Today we're chatting with jewelry artist and mother, Helen Sanderson, of Helene's Dreams. In addition to creating beautiful jewelry, Helen is also working to raise money for Blood:Water Mission. For every sale of her handmade jewelry, Helen donates $1 this organization, which is dedicated to creating clean water and serving the severe poverty of children and women in Africa.

How did you get started as a designer? About seven years ago I started to sell jewelry in several hair salons -- fashion jewelry made by someone else. I was having a hard time with the wholesaler I was working with to create styles that would be of more interest to the customers in my area. It was then that I decided to create my own designs and styles. Of course it took time to learn how to design and create jewelry well enough to sell it. But with time and persistence it seem to happen. The salon owners actually welcomed my work a little more because I was local, and they liked sharing the jewelry with their customers because they knew I made it.

What inspires your work? Nature primarily and art of all kinds that I see. But when I see a lot of beads on the table and the beauty of the gemstones and their colors surrounding me, I start to see my designs coming together. I work very messy -- beads and lots of beads all over the place -- that's how I see the colors coming out. If everything were so organized I probably would be stumped all of the time. I also have a tendency to look at nature's color palette for design ideas.

Who are your favorite designers? I really like Karen Gilbert Designs and I really love Jes Maharry's work.

What are your top fashion & beauty must-haves? I must have super comfortable 100% cotton, earthy color tight long t-shirts that go under anything in winter and keep you cool in the summer. A pair of soft jeans that you love like your mother. And for beauty ... I must have my secret night cream that keeps my skin moisturized day and night. Yeah, I am not too complicated. I think my jewelry has to always go with a pair of jeans and t-shirt -- otherwise I would not wear it!

Any advice you would give to aspiring designers? I still feel like I am trying to aspire myself, so if I had to give advice I would say this: Do what you love most. Be persistent, and if you are selling online, you must advertise and tell others about yourself. Promotion is the key to online success it seems.

Where can people find your work? I now have my work on line at HelenesDreams.Etsy.com and HelenesDreams.1000markets.com, plus a few retail stores in Bend, Oregon. I have found that I cannot mass produce my jewelry enough to keep up with it, so online and a few stores works out better for me. As much as I want to mass produce, I just can't right now. I don't want to export my work out to China and I can't afford a hourly worker, so I like the balance that I am finding with Etsy and a few retail shops here in my town. Besides, I love designing, not mass creating. I do replicate for awhile and when I have no beads left I eventually will retire the piece.

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.