We love the decadent, steampunk inspired jewelry of today's featured indie designer, Violette Noble of Noble Studios Ltd. We recently caught up with her to find out more about her dark Victorian designs.

Tell us a little about yourself and your work. My name is Violette Noble and I am an artist who loves to search far and wide for bits and baubles whose origins may not be fully known but are always antique, rare, eclectic or just plain odd. I use these fantastic finds in all my jewelry designs and each piece is created by me and is entirely unique.

I LOVE working with antique jewelry, vintage clock and watch parts, gears, wheels and cogs, metal fragments from vintage time pieces, small machinery or antique mechanical conveniences, old game pieces, antique lace and vintage wooden boxes, anything antique, odd, unusual or rare.

How did you get started as a designer? I don't remember a time when I was NOT a designer. Even as a child I have always seen "what could be" when I look at something old, discarded, dusty, dirty or broken. It encourages me on so many levels to think of things that are "not quite perfect" being able to be redeemed in some way.

I have ALWAYS loved art and remember as a child picking up rusty bottlecaps or little broken tidbits from the street. I remember being excited to find "treasures" that others had thrown away that could serve as one of my little props for the imaginary worlds I created.

I turned wooden cigar boxes into cars for my dolls complete with wheels made from wooden checkers. I used the tops of toothpaste containers as lamp shades and vintage game pieces for the base. One of my favorite memories is knitting a pair of tiny pink slippers for one of my troll dolls using toothpicks as my knitting needles! I found one of my Mom's patterns for knitted slippers and just followed the directions. Can you imagine the patience it took as a child to work each stitch? I don't think I could do that now but I remember then being so excited about the finished product. I still have just one of those tiny 1" slippers.

What inspires your work? Everything! I can be inspired by an interesting color combination of clothing on a mannequin or brightly colored gum balls in a vending machine. The way the petals curl on exotic flowers making them look like something from a dream, a tiny treasure rescued from the street, or a broken piece of antique jewelry or an earring that's lost its mate.

I keep a pad of paper and pen by my bedside to write down ideas that come to me while I'm falling asleep or reading a book. A rough sketch or a few words assure me that the idea won't be lost in the other thoughts that crowd in on my daily life.

Any advice you would give to aspiring designers? The best advice that I can give is to experiment. If you know you're only experimenting then the fear of failure is lessened and you can always learn something from what others would call "mistakes". Experiment with materials, testing the limits of where you can go with them. Experiment with different styles finding what speaks to you and others. Experiment with venues in which to sell your wares. No matter what the outcome you will always learn something from each experience. Smile, talk to people, find out what they think, hand out LOTS of cards and have FUN!

Try not to give up on something until you are completely finished with it. Almost without exception I want to give up on most of my designs about half way through. Of course not everything turns out the way I expect it to ... that's part of the fun. Try things that others have not tried. Search flea markets and estate sales and have the courage to buy what you love even if you don't know what it is or what it's for. I can think of multiple times when my husband has asked me -- "Hey what is this?" with my reply being, "I don't know ... but isn't it COOL?!?!?" I always find something wonderful to do with it. Of course there are lots of things still on my shelves waiting to be discovered but I have no doubt that their time will come and when it does it's pure magic!

Who are your favorite designers? Gosh that is a difficult question. I have so many and they change so often that I wouldn't even know where to begin, BUT my all time favorite designer is God. The way he can take a "strange" color combination like orange, purple, blue and pink and create a breathtaking sunset is unrivaled. What could be more fun than those little gourds that look like someone painted the top part yellow and the bottom part green with a PERFECT line in the middle AND knowing it grew from the dirt? The blossoms on a fuschia plant that look like diminutive ballerinas with their smooth round tops, layers of ruffly petals and little dangling feet sporting tiny velvet slippers. These and so many of God's other creations are truly amazing and are a constant inspiration to me.

What are your top fashion & beauty must-haves? I don't really have any "must haves" ... I guess I don't even really believe in them. I do like my makeup just "this side" of dramatic and I love "over the top" and fun clothing. I couldn't care less about brand names and might find some of my favorite articles of clothing at an estate sale, the mall or even a second hand store. I adore vintage clothing too and love putting interesting color combinations together. I always try and wear one of my own pieces of jewelry. Not just for the obvious purpose of getting the word out, but to start conversations with people, get their ideas and open doors. I LOVE talking to strangers (sorry Mom ... ) and can learn so much just from a small exchange of words with someone standing in line at the grocery store.

Where can people find your work? I used to sell in art galleries ... locally and some even overseas and have done a lot of shows over the years, but now I am so happy to be selling primarily on Etsy at www.noblestudiosltd.etsy.com! I LOVE the community spirit and the wonderful people I've met! Plus Etsy gives me something that not many other jobs can. The wonderful freedom to work while eating ice cream in my pajamas!

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.