Shop Spotlight - ALFA designs

The Ingenuity Team
Shop Spotlight

This week we are featuring: ALFAdesigns

19" Long Aqua Blue Teal Semiprecious Necklace, 

Silver Gray Mauve Wrap Bohemian Necklace 

Shop Owner: Anna

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Do you have a family? Do you have pets? What do you do at your day job? Or is Etsy your full time job?
I am a happily retired data analyst and computer programmer. I do have family I love dearly. I don’t have pets, unless you count birds, squirrels, and occasionally visiting raccoons in our back yard. They do feed on our fruits and vegetables, after all ;-)

2. How long have you had your Etsy Shop? 
I opened my shop in November 2012.

3. How did you come up with your shop name? ALFA came from my initials. “_designs” was added because ALFA was already taken. Of course, I came up with a much better shop name in about a month after opening, but by then it was too late.

4. What types of items does your shop carry? I design and make OOAK jewelry, mainly necklaces, but also some earrings and bracelets.

5. How long have you been creating jewelry (even before you had your Etsy shop)? 

Extra Long Hot Pink Mint Grey Wrap Necklace

I was doing it for several years until I gradually realized that I have made so many necklaces that I won’t ever have a chance to wear the majority of them even once. Since I am totally addicted to the creative process of designing and making necklaces, I was at a loss about what to do. Luckily, my daughter asked a simple question: why not try to sell it? And I thought - really, why not? 

6. What is your process for making your items? 

Art Deco Gothic Earrings Gunmetal Black Purple

I am a confessed beadaholic. I cannot resist buying pretty beads I come across, and my bead stash is actually huge. When I want to make a new necklace, I pull out a string of beads, almost at random, and start handling it, looking at it from different angles, turning it this way and that. And gradually a start getting a feel for what other beads, spacers, and accents will “work” with them, and what style and “mood” they will convey. Sometimes I look at the finished necklace and decide I don’t like it, so I disassemble it and start from scratch, with different design. For me, the great fun and pleasure is coming up with a new design for every necklace. This is a reason why all my necklaces are different and OOAK.

7. What inspires you?
I usually have a music playing while work, it creates a mood. And I normally go from color – to combinations of colors – to final design.

8. If you could give a new Etsian one piece of advice, what would that be?
Try to have fun. It is very difficult to generate a lot of income from Etsy, but it is always possible to enjoy your own creativity and the creativity of other people here.

You can find Anna at the following social media links:

Twitter: twitter.com/alfadesigns2

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/annaf5678
Wanelo: wanelo.com/alfadesigns
Craftori: craftori.com/items/author/alfadesigns/