Hi, I’m Alexa. The brains and hands behind foamy wader. I design my handmade items for women (and even some for men) with varying and eclectic tastes; just like me. A little something for everyone or for every mood. I love working with gemstones, silver, gold as well as found objects. I draw inspiration for pieces from movies, music, books, nature and even funny quotes from my friends.
Fun facts about me:
I am an amateur filmmaker, I love karaoke, I compulsively organize and I can peel oranges in a single peel.
The name “foamy wader” comes from wading in the foam of the sea or the suds emerging from a soapy fountain.
What inspired you to go into the craft business, do you still have a day job? I have been making jewelry since 2007. My mother has been creating since I was a small child and I learned through osmosis. I began my jewelry making journey while working for a bank with no specific goals for my business, but just to see where it took me. That day jo is now a thing of the distant past and I spend my days doing what I love.
Describe your creative process when designing/making your product line. Typically I will shop for stones or go hunting for cool antique trinkets and let inspiration grow from them. Sometimes I will have a specific idea of what I want to make without interacting with the materials, 
but usually I let the stones tell me what they want to become.
What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst? The best thing about Making for a living is working with my hands and knowing that there are people out in the world who are enjoying something tangible that I made by my own two hands.
The worst thing is doing it all myself. Juggling managing my Etsy shop, shipping, restocking, working on display, scheduling travel to shows and the dreaded taxes takes up a lot of time that could be spent creating pieces. What I really need is an intern for all that.
What’s the best advice you have been given about your business or craft practices? There is no “wrong”. Whatever you can think of that you truly enjoy, someone else will truly enjoy too. That was a major motivator in moving forward with the Knit Beard concept.