Meet Stephanie Langford | Etsy Shop Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Langford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
The quote I think about most is, “The biggest risk is not taking any risk.” It’s so simple and it encourages me through any doubts or imperfections that could keep me from moving forward. Whenever I’m creating a new product or trying a new idea there’s always a risk I can fail and this quote helps me to embrace that. Taking risks is part of the excitement and opens doors for you to grow. When you try anything new it could fail and that’s ok. You can’t be afraid to fail. You just learn from it, grow, and try again. Trying new things and taking risks keeps you flexible and able to adapt to change.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Since my childhood I loved all art forms and knew I wanted to sell things that I make. My grandma taught me how to sew when I was 5 and that has been my favorite way to play with color, texture, form, and function. I started out making whatever made me happy. That was a great creative outlet, but not a business.

The business took off when I learned to simplify, look at what people are using in their everyday lives, and create things that are beautiful and also functional. The challenge for me was finding a balance of doing what I love and also serving others and fulfilling a need. For a long time I thought that was kind of selling out, but I realized it was way more fun. I get so much joy out of making something people love to use in their everyday life.

I established a few guiding principles to keep me focused on values that are important to me when creating new products. It’s pretty simple. I just want to make things that are beautiful, functional, and made from natural materials. I want everything I make to be a representation of joy and kindness. I thoughtfully choose my materials in a way that celebrates our amazing planet and aim to turn them into beautiful items that bring joy to the people that use them.

Right now my best selling product is a linen drawstring bag that people use to store their fresh homemade bread. It is so simple, but I love finding beautiful fabrics to use, and that there are many people enjoying the bags in their homes.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Of course I would take them to the LA fashion district. This is where I hunt for all the beautiful fabrics I use. We would definitely hike Griffith Park and enjoy the views from the Observatory. We would go to many bakeries and cafés including Wild Oak Cafe in Glendale for a rainbow late and Artelice Patisserie in Burbank for the best croissants. I love visiting the Getty Museum for the art, garden, and views. We would have to spend a day in Laguna Beach to walk Heisler Park, eat the best ice cream at Gelato Paradiso, and explore the local art galleries.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband has always been very supportive in all my creative and business endeavors. He encourages me and helps me push through any doubts or fears. I can always bounce ideas off of him, laugh about any mistakes, and make it fun. He’s an entrepreneur, risk taker, talented musician and performs under the name Folaship.

Website: www.sjhandmade.com

Instagram: Stephanie_Jos

Linkedin: Stephanie Jo Langford

Facebook: StephanieJosNatural