Hey babes, Happy Saturday to you!! I am back with a NEW small business feature AND a giveaway too!! Woop woop! ♥ Today's feature is NO stranger to my blog - I have been a fan of Litva's Jewelry for a couple years or so now. And while I have several posts and features on Litva's Jewelry, I wanted to include Sandra, owner of Litva's Jewelry, in my SBS series for anyone who may be new around here. Since many of you may already be familiar with Litva's Jewelry, Sandra and I thought it would be a good idea to do a little Q & A, so that you can get to know a little bit more about her and her small biz! Plus Sandra has graciously offered a 15% off discount code - AGAPE15 - and to sponsor - not one but TWO giveaways! ♥ Details on how you can win one of them are at the end of this post. But before we get to that, check out the Q&A I had with Sandra....
Well, where to start...I'm Croatian-Canadian and I moved to the U.S. in 2006 to marry the man of my dreams. I am a fighter of Ulcerative Colitis for over 25 years now, which makes life a bit difficult sometimes; but when I feel well I am so inspired to create that I just have to make something! I've had a few careers in my life; ballerina, waitress, bartender, and now I am a hairstylist...jewelry was an ongoing passion of mine since I was a little girl and was always going on behind the scenes. I really just decided one day that I wanted it to be more in the spotlight and decided to really go for it!
♥How did you get started making Jewelry/ Why did you decide to start a selling?
I can't honestly remember exactly when I started...I used to make friendship bracelets when I was little, for anyone I could give them to...I just wanted to make them! Then I started using beads, my sister bought me a beading technique book, I bought a few more, started reading, experimenting and taught myself what I wanted to know! That has continued throughout the years, I am creative but I am a perfectionist so I work on a technique until I am satisfied with the results, which then turns into a new little creation in my shop!
Making jewelry just seemed to be something I always wanted to spend my free time doing...when I moved here to the U.S. I decided that I wanted to make it a business, after all, I couldn't possibly wear all the jewelry I was inspired to make!
I decided to start selling online a few years ago; the main reason being I came down with an acute case of vertigo for over a year, once acupuncture got rid of that I all of a sudden had panic attacks and anxiety 24/7 which brought on a flare up of my Colitis (I'm slowly on the mend now and improving each day) All of this prevented me from being able to physically make it to live events to sell my jewelry, so I thought I could send packages out and create from home on my better days.
♥How do you come up new designs? What inspires you?
My inspiration comes from everywhere! Mostly ideas I have in my mind, sometimes I just look at some beads and the thought pops into my mind "These would look cool if I put them with this wire wrapped together" It may sound strange but the ideas just sort of come to me! Sometimes I will see something in a beading magazine (yes, they have those...) or on Instagram, or something someone is wearing, (really everywhere) and I think "I like that idea...but I would like it better if I did this with the beads instead" I always have an idea of how it would look if I made it in my own way, with my own style.
♥What has been the most challenging thing about being a small business?
I would say the most challenging thing is all the "hats" I have to wear; marketing (and social media) photography (the most difficult for me) being computer savvy (I'm always learning!) listing items in my shop (goes with computer knowledge) inventory, customer service, shipping, and of course finding the time to put aside to just be creative and actually make the jewelry!
♥Do you have a favorite/least favorite item to make?
This is a tough one...I don't really make things I don't like to do or don't like the look of...if I try something and find I'm not loving it, I typically just let it go and move onto the next idea. So really I love everything I create!
♥What goals do you have, if any, for your shop right now and in the future?
My main goal I think is to get my name out there; I have A LOT of inventory, and it's very diverse, so finding the right customers who will love my pieces is a big challenge and finding them is what I need to be able to move forward to clear some inventory so that I can continue to make pieces that I love. I am also now working on starting wholesale (getting my jewelry into boutiques) which is a totally different ballgame and takes a lot of effort to get going, but I'm determined and know that my day will soon come!
I am on Instagram the most often, I do have a Facebook page and blog but I honestly have been so busy wearing all those "hats" that I haven't been able to keep up with them as much as I would like to...another area I am working on to improve!
♥Is there anything you know now that you wish you knew before you started your small biz?
I have really been learning as I go, as challenges come up I figure out the solution either by brainstorming with help from my husband, Etsy help articles or from jewelry and business friends I have made through Instagram. Maybe the one thing I wish I knew was that it will take a long time to get the ball rolling, I get so excited when I make things that I just want everyone to see them, love them and for them to all sell RIGHT NOW!
♥What has been the best thing about what you do, so far? Feel free to share any exciting triumphs or milestones you have had or reached! :)
The best thing is that I LOVE to create jewelry, so I love what I do! The fact that I can still keep this business going regardless of my health issues is maybe the most wonderful part of it, even when I have a stretch of bad days/months/years there are good days sprinkled in there when I feel better and get the chance to be creative and that brings me so much joy and happiness!
What an incredible woman Sandra is! I LOVED learning more about her, what about you? ♥ Alright, so now that you are obsessing over her gorgeous jewelry, how about we get into those giveaways, shall we!?
So the first giveaway is for this gorgeous Orange Gemstone Chip Necklace. This is actually more than a necklace, its long so it can be worn as a multi-layered necklace, wrapped many times as a bracelet, or as an anklet!
For your chance to win it, simply do any (or all) of the entry options via the rafflecopter widget below! The more you do, the more chances you have to win! Please note, this giveaway is ONLY open to residents of the USA only. I do apologize for all whom this excludes.
As for the 2nd giveaway - that one is an Instagram exclusive giveaway, since thats Sandra's main social page for her biz! SO if you are on Instagram, you can enter to win one of her beautiful wire knit statement rings! Click (here) for details!
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What an incredible woman Sandra is! I LOVED learning more about her, what about you? ♥ Alright, so now that you are obsessing over her gorgeous jewelry, how about we get into those giveaways, shall we!?
For your chance to win it, simply do any (or all) of the entry options via the rafflecopter widget below! The more you do, the more chances you have to win! Please note, this giveaway is ONLY open to residents of the USA only. I do apologize for all whom this excludes.
As for the 2nd giveaway - that one is an Instagram exclusive giveaway, since thats Sandra's main social page for her biz! SO if you are on Instagram, you can enter to win one of her beautiful wire knit statement rings! Click (here) for details!
Much Love & Hugs,
Sponsor an "In Post" Ad! Click {here}for more info.
I LOVE the gem stone chip necklace. (:
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Hard to pick a favorite, but the Wire Knit Crystal Statement Ring in Vintage Bronze and Amethyst is very unique and lovey.
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