Friday Feature: MorninGloria's

Welcome to another edition of the Friday Feature. This week we are featuring MorninGloria's.  Owner Gloria E. Rubio-Verduzco is an administrator for an arts non-profit during the day and devotes her evenings to her shop and business.  She makes some amazing French Beaded Flower jewelry  as part of her beaded jewelry line.

SFEtsy: Please tell us about the items in your Etsy shop. What do you make? How did you learn your craft? What is involved in your creative process?
Gloria​: I make French Beaded Flowers. The reason they are called this is because the beading technique comes from the Victorian Era where peasants would use the leftover beads from the fabulous Victorian dresses, and string them onto wire to shape into flowers, which then they'd place on wreaths or other centerpieces for weddings, funerals, and other special events.

I fell in love with beaded flowers while stumbling upon one in a gift shop while on vacation. I used to dance ballet, and would often put silk flowers in my ballet bun, and when I happened upon this beaded flower, I was obsessed and began making them for dance classes and performances. When people saw me wearing them, they began asking me to make flowers for them...and so MorninGloria's began. :)

SFEtsy: What's your work schedule / routine like?
Gloria​: By day, I work full-time as an administrator for an arts non-profit, and my schedule usually consists of coming home, having dinner, and working on my jewelry items or online work (updating listings, promoting, social media) for a few hours each night. This fluctuates on my mood, and sometimes I'll be on a creative bender and itching to make items, and sometimes I'll be creativity spent, and I focus my energy on the business side. No rest for the weary!

SFEtsy: ​Tell us about your work space - where do you create?
Gloria​: I recently moved into a new home where I have a studio sized (if not bigger) bedroom, and my creative space is a large section where there are floor to ceiling bay windows. I moved there specifically for that so that I could have as much natural light as possible. I am still organizing the area, but it feels good to have a spacious area for making! 

   
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 SFEtsy: What tools do you use that are absolutely essential and makes a huge difference in your day today process?
Gloria​: I could not function without my jewelry pliers and bead spinner. If you don't know what a bead spinner is, it's a contraption that looks like a small bowl with a vertical stick in the center which is used to place my beads on the wire to make my beaded flowers. You put the beads inside the bowl, hold the end of a wire inside the bowl, and use the stick in the center to spin the bowl and the beads climb the wire. It looks like magic...but really it's physics! 
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SFEtsy: How did you get involved with Etsy?
Gloria​: I've been on Etsy since 2009, right after it began. I began selling my beaded flowers to my dancer friends, and turned online because I've always had a dream to have my own business. I was immediately drawn to the fact that it promoted the handmade community, and created a network for artisans all over the world. It's been a big part of my identity as an artist!

​SFEtsy: What is your biggest challenge related to your Etsy shop?
Gloria​: Time. I have just enough time to create, but it takes 4 times more amount of time to photograph, edit, list, promote, (etc....etc...etc.), and I seem to never have enough hours of the day! We all dream that we could "quit our day job" and do Etsy full-time, but I have so much that I want to do in all facets of my creative and vocational self. 

  
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SFEtsy:  What has been your biggest success and/or proudest moment since opening your Etsy shop? 
Gloria​: There are two events that come to mind. One was last Fall at the enormously attended Etsy Holiday Emporium at Pier 35. A pair of customers spent so much time at my booth ooing and ahhing over each of my items, telling me the sweetest compliments about my jewelry and hair accessories. They later came back and told me that my booth was their favorite of the show (which was a HUGE compliment given the caliber of artists that were present!), and they bought more items. I came home that night exhausted as can be to an email from one of them saying that they wanted to thank me for my work and for being so kind to them. 

The second was very recent, as I had my first meeting with a store buyer, and they LOVED my items and wanted my pieces in their shop as soon as possible. This was equally special as this store was one that I was a constant shopper of and respected for their high end items, so it felt so validating that they felt my items fit in with their aesthetic.  

SFEtsy: ​What are your favorite tools or apps that help you with your business?
Gloria​: My favorite photo editing app is picsart on my cell phone to create memes or promotional images for instagram, and my favorite Etsy tool is Etsy Rank to let me know if my listings are completely filled with tags, and help me with keywords. ​

SFEtsy: ​Share with us one lesson you have learned as an online seller. 
Gloria​: I have learned to adapt my expectations! I sometimes will put a lot of time and effort into my Etsy store, and not necessarily get sales, and then I might leave my shop online, and get a flurry of sales...you just never know!

You  can we find out more about MorninGloria's at the following sites:
https://www.facebook.com/morninglorias
https://www.pinterest.com/morninglorias
http://instagram.com/morninglorias/
https://twitter.com/morninglorias
http://www.morninglorias.com/

 Gloria is offering a 15% discount this month with the code APRILSHOWERS. 

Friday Features are run by Raji of Red Kerria Designs. To see your own shop featured, please contact her.