About Us...

We're a family business...

After working all day at our secular jobs (Mike worked at a Credit Union and I worked as an Ophthalmologist Technician) we'd often find ourselves in our garage listening to good music, enjoying a glass of wine, and experimenting with our new leather hobby.

 

After honing in our leather working skills for only a few months my husband encouraged me to start selling my leather jewelry on Etsy. So, I took a chance and launched Sweet Creek Leather in January 2015. I was soon able to quit my full-time job as an Ophthalmic Technician to pursue a leather working career. Mike soon joined me in our little adventure. Now we both work from home together in our studio making you cute stuff and doing what we love. We couldn't do it without each one of you.

 

Thank you for loving what we do! xoxo

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Mike Simpson (Hubby)...

Mike learned at a young age that at times if he wanted something bad enough he would have to build it himself, which motivated him to handcraft his own guitars! Mike's woodworking skills and eye for symmetry have made him such a valuable asset to Sweet Creek Leather. Although he assists in the design process he's primarily responsible for all of the tedious prep-work: sanding, drawing, meticulous measuring, and cutting the full-grain leather hides into whatever shape of jewelry that needs made. While I'm the one who free-hand draws, he basically measures and draws any of our designs that requires precise dimensions. Having the prep work done just right is such a vital step in creating an aesthetically pleasing product. Mike also cuts and shapes all of our metal hardware, such as our metal arches and earring wires. He adds the finishing touches to each piece by adding gemstones, gluing leather to studs, adding earring wires, and slapping them all on jewelry cards. He's also our quality control guy. I'm a messy painter so he is constantly removing my paint fingerprints off of the backsides of our earrings. Basically, he does a ton!

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Alicia Simpson...

Hi. I'm Alicia Simpson.

 

I LOVE to travel and enjoy anything outdoorsy. We just moved to the wild desert of Tucson Arizona and we're loving every minute of it! 

 

I am very much a health / science nerd. I love chocolate, documentaries, art, music, and of course my husband's goofy personality.

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Art has been part of my life as long as I can remember. My mother is an artist so she introduced me to all sorts of art mediums as a child: watercolor, oils, acrylic, pottery, sculpting, pastels, pen and ink, cake decorating, jewelry making, etc. etc. Another huge influence was my mom's younger brother, "Uncle Jon", who was (and still is) one of my most favorite people! When I was a young girl I saw him as this fun, down-to-earth, world traveler. He sold his jewelry to support his traveling adventures and I wanted to be just like him! He currently owns a really cool shop in Mapleton Oregon called, "The Alpha-Bit". Check it out if you're ever in the neighborhood. Because of him, when I was about 10 years old I attempted to sell my hand-knotting string bracelets to boutiques along the Oregon coast. I was so excited when a kind shop owner paid me for my bracelets. Getting $20 for your art was a pretty big deal as a kid back then!

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I grew up in the restaurant industry. My grandmother (Orie) started a successful little cafe in Florence Oregon called, "The Blue Hen Cafe". I started helping her at her restaurant when I was about 9 years old peeling carrots and potatoes in the kitchen. I worked there all through High School as a hostess, bus girl, and waitress. She really taught me how to give excellent customer service and a lot about good work ethics. As I got older I worked all sorts of restaurant and coffee shop jobs while attending college and private schools to pursue a number of careers...massage therapy and biofeedback therapy which I hoped would eventually lead me to a career as an Acupuncturist / Naturopathic Doctor. However, thankfully life took a turn in different direction. I discovered my true passion after I bought my first set of leather working tools in 2015. I've always loved playing with color so of course I started experimenting with hand-painting our leather jewelry in every color I could get my hands on. I can't believe how quickly this fun little hobby turned into a career! I've never looked back. We are an international brand that is stocked in Boutiques worldwide!

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My responsibilities are designing a unique product from scratch. I often sketch them in a notebook. Sometimes our designs don't come to fruition for a couple of years after the initial concept comes to mind. I hand-draw our designs onto the leather, stamp, tool, dye, paint, distress, and seal all of our jewelry. I also handle all aspects of customer service and web design. 

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Why we chose the name "Sweet Creek Leather"...

Sweet Creek Leather is named after a little Creek "Sweet Creek" that runs through the backyard of the beautiful country home where I grew up in Mapleton Oregon. It's name is full of life and many fond memories of outdoor adventures: pristine waterfalls, summer swimming holes, hiking, camping, wildlife, fresh fruits, and wildflowers; building sand castles, beach combing, and running wild, barefoot, and free along the sandy beaches of the Oregon coast. These are the things that inspire us the most so naming our business after them just seemed right. If you're ever in Mapleton Oregon you need to check out "Sweet Creek Falls". It's a lovely hike that leads you to some of my favorite waterfalls and old stomping grounds. There's a little pool of water you can swim in at the base of the falls too if you're brave enough to handle the cold crisp water.

　

We love YOU Babes. We are easy to work with and always open to your feedback.

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Mike & Alicia xx

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