T.E.S.T. Interview: Elixir Chic Designs

We hope to introduce you to all the great etsy sellers to be found right here in Toronto. Here at the T.E.S.T. blog, we plan to interview them all. This is the 94th in our series and is with Michelle Wong of ElixirChicDesigns.  

Tell us about yourself. What led you to create your own jewellery line?

I'm a teacher and first most a teacher. I absolutely love teaching and I've always wanted to teach since I was in kindergarten. The thing about teaching is that it can easily take over your thoughts as you view the world as inspiration for the classroom. Instead, I wanted to take my kinesthetic and visual learning style to do something I had once been familiar with; creating jewellery. I used to make jewellery for myself in high school and I received a lot of good feedback from different people. I strayed away during university, because the workload started to build up.

Right before the new year of 2016, I received an email from Etsy about their Etsy Resolution program, which helps people start their own Etsy businesses. I thought it was a great opportunity to get out there and do something different. I started designing different  pieces and editing my designs to look more polished and less DIY.

How did you come up with the name Elixir Chic Designs?

The name for my brand is derived mainly by my fashion/lifestyle blog's name "Elixir Chic" (www.elixir-chic.com). Elixir was a nickname I had in high school, which stuck because I thought it sounded unique. I added "Chic" as a word to help make the name of my blog to reflect my style. Designs was added for my Etsy brand to show that jewellery is not only an accessory but can be considered as art.

Your use of primarily neutral colours in your designs (white, black, grey, silver) makes them very versatile for the wearer. Was that part of your goal? What other considerations or goals drive your creation process?

I chose neutral tones with the specific intention of versatility and minimalism in my designs. Another aspect of my design is how unique one piece of jewellery is going to be from another of the exact same design I created based on the stones and quartz used, which helps the wearer feel like they're wearing a piece that's just as unique as they are.  

Do you have a favourite material to work with? What do you like about it, and how do you make it your own?

I have two materials that I really like working with. I enjoy working with quartz, because I like going through all the pieces and figuring out which ones are the best for different arrangements I am creating for a piece of jewellery. I like looking at the shapes, rough edges, opacity, and colour. I also enjoy working with the spikes in my collection, because it instantly adds an edginess, It is definitely a conversation starter with other people and I love seeing them have their imagination run wild with scenarios where the spikes come handy.

What are the most important lessons you have learned so far when it comes to selling on Etsy?

I've only been on Etsy for few months, but I think one of the most important lessons so far is figuring out pricing. I found that prices were one of those sensitive topics that people didn't really want to talk about, which made it a little difficult figuring out how to price my jewellery. With some research and conversations with people who were willing to discuss, I learned that pricing is not only influenced by the cost of the materials used and having prices that the buyers view as reasonable, but also giving yourself a reasonable amount of profit that covers all the time and effort for the product.  

Speaking of lessons, do you envision your teaching job and your design venture to overlap eventually, e.g by teaching jewellery making, or by bringing your craft to your school? Or will you always keep them separate?

It's interesting that you asked. One of my coworkers is also an Etsy seller and she laughed about how I was beading with my students to make bracelets and necklaces for Mother's Day. I see myself bringing in basic jewellery making for arts and crafts activities at school or even as an after school program with the students. I don't see myself teaching jewellery making classes outside of that right now, but maybe few years down the road.

Look for Michelle at the following markets:
July 23/16 - Royal Canadian Legion Branch 101
Aug. 21/16 - The Great Hall
Oct. 8/16 - Etobicoke Olympium
Nov. 20/16 - Trinity Bellwoods Flea
​Dec. 17/16 - Trinity Bellwoods Flea


You can keep up to date with Michelle here:
Etsy shop:  ElixirChicDesigns
Blog: ElixirChic
Instagram: ElixirChicDesigns









Interviewed by Katrin of PaperTurns in Toronto June 30, 2016
 

T.E.S.T. Interview: Paper Turns

We hope to introduce you to all the great etsy sellers to be found right here in Toronto. Here at the T.E.S.T. blog, we plan to interview them all. This is the 93rd in our series and is with Katrin of PaperTurns.

Tell me about yourself and your brand. 

One of my earliest memories is playing with paper from my dad's wastebasket, sitting underneath his work desk, where he was typing away. At the age of 8, I got an origami book (which I still use!), and I have made greeting cards and invitations all my life. Even though I also dabbled in almost every art and craft while growing up, somehow paper stuck. In professional terms, I ended up mostly writing on it as I became a professor of English, but the academic job market is in a crisis, and so I was searching for something that would provide a creative outlet and more instant gratification on the side. That's how Paper Turns was born in 2014. My brand specialises in greeting cards that are all about texture and often include origami. Since much of what I do with paper involves folding, cutting, layering, and twisting, I wanted my brand name to reflect movement and texture. I'm also a dancer in my spare time, and I feel that Paper Turns really captures all sides of my creative personality.

 I haven't seen origami being used on cards before. What inspired you to create cards with origami?

Two things came together. The first was that I fell in love with Japanese paper. The craftsmanship, the myriad of textures, the brightly-coloured silk-screened papers... I really wanted to work with those. But I didn't just want to showcase the papers; I wanted to bring them to life, and so I needed to find shapes to complement them. That's what led me to origami. Both my favourite papers and the art of paper folding originated in Japan, so they seemed a perfect fit.

Why did you choose Etsy as a platform for you to use to sell your items? 

I wanted to expose a wide audience to my cards, and I figured that a well-known online platform would be an easier and more cost-effective starting point than a few small brick-and-mortar boutiques. There is obviously a lot of competition on Etsy, but it's also in itself a brand that people who buy handmade trust, and that was important. It's also very convenient, especially when you don't have the time to create your own platform and do a lot of marketing.

What was the biggest goal you achieved for your Etsy shop? 

I think selling on Etsy has always been more about little goals for me. To achieve the first sale. To increase sales on a yearly basis. To update the shop more frequently. To have my seasonal products photographed and copy written before people start looking for them. The last one is a hard one when you're starting out in an area as dominated by seasonal sales as greeting cards. It took me a while to figure out that I needed to make Christmas cards in August and Valentine's Day cards in November.

How do you balance teaching, Etsy, and other aspects of your life? 

It's a constant challenge but I wouldn't do it if I didn't love it. The joy and passion keep me going. After spending hours reading black ink on white paper for work, colourful textured paper provides a really nice balance and stimulates a different part of my brain. Also, since I work with tiny sheets of paper I can practically do origami anywhere. For example, I fold origami on the TTC all the time, and even during rehearsal breaks in the dance studio. That leaves more time for other parts of the creative process when I am at home. It also helps - I won't lie - to have a partner who is supportive and doesn't mind taking on some extra chores at home during particularly stressful times. (A shout-out to my husband here!)

Do you have any advice for those who plan on starting an Etsy shop in the future or who are relatively new to it (like myself)? 

I'd advise anyone to approach the process of selling on Etsy with dedication and commitment but most of all patience and an open mind. That is, do everything you can to set the shop up well (read up on SEO, provide good photos, link it with social media etc.), check out your competition, and find ways to distinguish your products from other designers'. But also, don't despair if it takes a while for orders to trickle in. In the meantime, you can do other things that will help your business in the long term: improve your products and create more stock; go to craft shows and build a local customer base that way; explore sales avenues in retail; create a blog; and network with other crafty people...

Check out more of Katrin's work in her Etsy shop, PaperTurns.

Links:
Blog: http://paperturns.blogspot.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paperturns
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperturns

Katrin is also an instructor at the The Simple Craft Co.

Interviewed by Michelle of ElixirChicDesigns, June 22, 2016.