In today’s Handmade Men ‘Featured!’ spotlight, we’ll be meeting Kelsey from Wyoming Creative and learning about the amazing men’s gifts she creates. From hand-stamped men’s metal jewelry with deep meaning to playful hand painted golf tees – you can find something for every guy in the vast create spectrum that Kelsey offers! Check it out on today’s Featured! spotlight.
Thanks for being part of the Handmade Men project, Kelsey! Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work…
My name is Kelsey, and I’m an artist from Buffalo, Wyoming. Buffalo is a great little town nestled at the base of the Big Horn Mountains. I think our population is around 4,000 people, but we have loads of cattle, antelope, deer, etc., so in the animal kingdom it is ‘big city living’ here! Wyoming Creative is my dream store! I am so lucky to live in this little community but use Etsy to have a store front where I can show my work to such a large audience.
Kelsey and her husband
Sounds amazing!
What separates your shop from big-box gift shops or men’s boutiques?
You are truly supporting an artist! I am a one woman operation and everything in my shop is made and shipped by just me.
What got you started with crafting, creating men’s jewelry, and evolving Wyoming Creative to what it is right now?
Originally I started out making only women’s jewelry, but I have slowly transitioned to more of men’s gifts. It seems to be a niche market that I can really explore and have fun coming up with new gift ideas! My husband is my greatest inspiration; I have a hard time coming up with gift ideas for him so I apply his likes/dislikes to my designs.
“Let It Be” Guitar Pick Men’s Necklace
The popularity of one of a kind, handmade items for men is growing – and more and more men are choosing couture, OOAK, and handmade to set themselves apart from the crowd. Why do you think that it’s important for men to embrace crafted, handmade, and one of a kind items?
I think handmade goods are an amazing way to express one’s individuality. I think there is a greater connection with handmade goods because to some extent you can play a role in their creation – well, at least with some of mine you can! One of my most popular items is a ‘secret message’ bracelet (shown below). Basically the purchaser decides what it says on the inside and I create it. It’s an awesome collaboration!
‘Secret Message’ Men’s Cuff Bracelet
We agree that there is more value, meaning, and depth in anything handmade! Why do you think handmade men’s items are so much more valuable than their mass-produced counterparts?
I think that over the years I gave my dad somewhere around 10 watches (okay maybe I am exaggerating a little). I remember opening one of his dresser drawers and finding all these watches never opened or taken out of the box! It really stuck with me – the idea of giving men a watch or a tie… how many ties do you need? How many watches can one possibly wear? How boring and ultimately impersonal are these gifts? Around 10 years ago I gave my dad a fishing vest that I hand-sewed a four leaf clover patch to (my dad is proud of his Irish heritage). I know he has been given other, probably nicer, fishing vests over the years but he still wears the one I gave him. Just adding that little patch made it special, unique, and personal!
What challenges have you faced in creating and presenting your work in a successful way?
One big challenge is in understanding my market. I am a woman and I create men’s items. I can’t begin to understand the complexity of men (haha just kidding), but seriously it is a challenge because I want to create something that men truly love and will actually wear and use – not just put in the dreaded dresser drawer! I bounce a lot of ideas off of my husband and try new jewelry products out on him. He has laughed at a few of my ideas but loved others. Recently I have introduced a new product line, hand painted golf tees (shown below). They are still in their infancy, but so far people really love them!
One-Of-A-Kind Hand Painted Golf Tees
We love them!
Check out Wyoming Creative on Etsy by clicking the image below and see the full selection of handmade men’s gifts available right now!
Thank you so much for your time, and for sharing your amazing work with us! We wish you the best!
Follow Handmade Men by entering your email address on the right side of the home page so you don’t miss a single thing!
Yeah, I was never into handmade stuff but after I got a handmade necklace I got hooked to them. now I buy only handmade items as they look good. You get a lot of attention and they are fashion statements themselves.
My boyfriend loves to wear jewelry. So I gifted a handmade bracelet from Kelsey. He loved it and always wears it. I also like the idea of buying handmade jewelry as they are unique and have a human touch. I hope Kelsey attains more success.
Very cool stuff, I’m going to get something for my pretend boyfriend!
🙂 Never to early to stock up on future boyfriend gifts!