White Iris Designs

I wanted to start including on my blog a weekly interview with another jewelry designer. Yes I also create jewelry but I am always interested in hearing about what others have to do to get their results. Hope you find it as interesting as I do. My friend an awesome jewelry designer, Tammy McCain was kind enough to be my very first interview.

What inspired you to start creating jewelry?

I have been creating something or another since I was a little girl. I love unique pieces of jewelry, things that look handcrafted not mass produced, I guess I would say I decided to start creating my own pieces after wanting so badly to purchase jewelry out of Robert Redford' Sundance catalog. The pieces were what I loved, but for a price that was not in my budget. So I decided that I would try to make my own versions. I did & for a fraction of the cost.

How long have you been making money selling your jewelry designs?

I would say that I started selling my designs not long after I started making them. I would wear pieces & get compliments all the time & still do. women would ask where I got it & when I told them I made it they would ask, if I could make something for them. It started out as family & friends, but soon grew.

Anyone who designs jewelry knows that you quickly develop what it called "beader's stash". I needed a way to use the beads that were left over from various projects, so in the summer of 2006 I decided to open a bead section in my flower shop. We offer beads, findings & supplies needed to make jewelry & offer some bead classes occasionally. We also do Beading Birthday Parties for little girls & tweens. My customers may come in anytime, during business hours, sit at a table in the flower shop, work on projects using our tools & just pay for the materials that they use. We charge a small fee if we need to help them with their projects.

Is jewelry designing your only business?

No, I am a floral designer & I own a flower shop in a local town not too far from where I live. I use to jokingly say that I am a "Floral Designer by Day & a Jewelry Designer by Night", but that has now become part of my tagline on my business cards. I love everything about flowers & love beautiful jewelry, so to be able to do both of them, I feel very blessed.

Do you ever get in a slump in your creativity?

I wouldn't call it a slump, what happens to me is I have so many ideas in my head, that I get frustrated that I do not have enough hours in my day to get all that I would like done.
Since I do have a brick & mortar shop, the floral designs come first. From 9 to 5 the flower shop dictates my day. It is a rare occasion that I am able to sit & design jewelry in the flower shop. Too many interruptions.
Usually by the time I get home I do not have a lot of extra time to work on the jewelry designs, therefore I have unfinished ideas left in my head.

What do you do to get out of it?

If I ever do feel creatively blocked, all I have to do is look at beading magazines, watch TV, or get out my bead stash. Most of the time just going through all of my beads will inspire me. Sometimes when I haven't looked at all of them for a while, I forget what I have stashed away in all of those little drawers. When I look again, with fresh eyes, I will see things that I bought a while ago & remember what I wanted to design with them. That usually jump starts the creativity again.

How do you sell your designs?
Right now I have jewelry in my flower shop that is for sale. I also have a friend who owns a salon & she sells my designs. I have some pieces in a tanning salon that are geared more toward teens & girls in their early twenties, that are a bit more affordable for them. I am in the process of populating my website where my jewelry will be for sale. I am hoping to have it open very soon.

Do you have a blog? Yes/No

Yes, I have a blog.

What is the name of your blog?

White Iris Designs ~ Flowers, Jewelry & Other Girly Things

whiteirisdesigns.blogspot.com/

Do you have a website? Yes/No

Yes, I will be opening my website very soon.

What is the name of your website?

White Iris Designs

whiteirisdesigns.com

Where do you advertise other than your website and blog?

I think of myself as walking advertisement everyday just by wearing my jewelry. Just the other day I was delivering flowers to our local High School & a lady stopped me to compliment me on my necklace. I thanked her & told her that I made it & gave her a business card. She remarked that she could tell that it was handcrafted, not something that she could buy in a store. I walked away with a smile & hopefully a new customer. I also believe that word of mouth is some of the best advertisement you can get.

I sometimes advertise in our local paper, mostly during holidays. I am not sure it is worth it though, I find it is hard to guage how well it is working.

I hope to exchange links with other business women with websites once mine has gone live.

What are your future plans?
My future plans are to try to make my website an extension of the quality products & services that I offer to my local customers & make them available to the world.
I would like to focus more on weddings & event work with my floral designs. Maybe a destination wedding, that would be fun.
As far as the jewelry designs, I would like to offer eparties. Since my time is already an issue & home parties are really not that probable, I feel that the eparties are my solution. I hope to add them in the near future.