I first came across Cupcakes & Mace when I saw the most amazing necklace ever that one fatshionista had commissioned from her. “Fatty” with the hole in the ‘A’ being a cupcake? Oh hell yes! And then I got into reading Kim’s site. I am inspired by her ‘101 things in 1001 days‘ page, I adore her dress sense, and I am lusting for many things in her etsy store. So obviously, we needed to ask her some questions.

1. How did you get your start making jewelery?
I love accesorising but I always have trouble finding things I love. A necklace might be perfect, except for the colour. Great earrings, except for the size. Gorgeous bracelet, except for the price. So I started ordering in some supplies of my own. A month or so later we had the good fortune to get our hands on a laser cutter and my wildest dreams came true! Haha. Now we can offer custom jewellery to everyone and I can design things exactly as I like them.

2. Give us some advice about quitting your day job to make the leap into doing something you love full time.
There is no perfect way to do it, don’t wait until everything is just so to get started on your business, you can learn as you go (just make sure to keep track of your expenses and income from day one). The sooner you get started the sooner you can get noticed.

Make sure you have a safety net or a supportive partner that earns enough to pay the bills (or both) if you decide to quit your day job in the early stages. Do something you love because it will become your life!

3. What kind of person buys the word ‘Fuck’ to hang around their neck and what are your constant best sellers?
This necklace is one of my favourites, I always get compliments when I wear it. The ‘fuck’ necklace wearer is the type of person that doesn’t take life or themselves too seriously, and they like to provoke a response. It’s written in a very pretty font, the contrast suggests that you need to look beyond the surface to see what’s really there.

Nameplates are the number one best seller. Our customers love to be able to customise every part of it. (It’s true, I’ve just ordered a ‘Hubris’ necklace – Jo) They can do this with all of our necklaces, but the nameplates make it easy. Other best sellers are cupcakes and unicorns.

4. What do you wear/do to make yourself feel good?
I love to be comfortable and I love the way sneakers looks with dresses. I wear a lot of dresses and skirts with leggings and pair them with either brightly coloured sneakers or chucks.

If I want to pamper myself I always do it with food. I LOVE food, especially sushi, and cupcakes, and candy, and cookies, and gravy on fries, and cheese…

5. How would you define pretty?
I’m an absolute sucker for bright pink and eggshell blue. Pretty is swirly frosting, tulle petticoats, glitter in your hair, ribbons everywhere, fluffy duvets, pink lipstick, tattooed princesses, and pierced fairies.