05/09/2026
Hello !
I thought I’d hop on before I officially go awol for the week.
I’ve had a big influx of new followers over the past few days.
Thank you for joining me on my small biz journey, it’s been a rollercoaster of a ride but here is the story so far …
Im Carla and Stella and Wolf started quite by accident. In 2018 I’d suffered a back injury which left me at home for the best part of a year. Long story short, as I started to get a bit more mobile and to stem the boredom , I started dabbling with painting beads. This turned into an obsession and before I knew it I had made more necklaces than I knew what to do with. That’s when I decided to open an Etsy shop. I didn’t believe for one minute anyone would buy from my shop but to my disbelief orders started to come in. And so my jewellery journey began . Two years in (and back at the day job at this point) the pandemic hit and my biz took off so well that I made the decision to quit the day job. Yup crazy right ! But it was the best decision I’d ever made . My biz has gone from strength to strength. I also branched out in to wholesale selling to stockists all over the world and also on ‘Not on the high street’. I added new lines, taught myself new skills and techniques and also added new materials.
There have also been some lows to my journey. 2021 saw me having to shut down my shop as my pesky back led me to emergency spinal surgery. I recovered enough after nearly a year and got back to doing what I loved .
This last month bought me to close my shop again as I had the devastating news that my mum had suddenly died. It’s been the hardest period of my life trying to navigate my grief, my dad’s grief and every else that goes with the passing of someone close to you and that you love dearly.
I’m having a break for a week then I’ll be back to open up my shops again.
Thank you so much for joining me on my journey . I hope you love the colourful pieces I design and make ,
Here’s a few more S&W facts
* I started my working life as a textile designer
* I design and make all of jewellery and accessories you see in my shops
* I am a one women biz
* I started my biz in my 40’s (it’s never too late folks)
