far as my fashion statements, I’d like to try and incorporate these new ideas into designs with a positive message,” she said. Stay tuned to www.myspace.com/thriftyniftyniblets for more of Kelly’s designs!