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Member Spotlight : Bifftastica

Welcome to our first Member Spotlight! We’ll be featuring a few Tulsa Makers each month. Thanks to Nikki from Gleeful Peacock for putting these spotlights together!

First up is Briana Hefley Shepherd from Bifftastica!

Tell us a little bit about your business:
I work under the name Bifftastica and I make jewelry, bags and lightswitch plates out of reused and repurposed goods! Many people know me from SheezKrafty, the creative group I worked under for many years. I’m also the creator of the Alliday show!

What is your earliest crafting memory?
The one that pops into my head today is from waaaaaaaay back when. I remember my Granny teaching us to melt down crayon shavings into different shapes to make multi-colored crayons. Those were by far the coolest crayons I’ve ever seen and we used them for years!

Favorite thing you have ever created?
Man oh man, that’s a hard one! I made ‘stick art’ for a few years which always made me smile! There’s always a necklace here or there that I have a hard time selling because I love it so much. In fact, I have a couple right now that I’m trying to decide whether or not to keep! I guess when it comes down to it though, there are some gifts that I’ve created and compiled for friends and family that I’m pretty proud of. There’s something much more special about creating something for a certain person that you care for

Who is your crafty idol or crush?
I can’t get enough of Ann Wood’s creations and I love how inspiring Alisa Burke is.

What or Who inspires you?
It’s the pieces that I come across to use that inspire me. I never know what I’m going to make until that piece finds me and then I let it tell me what to do. It’s one of the many joys from creating from the past.

How do you get our a creative rut?
I deep clean! When I can’t create, I clean until I can’t clean anymore and then I start over. Starting with a fresh workspace always helps me!

Best advice given to you?
I’m not sure if this qualifies as advice but it’s something that has stuck with me and something I remind myself of as need be. One night while particularly down on myself, my husband told me to not worry, that everything would be fine because I ‘kick ass’ at whatever I do. It caught me by surprise and has stuck with me ever since. When I start to feel like I’m failing at something or could be doing better, I remind myself of that conversation and it always seems to help me.

Favorite business tool?
My oh-so-futuristic spiral notebook I’m one of those people who writes down EVERYTHING so I try to keep it all in one notebook! I equally love the calculator on my phone as I can barely add 2+2! OH! And I am a HUGE fan of my square reader! Being able to easily take credit cards on my phone changed the game completely for me at shows!

Favorite crafting tool?
I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for my jewelry pliers, naturally. Many years ago, I saved up for the set I still use and they have ever since been an extension of my hands I’m also all about my grommet maker! It’s so much fun to use and I can’t wait to figure out more projects to use it for!

What are your creative goals for the next 1 year/5 years?
Well, I have a lot of creative goals since making my leap from SheezKrafty to Bifftastica! My main goals currently are to be more proactive in having a heavier online presence and to create an amazing space in my booth setups! I believe achieving both of those goals will help with the last goal of upping my sales from last year!

Find Briana’s shop here & blog here.