Meet Your Makers: Jana

March 29, 2017

This week I am excited to introduce you to one of our indispensable team members: Jana! If you own a Lane Tanner Designs jewelry piece, there is a good chance that it passed through Jana’s skilled hands. This Kailua native knows her stuff, so let’s pull up a chair and get to know her. It’s time to meet your maker!

I learned to craft by:

Doing. Apart from a bit of guidance from my mother, grandmother, and Youtube, I learned craft (embroidery, knitting, crochet, dress making) by trial and error. Lots of error. It's a misconception that craft is for the meek, because not only does learning a new technique mean devoting a good deal of time to something that will probably be a failure, you have to face some pretty formidable tangles, knots, and weird-looking first attempts at knitted stuffed animals. It's not for the faint-hearted.

When I’m not working, I’m probably doing this:

Walking, reading, doing a crossword or jigsaw puzzle. Or making something and listening to a podcast or audiobook. This is what I do at work, only then I am being paid.

My favorite piece of jewelry to make is:

Anything else, if I've just made a sizable batch (more than three) of tiny bubbles. (an admittedly tricky piece to create!)

One day, I will go here:

I'd like to say Narnia or Oz, but I think that's unlikely, so I'll go to whatever non-fictious destinations the winds take me. That will probably be England (where I go every summer) and the gym (where I go everyday), but I hope there will be some unexpected places in between.

What would you sing at Karaoke night:

I would not, as I dread Karoeke. I am bad at it, but not in a hammy, enthusiastic display of non-talent, in the way that makes the audience think “She looks frightened. She wishes she wasn't on stage. I wish she wasn't on stage. For her sake. I hope this doesn't last long.” And it wouldn't, because I would have chosen “Dream a Little Dream of Me” or “Moi Je Joue.” Both are less than three minutes.

What one thing could you not go a day without and why?

I don't think I would fare well without audiobooks or podcasts, because I can't sleep without something to listen too, so after a few days sleep deprivation would probably make me ill.

Is there anything you wish would come back into fashion?

More or less everything from the 20's through the early 60's. Especially cardigan chains.

What do you love about Hawaii and why?

I love Hawaii because I can wear shorts in December; because I'm a seven minute jog from a hike that looks over a lake and the sea; because the banyan and the palm trees in the beach park catch the light like nothing else. And I love it because it's home.

Thanks Jana! We are so happy that you are a part of the handmade Jewelry Making Team at Lane Tanner Designs.