Life & Work with Wendy Anderson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendy Anderson.

Hi Wendy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
This business started out as an idea for Christmas gifts during the holiday season of 2013 for my nieces, there are 8 of them. I wanted to make them all something that would fit their personalities, likes, and hobbies. I found a tutorial for fabric-covered button earrings. It was the perfect way to make a personalized gift! I showed the earrings to friends and family to get their input. They were excited and wanted to purchase some for themselves. I made some for myself and would wear them to work. I worked in a grocery store at the time and had to wear a uniform, so it was really the only way I could show personality. While working at the grocery store I met a lot of customers that would support my future business, the first being a woman named Anna. We talked about being creative and building a handmade business. She encouraged me to apply for a local show she was co-organizer of: A Handmade Christmas, Indie Craft Market.

After being accepted into the show, I created as many earrings as I could. All different designs, patterns, and characters. My first show went really well and I had gotten lots of feedback from shoppers. It was due to the success I had at that first show that I decided to officially start Little Wendy Bird at the beginning of 2014.

Since then I have traveled with my business, shipped items out of the country, and quit my full time job.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not always been a smooth road. I think there is a big misconception among entrepreneurs and small business owners, that they have to work all day every day in order to be successful. This thought process quickly led me to burnout many times. The other thing that took me a long time to learn was that success is going to look different for everyone. I was doing shows where I felt really great about the amount of money I made and then talking with another vendor, I was disappointed that I didn’t make more. I feel like “work/life balance” is a mythical creature and what I really should have been working towards was better boundaries with work.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
An aspect of my business that I am most excited about, and what sets my business apart, is my memorial jewelry. Early on in my business, I had an idea for a gift for my mom. Since I work with the fabric of all kinds I thought “Why not get a swatch of sentimental fabric and make a pair of earrings?” My grandfather passed away before I was born, so finding something of his was tough. After enlisting the help of my grandmother and my aunts we found an old jacket from my grandfather. I cut a small piece of fabric from it and made her a one-of-a-kind pair of earrings.

Since I started my business I have been helping families ease grief and honor those that have passed with these memorial pieces. Making these pieces feels like the most important work that I do. The fact that I am trusted with clothing and fabrics that hold so many memories of a person’s loved one is not lost on me. A scarf that had been worn every day without a second thought can quickly become the only physical thing we have left of someone we cared so much for.

What makes you happy?
I love love. I love vulnerability. I love hugs. I think making true connections with people, and learning about what they love and cherish, is what makes me most happy. Having someone tell me about their loved one in a coffee shop, holding my hand, and us crying together is vulnerable. Love and grief are messy. When I think that I can have even the slightest positive impact on someone’s life, that makes me happy.

Pricing:

• Stud Earrings: $15 per pair
• Badge ID Reels: $10 each
• Necklaces: $25 each
• Magnet Sets: starting at $15
• Bookmarks: $15

Contact Info:

• Website: www.littlewendybird.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlewendybird/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LittleMissWendyBird

Image Credits
Converse Candids PORTraits by Lynne McKenzie Hanson