Clay hand-designed earrings by Mili Makes Handmade Jewelry are going like hotcakes. Artisan Milika Stephens, known for Cuddlesome memory bears said her recent Mother’s Day set, which has lace designs imprinted, are almost sold out.
For as long as she could remember, Milika, who hails from Zeelandia, Wakenaam but has been residing in Georgetown since 2009, has always dabbled in the creative. Growing up she attended Zeelandia Nursery and Primary and Anna Regina Multilateral School. She remembers sketching a lot and taking on do-it-yourself projects while in secondary school.
A registered nurse by profession since 2012, Milika shared that she had only just completed maternity leave and was on the job for two days when the COVID lockdown was implemented. As a result, she decided to remain at home and tend to her son full time.
Staying at home saw her buzzing with so many creative ideas and self-taught artisan improved her skills from watching YouTube tutorials. She started Cuddlesome, creating teddy bears and other keepsakes from recycled personal items like favourite clothing or blankets. Some of her cuddlesome bears sported school uniforms which turned out to be a hit with customers.
However, in January of this year, Milika took a break from Cuddlesome to focus on honing her new skill and second hobby of moulding clay. Now that she has her earring-making down to a t, Milika plans to return to Cuddlesome in the near future.
Among the equipment she secured for her earrings business were modelling tools, a pasta machine that mixes the clay, moulds, earring hooks and clay cutters which she had 3D printed by a local company. She also imports polymer clay, which is not the traditional heavy clay. Shipping it to Guyana is expensive, though the clay itself is not. She tries to buy in bulk when it is available, which is not always the case as a lot of people make crafts from polymer clay.
As part of the process, Milika has to bake the clay. “It isn’t as hard as it looks. Once you get the groove of it, you figure out how to bake it. It can be baked in a regular oven at 275° Fahrenheit,” she said.
She laughed as she shared that for the time being, she bakes her earrings in an airfryer. At present, she sources her earring hooks from Etsy but tries her best to buy her materials locally. Milika explained that the reason for importing is owing to her hooks being stainless steel, gold plated and gold filled; she is yet to find a local business that can provide these.
For now Milika is focused on earrings, though she plans to eventually make other jewellery.
For Mother’s Day she made five styles and four different colours. She shapes the earrings by pressing the polymer clay into silicon moulds, then adds the lacy pattern to give them that three- dimensional and two-toned look.
Being a mother, she juggles time to make her pieces and sometimes finds shipping a challenge when there are delays. Even so, Milika believes she is doing pretty well having only recently established Mili Makes.
While her earrings are usually ready-made, orders can be placed for different colours, but not particular styles as Milika finds that her creative side is best shown when she feels inspired. Often her inspiration comes from different seasons, colours, holidays and sometimes what’s trending in the international clay community.
Always looking to learn new things, Milika is planning to tackle silkscreens, which she described as sort of stencils placed over rolled out clay, where paint is applied then the stencils are removed. “…So I’m taking my time with it. Once I’m comfortable enough with it, I’ll move on to something else,” the artisan said.
Milika looks forward to owning her own home where she can have an office to work from. Her big dream, she added, is to one day have her own craft supply store. In the meantime, she plans on returning to working full time while continuing to run Mili Makes and Cuddlesome part time.
While business is good, she does not generate enough income to support both restocking and a livelihood.
The artisan shared that what also drives her is her desire for financial independence so that she can contribute to her household and offer her son the best of everything possible.
For Milika two advantages of being in the creative industry are being able to choose when she wants to work and the amount of work she does at a time. However, she deems herself a workaholic, who is guilty of “never not working”. For her, it’s more the sense of freedom she gets from knowing she is choosing every day to do what she does.
Encouraging other artists, Milika said, “Your dream is your dream even if ten other people got to doing it before you. There’s no right time to get started. Start small, use what you have until you can get what you need. You don’t have to have it all together in the beginning and the mistakes you make will only lead to you making better ones in the future. At the end of the day, whatever you build will be yours and no one can take it away from you.”
Milika expressed gratitude to friends and family who support her, whether by purchasing items from her or sharing her business pages whenever they can. Her partner, she noted, is her biggest supporter.
Milika can be followed or contacted via Instagram and Facebook @_mili_makes or via WhatsApp on 650-5732.
She also has a display shelf at Collage, 50 Sheriff Street, Campbellville (next door to Ramchand’s Auto Spares).
