Today we’d like to introduce you to Lizzy Mildenhall.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started making jewelry when I was six months pregnant with my first child. I had just graduated with my bachelor’s degree, but I was planning to be a stay-at-home mom for a few years. At the time, I was working at Michael’s, and I was intrigued by all the pretty beads in the bead aisle. I knew I needed a hobby to keep myself busy, so I decided to give it a try.
I spent hours and hours researching different styles of beaded jewelry and the techniques I needed to learn to get started. At first, I just made bracelets. I started an Instagram account and posted my creations to see what kind of feedback I’d get from other people. I gave them away as gifts. Some of my friends started asking for earrings, so I tried my hand at that as well. Eventually, I began selling here and there through word of mouth.
When the holidays came around, my themed earrings started gaining popularity. Within a few months, I opened an Etsy shop, listed a few pairs of earrings, and made my first sale shortly after. That first year, I got one or two orders a month.
After two years of making jewelry, I felt confident enough to start selling at local farmers markets. Much to my surprise, I made a good amount of money at that first market—enough to encourage me to keep going. My Etsy shop also started gaining traction, with about one order per week.
By my third year of jewelry making, I was selling at farmers markets a couple of times a month during the summer, and I worked hard to improve my Etsy shop. I refined my style to focus more on cottagecore and fairycore pieces. I loved all things sparkly and flowery.
Once I invested more time into my shop, I saw real growth: it took a full year after that to hit 100 sales, six months to reach 200 sales, and then about four months to get to 300 sales. In January of 2025, I started a YouTube channel, and one of my videos went viral. That brought a lot of traffic to my shop and gave me the boost I had been looking for.
I started the year with 390 sales, and I am currently at 850—with a goal to reach 1,000 before the year ends. I am so grateful for all the support from my friends and family throughout this journey. I wouldn’t be here without their help and encouragement.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There has definitely been a learning curve when it comes to managing a small business—especially this year, as things have picked up quite a bit. I’m still a stay-at-home mom to two kids, and I work a PRN job as a social worker on some weekends.
With all of that combined—local markets and an average of one Etsy order per day—it’s been a lot to juggle. Posting my jewelry on social media consistently is tough, and I’m still learning new things about jewelry making even now.
With the rising cost of beads and other materials, it’s been tricky to find the right balance between paying myself a livable wage and keeping my prices affordable.
All that said, it’s been a fun and rewarding learning experience, and I hope to continue growing and learning as my business evolves.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am the founder of DizzyLizzyBeads. I make whimsical beaded jewelry and accessories of all sorts, but I specialize in needle-and-thread beading. I use very small seed beads and thread them together—usually only one or two at a time—to create my pieces.
I’m most proud of my intricate necklaces, which take several hours from start to finish, including the process of choosing just the right color schemes and beads. My jewelry is known for being very flowery and fairy-esque. One customer at a market once told me I was a “fairy magnet,” and that absolutely made my day.
I’m obsessed with flowers, fruits, and mushrooms—and it certainly shows in my work. I’m not afraid to step outside the typical dainty jewelry style we often see from other makers. While I sometimes receive negative comments for not being “dainty enough,” I know there are plenty of people who long to reconnect with their inner child and embrace a sense of whimsy.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Risk-taking is just part of being a small business owner. Every time I create something new, it’s a risk. There’s always the chance that people won’t like it, or that my social media posts won’t get picked up by the algorithm and it flops. There have been several times when I’ve made a product I thought was super cute, only for it not to sell at all—resulting in lost time and money.
As I’ve continued making jewelry, I’ve learned more about what tends to sell and what doesn’t. But honestly, it’s the failures that have taught me the most and helped me get to where I am now.
Since in-person selling is a big part of my business, there’s always the risk that I won’t sell well at a market. This can happen for a couple of reasons: either the market itself is slow and poorly advertised, or it just doesn’t attract my target audience. I do a lot of research before applying to markets—especially since there are often application fees involved—so I can make sure it’s worth my time and money. Still, it can be hard to know for sure unless I’ve done the event before.
Even so, I believe risk is absolutely necessary for success. Without taking chances, I wouldn’t have applied to some of the bigger events I did this year—many of which turned out to be really successful.
Pricing:
- Lowest item $5
- Highest item $50
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Dizzylizzybeads.etsy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dizzylizzybeads
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579602720042
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dizzylizzybeads
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@dizzylizzybeads
