It is always my favorite when I get the chance to work with a WAHM do a review of her work! However Eliza from E.StirlingDesigns is one of my favorites. She is extremely passionate about what she is doing and values her customers deeply.
I received my necklace about one month ago and I have not taken it off since. I have put it through a test of 3 children, 2 road trips and numerous memories.
Eliza is a detailed jewelry maker. Browsing through her site you wish you could add all the charms to your cart. Holding your charm in your hand you are stricken by the detail of your new little friend. She markets her self as "jewelry for the soul" but in my experience you could almost say "jewelry with a soul".
My charm is smooth and strong made of solid sterling silver it is a bit heavy and solid, but it is made to withstand time. Although a tip for front carry mamas, move your charm to your back our a sleeping baby will have a lovely imprint on their little forehead. My pendant has one thing I do not like. There are a few tiny air bubble spots on the back. I assume this is from the casting. The only effect this has is that the backside is not as smooth as the front, but it does not seem weak or damaged in anyway.
The chain is in my opinion the perfect size. It is also very strong. All three of my child have yanked and pulled on it a ton! it is just the right thickness that it does not end up cutting into your skin, although it is uncomfortable for the remainder of baby's tug. The fastener is easy to use but strong and well attached. It is also made of sterling silver. I often break out to most necklaces. With this chain I have had zero rash or even itchiness.
I think Eliza's jewelry is something every family can use to mark something special. be it part of her lovely mothering collection or something else to fit your journey. Eliza's designs are beautiful and well made. I often received compliments on my lovely pendant and I know you will too. I give E.Stirling Designs a 9.5 of 10.
I took the time to ask Eliza a few questions so we could get to know her more. You should definitely take the time to get to know her better by reading below.......... There is also a special surprise just for my reader at the end!
When did you start making jewelry, how did you get started?
As a kid, I loved miniatures. I started making jewelry when I was 10 years old and my father cast my first piece at age 11. I started apprenticing with my father and master jeweler Eric Marlow at age 19. I take great pride in continuing the family trade. I feel like these days not many things are passed down through generations anymore and am glad I can say I'm keeping the family tradition alive.
I express my passions in life through my work, inspired by the beauty of life around me, and turn it into wearable art. Each piece is made with the lost wax casting process. The waxing process can take up to a couple of months to complete and each pendant takes about eight hours to cast and polish. Casting is tricky and throwing molten metal can be an exhilarating and dangerous process, but I work with my hands to feed my soul and at E.Stirling Designs we make "Jewelry for the Soul". I hope my customers understand that these designs from my life take a great deal of skill and time to make and are not made in China and for that reason the cost will reflect the effort and expertise I bring. I love designing jewelry, it is a true labor of love and each collection explores a different facet of my life.
What was your business biggest struggle?
What has been the biggest struggle with my business is the time and the balance of being a new mom and business owner. Before my son, I worked a full time job as the special events sales manager at the Columbus Museum of Art for 14 years and still found time to put in another 40 hours into my business each week. Once I had my son two months early and after breaking out of the NICU, I was spent. But now that he is two I have a bit more time to jump back into my business. I am the CEO, designer, caster, marketing, and production department at my company, so their is always something to do. I'm always trying to find new ways to reach my clients because once they see my work and versatility of my designs they keep coming back to see what new.
What is your goal as a brand?
My goal for my brand is to reach a larger demographic. The goal would be for E.Stirling Designs to be a household name and for me to employ more mothers like me. My designs capabilities are without bounds and I have so very many other designs on the horizon and an excited to see where I can go next. I take great pride in the fact that my work is all made in America and I am continuing the family trade, passed down from father to daughter. I want to be the go-to artist for everything around mothering.
Tell us about your mothering journey!
My mothering journey was far from ordinary but that's what's makes it mine and I'm stronger because of it. When I was pregnant with my son, I was inspired by the beauty of creating a life and was excited to incorporate my mothering journey into my next collection. My husband Aaron was born at home and is a massage therapist and we try to live a holistic life. I was hoping for a home birth as well, but my son couldn't wait to meet us and came two months early, weighing just over 3 pounds and spending two months in the NICU. That experience was the hardest thing I had ever done and I felt broken leaving my son each day. But out of that darkness came the astoundingly joy as we started our life together at home. Me and my incredible husband were sleep deprived but so thankful to be a family. We found babywearing to be an incredible way to continue to bond with our son and still be able to function as normal human beings. I first wore my son in the Moby and then transitioned to the Lillebaby when he was big enough. My husband Aaron encouraged me to go back into the waxing studio and create, because he knew how much joy it brought to my life.
The first pendant that I created was the Babywearing in the front carry position, since that's how I wear my son Adrian. I used photos of us babywearing to get the positioning of my hands and our bodies accurately in the design. Then I created the breast-feeding pendant even though breastfeeding was something my son never took to. I did pump for 21 months, instead, so I was giving my son breastmilk for as long as I could.
After I finished those pendants, I posted the videos of me creating them online and people quickly asked if I did a back carry and a tandem carry. Since I have never worn a back or tandem carrier, I asked the groups I belong to on Facebook to post their favorite pictures. It was so helpful to have so many different variations and angles of each carry. I was able to see where everyone put their hands while wearing and the different angles of the photos really helped me get the correct anatomy of mother and child. I was able to use the public as my model, which was a great experience and I even made some friends of out it!
Each pendant took about a week to complete. They are only about an inch high and the detail level is intense. I designed these pendants to be like little medals of honor for each step of my motherhood. I've been asked why I don't have a pumping pendant, but I just don't think that it would translate well in this medium. I've also been asked to make a mom tandem- wearing with the child wrapped around her leg. Ideas like these would be very true to the motherhood that we all experience.
I'm excited to see how the Mothering Collection can grow. There are so many different possibilities and eventually I would love to do a baby wearing daddy as well, since parenting is a partnership.
I hope you enjoy this Mothering Collection as much as I did creating it.
What is one wish you have for your customers?
My one wish for my customers is to have an emotion when looking at and wearing my work, whether it takes you back to that day on the soccer field with my juggler pendant. Or that one day in yoga class when you finally got a perfect headstand with my headstand pendant. Or that time when you were a child and dreamed about fairies and now you get to see that they do exist and you're wearing a fairy pendant as a badge of honor. Or that moment when your baby finally latches onto your breast and gazes up at you with contentment and raw love. This is what I wish for my customers. I hope my customers enjoy my jewelry as much as I enjoyed making it for them!
Eliza has a special offer just for you! Enter code Nursingmama for 18% off your order at her website!
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This is little E at our awesome VIP Event. These take place the day before the event and are small intimate groups about very specific subjects. We chose baby wearing! In the small group we learned basic 101 info seasoned with a mix of how to help our peer and be a knowledgeable helpful baby wearing rep. The small groups make things fun. Everyone gets a little one on one attention and then you all have fun playing games as a group. These small groups cost a little extra but are totally worth it as a chance to really expand on something your interested in, and meet lots of friendly faces. 
Baby can also gain a wealth of new experiences. E got to experience so many new and fun things on her trip for the first time! 
And Last! Being introduced to brand you did not know of many of them locally based. You will also score several freebies and coupon codes!
