I was going to leave this post for later on in the week but…I can’t. I’m too excited.

Mr Longhead with Leaves and Beads, by Kerry Alice, $85

I met these lovely ladies through the craftster community. They go by the name of Twigs and Heather and Twigs and Heather Etsy. Kerry Alice and Heather are two kick ass punk rock twin sisters who create silver jewellery using casts of natural objects. And they were so much fun to interview! I chat with Heather and Kerry Alice about jewellery, punk rock, and K Alice’s Phantom of the Opera obsession:

Who are Twigs and Heather and what do you do?

First of all, thanks so much for including us! I am so excited to talk about punk rock.

We are twins sisters Heather and Kerry Alice Collins. We are silversmiths and casters. We make sterling silver, one of a kind jewelry cast from organic objects and our own rockin’ wax carvings. Our work is part forest finds, park rock star and part silly romantic.

What is punk rock to you? What drew you to the subculture initially?

Punk style to us is never trendy. It’s rebellious, it’s standing out in a crowd and it’s an attitude. Punk’s attitude and style comes from within. I feel I was born with it! (K Alice)

I (K Alice) always knew I was different. I dressed differently, shaved my head, wore Doc. Martins (the ox bloods 7 holes, remember that?) I had to search high and low or make my own clothes for that punk rock feel. Now, more or less, you can find a watered down version at any mall in the US.

I snuck into the big city, Boston and went to hard core and punk shows, something NO ONE in the small town I lived in would ever do. I hung out with artists and musicians which helped build my style and BIG ATTITUDE when I was a teen. Though I got older and a little more mellow, I still feel as though the Punk rock style and attitude has grown with me. It may not be spit-in-the-wind-punk, but a new thoughtful, artsy and progressive punk. I think punk has come a long way and has grown with the generations which started the movement.

How would you incorporate punk rock features into weddings?

This is a great question…We would incorporate cool color combos like black and gold, black and pink, shades of red…

There are some great images from “day of the Dead” that are heartfelt yet very punk rock; skulls in love, sacred hearts, all images that evoke the feeling of true and eternal love.

Also old traditional flash from tattoos are great images.. heart and arrows, love birds, scrolls, crosses…

Almost Spring sterling silver twig necklace, $175

Tell us a little about your design process; how do you choose materials/motifs/inspirations for your pieces?

Heather’s designs are all seasonal. Spring and fall are great; mapleseed pickin’ and winter really shows the natural beauty of the twigs when the leaves are all off the trees.

Kerry Alice’s designs are inspired by the craziness of life and love. I love to use universal symbols like a simple heart or a peace sign because they can evoke so many different emotions from people.

Something like a peace sign can have different meanings like inner peace or world peace. Day of the dead symbols are my favorite because I am a big sucker for love and skulls. Something about 2 skulls holding hands makes me smile! 

Wedding Skulls: me too! Back when I was an archaeologist, we had a burial site and we found a pair of skeletons buried together holding hands. It still makes me cry thinking about it. Anyway, back to Kerry Alice!

K Alice: When making a sacred heart piece, I am brought back to many memories, but for the person who buys it, it will have different meaning. Maybe a long lost love that they never forgot, or a new love that they want to last forever. The thought of love never dying is so powerful and I am truly moved and inspired by it.

Mother and Child Acorn necklace, $95

Why do you think Twigs and Heather appeals to people?

We have so many styles to choose from. Me and Heather’s styles are so different by they compliment each other very well. We appeal to many different people and we never go into making our jewelry thinking about a specific “type” of person for whom it will appeal to. I know for a fact there are some wild woman discussed as “proper business people” who love and sport the skull heads.

Just for fun, name a couple of bands/songs that are on your stereo at the moment

We are all over the map on this one

Morrissey and The Smiths are great for those heart wrenching days. I (K Alice) really like the Killers. Ramones are our casting music.

Wedding Skulls: Ramones for casting? I love it!

Heather and I also love Bluegrass and old county, Johnny Cash, Bill Monroe, Del McCoury, Neutral Milk Hotel (the singer went into reclusion after their second album. The music is so sad but so interesting and very carnivalesque.

We also love musical theater. Oh that hippy dippy “Jesus Christ Superstar”, Les Miserables (who doesn’t cry at the last scene? I, KA, read the book too) and of course Phantom of the opera. (I, KA wanted to marry him when I was younger, and was slightly obsessed for a good while. OK, I still have pics on my wall)

NPR is on a lot in the studio, we don’t watch the news and have to get current events and global news somewhere in an unbiased way. NPR is great for that. (gotta know if the world’s about the explode so we can grab our Armageddon buddies)

What’s coming up for Twigs and Heather

Our show season starts up in full swing in April. We will be doing some great Indie shows and some traditional fine craft fairs around New England. We are revamping our website. This is where you can see all our awesome pieces. It is always changing with our current inventory. We are also on a crusade to keep handmade something unique, different and exciting and also something that says quality.

birch bark wedding rings (cast from a single piece of bark) $200

Any advice you could offer Wedding Skulls?

I’m sure it’s been said before, but BE YOURSELF! ( You are beautiful ) This is your day, not your mothers or you families. You are PUNK ROCK!  Embrace it and show those stuffed shirts something that will surprise and inspire them. (They’ll catch on one of these days)

Heather and Kerry Alice