Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Lane.
Hi Tiffany, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Hello, I’m Tiffany Lane and I live in Savannah, GA with my husband and 3 wonderful children. I started playing around with polymer clay in February 2020 after seeing a few earrings on my Pinterest page. I went to our local craft store, grabbed a few bars of clay and went home to watch YouTube videos. Unfortunately, Covid hit the United States and caused the National quarantine. This did have a positive effect for me! Since I wasn’t able to go into work, I was able to sit at home while my children did virtual learning and play with all sorts of techniques and learn more about the medium. I fell in love with it! There was so much you could do with it and the clay itself is extremely lightweight which is great for all day wear or those who have stretched out ears. After everything opened back up in May 2020 I went back to my job as a Manager of a local boutique. I made earrings on the weekends or my days off. I made the decision in August 2020 to make Made by Lane my full time job. With the uncertainty of children going back to school and not having someone at home to help them I left my job. This past year has been amazing! I have learned so much about owning a small business (and still have so much more to learn). Made by Lane has really grown in the last few months and I’m hoping to expand it more this coming new year!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, I don’t think any start up has a smooth road in the beginning. I have shed many tears and even bled. Lol. In the beginning, I burned many earrings until I figured out the correct temperature on my oven. It also took a few tries learning how to secure my backs but I finally got that down. I’ve stabbed myself a few times with the drill while drilling holes during assembly. But one thing that I still struggle with is time management. I tend to get neck deep in my work and I need to set time aside on weekends and just relax with the family. I think it has gotten better the last few weeks but I definitely need to work on a schedule in the new year!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I make handcrafted polymer clay jewelry, mainly earrings. Polymer clay is a type of pliable modeling clay based on the polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC), basically a plastic. Once it is baked, the clay is strong and durable. Since the clay is a plastic, I use every piece so I do not throw away any waste. I will give a free pair of mini repurposed studs with every order, mix up my scraps and make new colors or use the scraps and make a marbling slab.
I love using alcohol inks and paints to create faux stone earrings. I feel like at the moment those are my signature pieces.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
To have patience!
Contact Info:
- Email: Info@madebylane.com
- Website: www.madebylane.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/madebylanestore
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/madebylanestore
Image Credits
Made by Lane
