Today I’m interviewing Lisa of Estancia Designs . I asked her what her favorite color was and she responded ”Oh gosh, well, favorite color to wear hands down is black. I am a blond and I love black clothes. Plus, it makes getting dressed a no-brainer and most days I don’t like to have to think about what I’m wearing. My favorite color to look at, any shade of blue. It’s very calming and reminds me of the water.” On weekends you’ll find her cooking for her family, walking her dog, and entertaining friends. For breakfast she eats leftovers, she’d rather have left over pizza or baked ziti than “regular” breakfast food. Her dream vacation is somewhere with sunshine, a pool, tropical music and a perfect margarita.
Here are her responses about her shop:
What started you in your art/craft?
I’ve always loved crafting, learning to crochet and teaching myself how to knit at a young age, then on to cross stitching in my early 20’s. I’ve done all kinds of projects from hot gluing shell wreaths to faux stained glass windows in my house. I took a cake decorating class and the first cake I made was my sister’s wedding cake! I have a “go big or go home” attitude! So it was a natural progression to creating jewelry.
What are your favorite materials/tools?
Right now I’m very much into gemstones, rutilated quartz in particular. I find it fascinating! I use mostly sterling silver, with some gold filled wire and components and am now making my own earwires and headpins. I love my little creme brulee torch!!
Who’s your biggest inspiration?
Always has been my mom. They just don’t make ‘em like her anymore! She’s a wonderfully upbeat, positive, loving, generous, courageous person. I aspire to be like her. In a nutshell, this is a woman who learned she had lung cancer at 79, had an entire lung removed and subsequently was on oxygen 24/7. Now at 81 she is only on oxygen half of the day and is just as full of life as ever! She’s a very determined, fun-loving, positive individual.
How long have you been producing your work/How did you get started in it?
I’ve been creating jewelry for about 6 years, selling on Etsy for the past 2 1/2 years. I started selling it on Ebay and quickly learned that I wasn’t getting paid what my jewelry was worth so I stopped selling there. I’ve also sold on Ruby Lane and did ok there but not fantastic. Then I found Etsy and I’ve never looked back. I’ve learned a lot on Etsy, from a technical standpoint as well as business standpoint. In addition to selling on Etsy I have my own website and most recently have started doing art shows. My business is growing and I have been lucky enough to have been featured in my local newspaper a few times too. I guess you could say I put the cart before the horse by mainly selling online initially and then branching out to the local market after, but that was a confidence issue I needed to overcome, and I have.
Where do you hope your art will take you in the next year?
I hope that my business will continue to grow as it has been and maybe one day make the featured seller spot on the front page of Etsy.
Is there anything you want people to get/take away from your work?
I want people to know that when they wear a piece of my jewelry that they are wearing a piece of my heart and soul. That a tremendous amount of love and care goes into each and every piece and that they are truly possessing a labor of love. I also hope that they will wear my pieces for many years to come as they are timeless.
What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
Jewelry is a hard business to build, for most of us you don’t just make your first few items, put them out there or on the internet and the sales come flying in. It’s a lot of hard work, but very rewarding when you see those sales start to come in and the happiness your pieces create in the people who purchase them. When I sell a piece I still get the exact same feeling I did when I sold my very first piece several years ago…elation, excitement, rush of adrenaline, and I hold my breath a little until I get the customers feedback, and then I let it out. Give world-class customer service to ensure repeat business. Utilize all the free-advertising you can when you’re starting out, don’t put all your eggs in one basket (see my answer above), use your mouth…talk talk talk about your product where you go and whatever you do WEAR your jewelry everywhere. Read fashion magazines and watch fashion shows, pay attention to the upcoming fashions and try to let them inspire your creations. If designing and creating are your dream then don’t give up. Keep learning, about your craft, about how to promote your craft, and ALWAYS think outside the box. I feel limits and parameters are strictly for budgets, otherwise don’t set parameters or limits on your creativity in designing, creating or promoting and you might be surprised at the end result.
[all images property of Estancia Designs]
Make sure to check out her shop, and maybe find a Christmas present or two for people on your list :)
