Etsy Interview with Earring Exchange

Hi! My name is Mindy Tippetts, and I own a fun little shop on Etsy called Earring Exchange. For as long as I can remember, I've always been creating things. One of my favorite memories is going to my Grandma's house in Idaho and finding perfectly round, flat stones from her gravel driveway and then going inside and painting them. I also started making my own handmade cards in elementary school, and my mom would "buy" them from me to send out to cousins and other relatives. My mom also taught me how to crochet when I was a teenager, and I love crocheting scarves and amigurumi (small crocheted stuffed animals). I've sort-of dabbled in almost every type of craft, but after a few years of collecting "stuff" to make "everything," I decided that I needed to narrow my crafting obsession to three things: jewelry making, card making, and crocheting. I have four very active (and wonderful) children - three boys and a baby girl (my cherry-on-top). They keep me very busy during the day with carpooling to school, preschool, music lessons, scouts, sports, etc., so I tend to work on my jewelry and other hobbies after they go to bed. Designing and creating my jewelry for my Earring Exchange shop is how I wind down at night. There's something very therapeutic about starting with raw materials and putting them together to make something beautiful.

How and when did you start making jewelry and your other items?

My sister introduced me to jewelry making about seven and a half years ago. She went to a class that taught her how to put together a memory wire bracelet, and she brought it home to show us. I looked at it and thought, "that's awesome - I could totally make that!" I started buying books and magazines to learn the basics of how to make various types of jewelry, and then I started making it! I soon realized that my favorite pieces to design were lovely gemstone earrings. About five years ago I decided to start my own little business selling jewelry, and I participated in various farmers markets and had my own online store. About a year and a half ago, I switched to my Etsy shop - Earring Exchange - and I've been selling there ever since.

When and how did you originally find Etsy?

About two years ago I started making "interchangeable" earrings, where you can remove the dangles from one pair of hooks or hoops and put them onto another pair. By doing that, you can create a bunch of different "looks" for a lot less $$. I made a few pairs of these interchangeable earrings for a friend, and she really loved them. She'd been an Etsy buyer for quite a while, and she told me that I should put together an Etsy earring shop for my interchangeable earrings. I had never heard of Etsy before then, so I took a look. I was really impressed with all Etsy had to offer, so I decided to open my own shop: Earring Exchange.

What is unique about Etsy and what about the website do you like the most in regards to your shop?

Before I started my Earring Exchange shop, I had my own website that my husband made for me. It was nice to be able to have it totally customized, but it was soooo much work to keep it up, not to mention trying to drive traffic my way. I love working through Etsy because they have the background website issues all taken care of. I don't have to worry about web hosting, renewing my website name, coordinating with PayPal to receive payments, etc. Etsy takes care of all of that! All I have to do is upload pictures, write descriptions, and BOOM my earrings are ready to sell.

Etsy also caters to people who like to buy handmade. That makes it a lot easier for me to market my jewelry, because it's much more likely that I'm already "talking" to people who are interested in my handmade earrings.

What inspires you the most in regards to your creations?

I love going to the local bead fairs and finding the "perfect" beads for a pair of earrings. It is so exciting finding a pair or even a strand of beads that scream "these would make AWESOME earrings!!!!" I try to find really unique beads for my EarringExchange designs - unique colors/shapes/cuts/textures, and then pair them with beautiful metals (sterling silver or 14 karat gold filled) to create truly one-of-a-kind designs.

What is your favorite piece you've created and why?

Oh, that's a hard one! I love a lot of the pieces I've made. When I've finished with a pair of earrings and hold them up to the light and say, "Ooh, that's pretty!" then at that moment, those are my favorite pair of earrings. I do tend to love the chalcedony earrings the most, though. I absolutely love chalcedony - it is a beautiful stone that can be dyed to almost every color imaginable, and it seems to have an inner glow that is very alluring.

What do you want to accomplish with your online shop?

I love having my Earring Exchange shop because it allows me to be creative and share my creations with others. Right now, with four active children, I'm happy to keep it as a small, at-home business that I work on for a few hours in the evenings. As the kids get older, I'd love to have it grow into a full or even part-time "job," but I don't ever want my shop to lose its purpose as a place where I can fulfill that creative need that exists inside of me and is always wanting to break free.

Do you have any new creations in the works? If so, what can shoppers expect to see from you soon?

I've been dabbling with the thought of adding some wire-wrapped gemstone flower rings to my Earring Exchange shop. I've made a few and am trying them out to see what I think, but maybe in the near future you'll see them pop up in my shop. I also just bought a bunch of new beads that I will make into lovely earrings with autumn-colored themes. (Yay, Autumn! My favorite time of the year!) And...in the works is a newly designed banner for my Earring Exchange shop - hooray! (Although this is probably a bit more exciting for me than it is for you J )

Where can readers find out about more information regarding your jewelry and other creations and possible special offers (including additional websites, blogs, facebook, etc)?

I sell my jewelry locally at Hansen Co. Jewelry in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I have an Earring Exchange facebook page where I post pictures of new items, interesting tidbits, and fun giveaways that I participate in.

I also have another Etsy shop where I feature small crocheted "critters" (amigurumi) designed and handmade by yours truly.