Amanda Salandy, 38, created her first designs using whatever coloured polymer clay she could get her hands on, a US$30 pasta-maker and kitchen utensils.

At the time all she had was a mouse, cheese and the Sesame Street character Elmo.

But with encouragement from her sister-in-law Tonya-Leigh Salandy, she launched her business, Tiiu.

Tiiu, an Estonian name meaning "little bird," was initially an alternative source of income to her already established cosmetology and nail-tech business. This came as the covid19 lockdowns limited and even halted her business completely at her home in Vieux Fort, St James.

She said she used her savings to slowly acquire the machinery to create her earring designs.

“I just used whatever little ‘scrums’ I had, so to speak, and I literally start to scrape up Cash Pot money, asking, ‘Where the ten cents and the set of cent it have there?’ I took every cent and started buying little things just to see what I can do.”

[caption id="attachment_987259" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Amanda Salandy's handmade earrings in her Tiiu collection. - ROGER JACOB[/caption]

She was a bit hesitant at first and wondered if anyone would even be interested in such designs, but when she resumed work as a cosmetologist and nail techician, her clients were mesmerised and bought them.

She creates intricate studs that portray the beauty of nature. Some of her popular designs derived from this are seashells, the sea meeting the sand, mangoes, lemons and one of her most popular, the toucan.

The designs are almost realistic, since she includes the imperfections of the fruits she is working from.

With this natural talent and her clients, she started creating more and trusted her clients to get the word out about her new product.

But Salandy said she doesn’t only rely on word of mouth, as her business is still growing. She makes sure to secure a spot at every artisan market such as UpMarket and South Market. She said the costs of these markets range between $200 and $475, but this doesn’t deter her, as she always earns the money back with profit.

Her business strategy is immediately greeting someone who is taking an interest in her work and telling them about it.

“I'll tell them that the studs are hypo-allergenic, so one time they know that they don't have to worry about their ears turning green, and then I just start talking to them about the product. I pull out my phone, I hit them video and they go, ‘Oh my God, it’s handmade.’”

[caption id="attachment_987260" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Amanda Salandy flattens clay to use to make earrings in the Tiiu collection. - ROGER JACOB[/caption]

She said once they realise this, they pick up different designs and inspect them before buying.

“In their minds now they say, ‘She’s moulding these toucans, let me see it,’ and they start paying more attention and then they pull out their phones and ask for my Instagram.”

She said that is the most successful business strategy, because all she can offer at these markets are 15 pairs of four