“Find beauty in everything.”
That’s one of the mottos Juanita Granados has lived by in her quest to create her art pieces – unique and intricate pieces of jewelry, with no two the same. Juanita’s craftsmanship is evident in each one of her pendants or bracelets, bringing together a variety of organic and inorganic materials, such as flowers, rolled paper, beads, wood, or gold and silver pieces. Each one makes a statement that is both pleasing to the eye and comes from a passionate heart.
Juanita is from Bogota, Colombia, and moved to the Lake Nona area around two years ago. She’s worked in advertising and creative businesses most of her life and has always been passionate about art and creativity. As the youngest of eight siblings, she has vivid memories of doing arts and crafts with her family.
“I come from a family with great artistic talent. Until a few years ago, my mother painted and hand crafted spectacular things. In our family, art and crafts were the main reason for gatherings, where everyone spent hours creating. I apply the same tradition at home with our three daughters and my husband, where we gather around painting, creating or any manifestation of art plus the fun that comes with it,” says Juanita.
Her journey into jewelry-making began as a fun hobby, where she could enjoy the process of creating beautiful and distinct pieces for herself. Soon after, she realized she could continue to pursue the art of jewelry making but also bring her designs and pieces to the public and make money doing something she loved.
This is where Indulgences Unique Pieces was born. Juanita works tirelessly on each piece, from hand pressing and drying out real flowers to use in her work, to working with tiny tools like toothpicks to maintain the integrity of completing each step by hand. The process can often take days or weeks at a time, as Juanita works to make sure that each step is done with care and precision, not stopping until the piece looks absolutely perfect.
She takes into account the artistic principles of symmetry and placement, ensuring that each of the pieces is balanced and thoroughly intricate to preserve its individuality.
Juanita, who has a background in graphic design, created her own logo and business cards for Indulgences Unique Pieces and also works to make the displays for her jewelry just as unique and complex as the jewelry itself.
“I want to do this on my own,” says Juanita.
It really is a one-woman show for Juanita, as she not only makes all of the jewelry on her own but also works to market the brand herself on her social media and her website as well as working to make connections offline to expand her business. There are vendors from Celebration, Baldwin Park and Winter Park that currently carry her products, and Juanita hopes to continue to expand while maintaining the integrity of each of these pieces being handcrafted, not made in a factory.
“The idea is to expand more but always remain loyal to the principle of ‘handmade by me.’ The customers smile when they see my art pieces and what is inside is absolutely my food.”
Juanita’s husband has been instrumental in helping Juanita navigate the world of events, sales, her website, and maintaining her inventory, and she is throughly grateful for all that he does to assist her in making her dream a reality.
Outside of art, Juanita enjoys cooking and spending time with her family. Art is a big part of the dynamic in their household, with the family coming together to create art pieces as a group.
Indulgences Unique Pieces is continuing to grow. Juanita is expanding her business to include a new line of jewelry designed for younger girls, which features more whimsical items that include mermaids, fairies, and bright colors and patterns. There also are home art pieces, appropriately named Indulgences Home, which will include statement art pieces to add to your home decor. The new collection, launched in October, expresses an art that embodies where the heart is: home with one’s family.
Juanita’s work is truly impactful and inspiring, and her work is not only artistically brilliant but also comes straight from the heart of the woman behind each intricate design. You can find Juanita’s pieces on her website at https://www.indulgencesuniquepieces.com/, her social media pages, and here at her home in Lake Nona. She offers free delivery to those who live in the Lake Nona area.