HANDMADE beadEd eARRINGS BY TATIANA CARRION
Learn how Tatiana started her handmade beaded earrings business, where she finds inspiration, the intricacies of her designs, where her products are sold & her plans for expansion. I wanted this interview to give the readers a taste of what it’s like to build a brand from the ground up- how just a small idea can turn into a profitable passion project!
Before we get into the interview, I just want to acknowledge how much this collab means to me. Tati & I have been close friends since grade 6 & we share a similar vision- bright, colourful & funky! Our styles are a match made in heaven!💕
⚠️Warning: This article contains fast-moving GIFs⚠️
Meet the Owner
I know you have a bit of an earring obsession & it’s the only accessory you like to wear… How did making your own brand of earrings come about?
“It was when I got my uniform at work. It was all black, no colour. I love colour. I felt so blah going in to work wearing all black, so I thought, well, what could I do to jazz up my outfit within the guidelines of what I was supposed to wear to work? And I thought, well, no one said you can’t wear earrings… Like big, fun earrings!
I started buying a ton of colourful, fun earrings. Any earrings I could find. I had a ton of clay ones at first and people would always say to me at work when I’m serving them, they’re like, “I love your earrings, where did you get them? I love your earrings!” And was like okay, cool, whatever. Then I thought, well, what if I made my own earrings?!
So I started making clay earrings, but I couldn’t quite get the consistency right because I was making my own clay. Then it kinda just dawned on me, I think I was looking on Etsy at earrings & I saw these beaded ones I had never seen, I don’t know how I had never seen beaded earrings before, like ever! When I saw it I was like, OH MY GOD I WANNA DO THIS!”
The learning process:
“I remember I didn’t even want to buy the pair (from Etsy) because I wanted to make it myself and learn, and so I did. So I downloaded this bead pattern and took to YouTube to learn. I found an incredible Indigenous beader and taught myself from there. It took me sooo long, like 6 hours!! I kept messing up. Now it’s fine, I know what to do now, how to fix my errors. It was a lot of trial and error.”
How the brand started:
Tatiana started receiving a ton of compliments on the first pair of beaded earrings she made, but it was not her original design, it was the pattern she downloaded off Etsy. She then decided to download a program on her computer so she could start designing her own unique pairs. “I’m super visual. I have to see it before I make it”.
A few of Tati’s close friends suggested she make them and sell them. “I was playing with that idea and I always wanted to do that anyway. Be my own boss, make something, sell it, do markets…”
“I’m ALWAYS making stuff! If it’s not macramé, it’s beading. If it’s not beading, I’m painting something. If it’s not doing that, I’m trying to do ceramics… I love making stuff! I love baking! I love making food! Anything where I get to be creative and make literally ANYTHING… I LOVE!”
When deciding to focus solely on making earrings, Tatiana says, “This was the first time where it was super organic! I didn’t force it. I didn’t try to speed anything up. It just happened really, really organically and slowly over time but at a nice enough pace that I didn’t feel rushed or felt like it was ever too much. It was like okay, this is just what we’re doing now“.
First consignment experience:
Tatiana started making more styles and reached out to a small business in Victoria, that she used to shop at all the time when she lived there. Local Assembly is a consignment store that supports other small businesses. Their style is super colourful, funky, and eccentric.
Tatiana was already familiar with their audience and knew that is exactly the type of person who would appreciate her style of work. She said, “I could see my earrings fitting in with their look. And they didn’t have any beaded jewelry at the time. So I was like okay, I would be the first.” She reached out to them explaining it was her first time doing this. She sent pictures, told them what it costs, and asked if they would consign her stuff.
“They responded so enthusiastically and were like, ‘We love what you do. We would be so happy to have you in our store!’ I was freaking out. Like holy shit, this is so surreal!”
Because she was unsure of herself at first, it was that moment, that gave Tatiana the boost of confidence she needed and her business kept growing from there!✨
Your earrings are super unique! Where do you get your inspiration from?
“The inspiration comes from literally anywhere!” For her Beetlejuice earrings, (shown on the right) a table set up at a local cafe caught her eye. There was a black and white pillow and a red sign in the middle of the table. “I really liked how the red pops with the black and white, and so I took a picture of it, and then I made an earring out of it!”
“I got an advertisement on my Instagram, from the brand Knix, and they had these navy blue, baby blue, and mustard yellow pairs of underwear sitting together. The colours look so good together so I took a screenshot and then I used those colours for inspiration.”
“Sometimes it’s honestly an accident. Like I’ll be designing a pair on my laptop and then by accident I’ll click the wrong colour and then it changes a whole segment of the beads from black to blue and then I’m like oh, that actually looks really nice!”
Quality materials:
“I try to buy everything as locally as possible if I can.” There’s one store Tatiana likes to go to in Calgary and she also sourced a shop on Etsy that has more variety in colour and matte shades, which she likes. “Ideally, I’d love to have all matte earrings and maybe have only a couple of beads that are glossy.”
“The Etsy shop is more expensive but I don’t care. I can get the most unique colours and it’s more my colour palette and style, whereas the place in Calgary just has more basic colours and subtle variations.”
Tatiana does not compromise on quality materials. I did the earring challenge with these and tried so hard to aim them to fall on my bed, but inevitably, they fell on the floor a couple of times… each time made me so nervous thinking they would break but they actually held up! They look delicate but they’re actually pretty durable which was a pleasant surprise if you ask me!
Whenever I purchase handmade jewelry, especially if it’s something as delicate as earrings, I consider the longevity of the item before purchasing and whether or not it’s something that could easily break. As intricate as these earrings are, you can rest assured that they are made very well and will last you a long time. Yes, I did the drop test but it was only to film a video trend on TikTok. I don’t suggest whipping your earrings around the place to see for yourself LOL!
I take good care of my earrings as I do with all of my unique jewelry pieces. I have them laying in a felt-lined jewelry box when I’m not wearing them. I keep them inside the sachet that they came with for extra protection. They’re tucked away in their own little drawer so that when I decide to wear them again they’re in perfect condition.
colourful. funky. asymmetrical.
“Every earring within a set, your left earring is always different than your right. I call it asymmetrical symmetry. Why do both of them have to be the same? If you think about it, even as a human being, one foot is bigger than the other, one boob is bigger than the other, your fingers aren’t the same. Nothing is perfectly a mirror image. I think it brings uniqueness to the earrings. My earrings are a reflection of the human image. It gives them a flare and a uniqueness when everything nowadays is so cookie-cutter. Everything is the same and matchy-matchy and I don’t like that.”
What goes into making each pair & why are they so special? What does making them with “intention” really mean?
“So made with intention, to me, means that I’m making them with good energy. I think positive thoughts while I’m making them.” Tatiana smudges each pair of earrings with Palo Santo after making them before she sends them off to each customer. “When I’m smudging them I think to myself, what do I want this person to feel when they put these on? What energy can I put into this work that will best help the person who’s receiving them on the other end? The reason I do it is, I really believe in energy and the transmission of it, and if I’m putting that into an earring and those earrings carry that with them, every time you wear them it will help you or be a reminder of or enhance your ability to feel those things and help you in your everyday life… while also looking fucking BOMB!”
“While smudging each pair, sometimes I think the same thing and sometimes it’s different for whoever. I don’t know everyone personally that I’m making them for… But it’s just what whatever I feel intuitively comes to mind.”
What motivates you?
“If I’ve had a really long day, sometimes when I come home I want to do absolutely nothing and just melt into the couch but I promised someone a pair that I was gonna ship out the next day so I have to finish them, if I don’t do it that day, I know I’m not going to have time the next day. I think in those moments, it’s music. I have to put on something that’s upbeat and that’s gonna get me in the mood, more energized. It has to be with headphones on too. Then, I’ll sit there, music blasted until it’s done. Music is what carries me through every time.”
Is there anything that motivates you on a spiritual level?
“For me, it’s the aspect of designing- the whole process of bringing that to life. I can see it in my head but I still have no idea what it’s gonna look like. Putting it on my computer and then looking at it and playing with it, THAT is probably the most fun I have. Not necessarily making them. Actually, that’s fun too – when I make them the first time because then you get to see what it’s gonna look like translated from your brain to your computer, then to an actual tangible pair of earrings.”
Is there any moment of reflection you have after seeing your design come to life?
“It’s moreso a feeling. I feel it and I think to myself, this is it. This is what I’m meant to be doing. Not necessarily earrings for the rest of my life but this feeling that I must be doing something right.”
How do you plan on growing your brand?
“I’m just trying to see where this goes organically.” Tatiana started her earring business as a side hustle while working a full-time job. She participated in the Canmore Mountain Market last summer every other week. “I wanted to ease into it, get a taste of what it’s like and go from there.” Since then, she has realized her potential to grow her business and dreamt of doing it full-time.
Recently, Tatiana’s workplace had closed due to the pandemic. Instead of taking on another full-time gig, she’s decided to use this as an opportunity to grow her business! “The universe is pushing me to take the plunge I always wanted to take.” Tatiana says she always wanted to be her own boss. “I’m using this time to build my business and focus on me. Nourishing my mind, body, and soul. Allowing creativity to flow through me and take me wherever I need to go.”
Tatiana has been learning new beading techniques and shapes and exploring new styles. Lately, she’s been batching a ton of earrings so she is prepared to do the market full-time this summer. She is also considering doing consignment for a couple more stores.
“I’m trying to think of more ideas than just doing earrings but I also want to stay true to myself.”
What has starting this business taught you?
“It’s taught me to have more patience. I’m already a patient person but it’s taught me to be even more patient. And also to just persevere.”
“There have been so many times… the other day even, I made an earring, and at the very least second, it fell apart in my hands, I fucking screamed!
Just sat there for 3 hours making these earrings, but at that point, you’re like okay am I just gonna put it aside and start over, or am I gonna try to put it back together? There are really only two options. I was able to fix them and that has definitely happened on more than one occasion. Not the exact same thing, but different things can go wrong during the beading process. Sometimes a mistake can be really subtle and Josh (Tatiana’s boyfriend) is like, ‘I can’t even tell’ and I’m like well I can tell and if I can tell, I can’t sell that.”
Do you have a new-found confidence within yourself from starting this business?
“Definitely. Just the fact that I can do it. I’ve always seen myself doing this sort of thing but it’s always been hypothetical. Like if I were to do it, yeah sure I can do it but now I’m actually doing it. It came really naturally. It’s almost like a part of me isn’t even proud of myself because that part of me is like you’ve always known this, you’ve always had this in you… so it’s not really a shock. I don’t mean that in an egotistical way but it’s really like this inner part of me that I’ve just had that was maybe dormant and then now it’s been given this opportunity to come and take center stage.”
How do you measure your success?
“I really like when someone gets a pair of earrings and they send me a picture of them wearing it or they text me saying, “omg I got them, I’m so happy, I love them so much! I’m so excited!” That is success to me. Or especially, I had a girl the other day tell me, “I obviously really love them but I can feel the energy and love you put into these, and every time I wear them I feel better.” I was like oh my god, that’s success right there to me!
The earrings have given me the opportunity to make other people happy, to feel good and confident, and like their most authentic selves. I can do that through my art and if you think about it, people do that every day, people who are doctors or massage therapists – they have the opportunity too, they’re helping people through what they do and it might not be art but this is my way of helping the world.”
YOU CAN FIND TATIANA ON INSTAGRAM @BEADS.AND.BABES
You can also find her earrings in Local Assembly, Victoria, BC, or WildHeart Studio in Canmore, AB! She plans on participating in this summer’s Banff Farmer’s Market along with other cool, independent small business owners. It’s one of the cutest market experiences I’ve been to so I highly recommend checking it out if you’re in town! Stalk Tatiana’s Instagram to follow her journey and DM her for your custom order of these beautiful beaded earrings that will be sure to turn heads! ♡
Thank you so much Tatiana for sharing your story with katelaine.com and I wish you the best of luck in your business endeavors! You have my full support! ♡
Made with intention in the Canadian Rockies
THANKS FOR READING!
Makeup Products used in this post:
- Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina Mini Pro Pigment Palette Vol. 3
- Benefit Cosmetics 24HR Brow Gel
- ABH Brow Pencil
- Benefit Cosmetics BadGal Bang Mascara
More Fashion Here > KAT ELAINE Fashion
Wonderful- women supporting women! Thanks for this great initiative, appreciate being introduced to this new site through following Beads and Babes! Instagram @morgannrogers
Ever single pair on her Instagram is so eye catching and unique. I’m obsessed!
@vazxo
Good job following dreams! Creativity is so important and way to persevere too! I love that you put good intentions into your work. Wishing you all the best!
Love everything about @beadsandbabes and am excited to be introduced to another creative through your IG contest. Well done Tati 💗 follow your 🌈 as you are something very special!
@nomesmeansnomes
*beads.and.babes