We've got to admit, we're ultra envious of the talent of Australian-born jewelry designer and printmaker Anna Ruby King. Anna, who now resides in Athens, Greece, creates not only gorgeous lampwork beads and handmade jewelry, but she's also a talented printmaker and illustrator. And did we mention she's also eco-friendly? All of her handmade cards are made with recycled cardstock, and she's working towards making her tiny enterprise completely carbon neutral.

Tell us a little about yourself and your work. My name is Anna, and I am an Australian designer, now living in Athens, Greece. I have a mixed background in the arts, I started off studying printmaking and painting at university, and after that I moved on to study jewelry. I think you will see in my jewelry a connection to my printmaking days, I really love using color and pattern in my glass beads, and marking the surface of metal to create textures and patterns.

How did you get started as a designer? I always had an interest in making usable objects. I love the idea of creating beautiful, functioning art objects that people will incorporate into their daily life, that will be worn, taken on nights out, be treasured and loved. This is what led me to jewelry design, and the beginnings of my label, Lila Ruby King.

What inspires your work? I am endlessly inspired by all things in the natural world. Right now I am working on a series that uses found twigs and branches, I love the idea of turning something so everyday into a beautiful object to be treasured. Things that we wouldn't really notice, but they have the most lovely forms and textures; it is amazing what we miss sometimes! I am also putting together a new summer collection that is based on pure color, inspired by the Mediterranean, using my own hand blown glass beads. The colors in the water here are quite surreal, you can understand why this body of water has been an inspiration to many for thousands of years!

What are your top fashion & beauty must-haves? A fabulous pair of jeans, a brooch and a chunky necklace. Also as a jewelry maker I can't go anywhere without some serious hand cream.

Where can people find your work? Right now I have my little Etsy shop, lilarubyking.etsy.com where people can buy directly from me, and for a sneak peak at my Spring/Summer 09 collection, you can visit my online showcase at www.seekingdesigners.com/lilarubyking

We love all of the amazing independent designers out there and we wanted to find out more about what makes these creative types tick. If you do too, check out more of our Indie Designer Interviews.