Meet Etsy Owner Melissa from mila rose designs

Where are you from and tell us a little about yourself?
I’m Melissa, from IL, and I’m the creative mind behind our fabulous hair accessories. My little sister, Laura, will be adding her gorgeous handmade hats and scarves for the upcoming fall season. I’m a total girly-girl, a colorist/stylist, and I love cupcakes. Laura is super witty, loves to paint, and is starting college this fall majoring in English. We are always acting silly as you can see in our etsy pictures, and are the best of friends!

Why did you start your Etsy shop?

I made a headband for a wedding I was in about a year ago and everyone was in love with it so I started making some for friends as gifts. The feedback was really positive and so I thought maybe I should try selling them. I started selling a few at a boutique I was working at at the time, and when the boutique closed I decided to open up an Etsy shop and it’s been going really well so far.

How did you come up with your Etsy shop name?
Our family is our everything, so we wanted to incorporate that in some way. Mila is the first initials of Laura and I and our two brothers (Melissa, Ian, Laura, Austin) and roses are our mom’s favorite flower (plus it sounded good with mila) lol. So that is how we got mila rose designs.

What is your favorite item in your shop and why?
Ohhhh I don’t think I could pick just one. For me personally though, I like headbands that are a little over the top and make a statement, like the Caley and the Taylor.

What was your first piece you sold?
This first piece I sold was at the boutique I was at. It was a skinny band with a small handmade black leather flower with cute little feathers. The first etsy piece sold went to my mom:) She is so amazing and supports us in everything we do, so it was sweet of her to be our first sale!

Where do you get your inspiration for your pieces?

It’s easy to be inspired by your everyday surroundings. It can be anything from the feel of fabric to the intricate pattern on vintage buttons to the color combinations in my mom’s garden. I strive to see beauty in all things so it’s very easy to find inspiration.

Do you have plans for expansion?
A lot of amazing opportunites have been presented in the past few months. mila rose designs has just been picked up to be sold at two boutiques in our area and in August will be showcasing the line at Henri Bendel in New York! I would love to start working on a bridal collection and focus on getting into more specialty stores.

Any other sites you can be found on?
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/milarosedesigns
Twitter: http://twitter.com/milarosedesigns
Blog: http://milarosedesigns.blogspot.com
Bella Caley: http://bellacaley.com

Anything else you would like us to know?
I love getting custom orders! I think it’s so amazing to be able to share ideas with someone else and create a gorgeous one-of-a-kind design! Be pretty:)

**Please take a moment to visit mila rose designs.  If you comeback here and leave a comment with your favorite item you can have a total of five extra entries to leave on any or a combination of my current giveaways.  You must leave the comments for the extra entries on the giveaways you would like to be entered into.  This offer ends on  8/2 at midnight.