Devon DNA artist will star on BBC One's Make It at Market

A small, independent jeweller from Crediton is the youngest individual to feature on this year’s BBC One show, Make It at Market. 

Local 25-year-old DNA artist Andie is the sole owner and founder of Forget-me-not Keepsakes, a small business that specialises in creating memorial keepsakes and breastmilk jewellery. 

The purpose of Make It at Market is to help a group of budding entrepreneurs make a living from their crafting hobby. 

The entrepreneurs receive guidance from a team of business and craft experts, working in collaboration with The Repair Shop's Dom Chinea.

Above. Image: Forget-me-not Keepsakes

Andie spontaneously decided to apply to be on the show after seeing one of her friends tagged in an advertisement on Facebook.

“It looked interesting, but I never thought that I would actually apply," said Andie.

“When I saw the words, ‘Make It at Market’, I assumed it was for small businesses that sell things at markets, which isn’t something that I do. Everything I make is bespoke.”

Despite her initial uncertainty, Andie took a leap of faith and sent off an application.

“Someone got back to me within a few days saying that they had reviewed my application but weren’t actually looking for jewellers. So I thought, okay. No worries. And then I got another call soon after, basically telling me that they would be featuring jewellery because they felt that my application was heartfelt, intimate, and nice.”

Andie explained that the show’s organisers were intrigued by the memorial element to her creations because everybody knows someone who has lost a loved one. 

Above. Image: Forget-me-not Keepsakes

“I had an initial video interview, and then two weeks later had a second one where they recorded footage that would be used on the show. 

“The whole process took about a month, and then after that, they sent the content off to the TV producers to see whether it was good enough to be on the show. They called me about a week later, saying, ‘Congratulations; they absolutely love it.’”

Fast forward two weeks, and Andie travelled to Oxford with all of her equipment for her first filming session. 

“From the get-go, it was so intense. I was set a challenge because they wanted me to explore using glass, which I had never done before because I usually work with silver. I basically learned how to fuse glass and infuse it with ashes.”

Episodes on this season of Make It a Market have been divided into two main parts.

The first gives entrepreneurs more practical, hands-on challenges, while the second focuses on implementing various business action points across eight weeks. 

Above. Image: Forget-me-not Keepsakes

“They were massively impressed with the work I achieved and the amount of money that I earned. They told me that my work was amazing, and they can’t wait to see where my business will end up. 

“I was going to bed at three in the morning sometimes and waking up at seven to continue doing everything. But in the end, when I had all my stuff on the table with all the cameras and lights, I just saw sparkly beautiful things. I thought, wow, a small business in Devon has travelled all the way to Oxford to do all of this.”

Andy explained that starting her business in 2021 was crucial in helping her to get through a difficult period of issues with her mental health.

“I’ve always been a massively creative person but had a bit of a love-hate relationship with jewellery because it can be quite expensive. The reason I started making memorial jewellery and keepsakes was to commemorate a day I had with my former partner and his family. It was such a precious moment that I wanted to capture it. I picked up a few shells off the beach and made something using resin that I then gifted to them. They loved it and told me that I needed to do it as a business. 

“I invested the only five pounds I had and began making nicer things.”

Above. Image: Forget-me-not Keepsakes

After taking a silversmithing class at college and teaching herself skills using YouTube, Forget-me-not Keepsakes has become Andie’s full-time job.

“I’ve managed to go from a tiny little Ikea desk in my house share to being able to rent my own workshop. I’ve only just moved in, but my plan is to have a nice, homely space that bereaved families can come and visit to plan their keepsake.”

One day, Andie hopes to be able to extend her business and run craft classes to help others through times of grief.

“Although I haven’t gone through grief like most people have, I did lose a sense of myself, and there was a period of life where I didn’t know who I was or where I was going. If I could offer craft classes to people who are in a similar boat, making simple bits of jewellery or just nice things, that’s all I’d want to do.”

Above. Andie's market stall. Image: Forget-me-not Keepsakes

Andie was taking pre-orders last Sunday at the Fore Street Flea market in Exeter but hopes to be able to sell her products at other markets in the near future.

“I want to make some glass jewellery without anything inside it to sell, because I thought it would be nice with Christmas coming up.”

Many of Andie’s plans are financially dependent, so she hopes to gain more exposure once her episode of Make It at Market airs on television.

A release date is yet to be confirmed, but we will update you once we learn more. 

You can find Andie’s website here.