a chinwag with the clever clog behind crafty biz funkyfunyou

Why buy it when you can make it yourself? That’s the thinking behind FunkyFunYou, a Melbourne/Naarm-based jewellery diy biz that doesn’t just sell you the kits to make your own bling, but also teaches you how to bring it all together thanks to friendly workshops and studio sessions. We got chit-chatting with FunkyFunYou’s founder and creative mastermind, Amy, to find out more about the brand and ways in which it connects to community through craft.

Tell us about you and what you do at FunkyFunYou. Hi! I’m Amy, the founder of FunkyFunYou – a jewellery and diy brand based in Melbourne. We create jewellery-making kits and run workshops from our studio at Collingwood Yards.

I moved to Australia from China and studied landscape architecture, then media, so I’ve taken a slightly winding path into jewellery. I started selling handmade earrings at markets in 2018, and over time became interested in helping people make their own pieces. These days, my work involves everything from developing kits and testing materials to filming tutorials and organising workshops. The idea behind it all is to make jewellery-making feel approachable, especially for people who don’t think of themselves as creative.How does your background in landscape architecture show through FunkyFunYou? I think it shows up in how I approach the whole experience. In landscape architecture, you consider how someone will move through a space and interact with it. With our kits and workshops, I think about how someone moves through the making process. Where do they start? What might feel confusing? How much guidance do they need before they feel comfortable experimenting?

A lot of the design work happens in those details: choosing tools, testing materials, rewriting instructions and watching where beginners get stuck. I want to give people enough support to get started while leaving room for their own ideas.Why is it important to teach people how to make pieces of their own instead of just purchasing ready-made stuff? When I was finding my place in creative work, I often felt there were invisible barriers around industries like art, design and jewellery. It could seem as though you needed the right training, equipment or connections before you were allowed to participate. I wanted to make that first step easier. You shouldn’t have to call yourself an artist to make something, or have access to a professional jewellery studio to create a piece you’re proud to wear.

Making your own jewellery also gives you a different relationship with it. You know how it took shape, what you tried and what you learnt along the way. Even the little imperfections have a story. I think that experience is worth making accessible to more people.What is your favourite part about running workshops and creating diy kits? Seeing what people make with the same starting materials. We can give everyone the same amount of clay and the same tools, and the finished pieces will all be different. That’s probably the most satisfying part: providing a starting point and seeing where someone else takes it.

I also enjoy improving the experience. When someone asks a question or struggles with a step, it helps us see what we could explain better. A kit might look like a simple box of materials, but there’s a lot of testing and adjusting behind it. I like knowing those small changes can help the next person feel more confident.How do you inject a sense of play into your craft? I try to leave room for curiosity. That might mean experimenting with an unfamiliar material or seeing what happens when you combine techniques. Recently, I’ve been exploring how acrylic and silver could work together in jewellery.

In our workshops, we teach the techniques people need, but leave the design open. There’s something playful about working with clay because you can try a shape, change your mind and reshape it before it dries. I want people to feel comfortable exploring an idea without needing to know exactly how it will turn out.Run us through a day at FunkyFunYou. It depends on the day! On studio days, I might be checking orders with the team, testing a product idea, filming content or preparing materials for a workshop. There’s usually a mix of hands-on making and time at my laptop answering emails or working through the practical side of the business. Saturdays are usually workshop days, so the studio becomes a shared making space. During the week, there’s more work happening behind the scenes.

Building the business has meant learning a lot as I go – from sourcing and packaging to hiring and logistics. I’m still figuring out how to give those things enough attention while keeping time for the experiments that started it all.What’s your favourite FunkyFunYou product at the moment and why? I’d choose our silver clay ring kit. Silver clay was a turning point for the business because it opened up a way for beginners to make real silver jewellery at home. I love that it begins as a small piece of clay you can shape with your hands and becomes something you can wear. The kit brings the materials, tools and tutorials together so you have somewhere to start. It captures what I want FunkyFunYou to offer: the chance to try something that might have felt out of reach, at your own kitchen table. 

Spy FunkyFunYou’s rad diy bits and bobs on their website this-a-way. For more ace craft projects, have a squiz at this knit pattern for a cat hat or take a gander at this ratty crochet pizza bag pattern. Plus, sign up to our newsletter for more craft stuff.