Anam Cara Clay Goods

Anam Cara Clay Goods Handmade polymer clay jewelry for the woman who wears her personality out loud. Lightweight. Bold. Comfy. Shenandoah Valley, VA
New drops + market dates ↓

Julie Mullins, owner and artist of Anam Cara Clay Goods, has been exploring the art of jewelry making since childhood. From pony bead necklaces during recess to friendship bracelets at summer camp (and the hemp/macrame comeback craze of the early 2000s), this creative outlet has been a journey of exploration and discovery of personal expression in authentic ways. As a child, Julie’s father worked

as a full time portrait artist and her mother a very talented seamstress, so the pursuit of creativity was always encouraged. With former careers as a professional chef, dance instructor, and camp counselor, the common thread tying her 22 year career together has been her enduring love of non-profit work. After moving from the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee with her hubby and their two “fur babies” in 2018, she began serving at Innisfree Village, a residential community for adults with intellectual disabilities in Crozet, VA. This life change was the catalyst for finally pursuing her dream of owning a small creative business. After envisioning dozens and dozens of business ideas, she discovered polymer clay in 2020 and that is when future plans started taking root. Learning this art medium kept her sane during the pandemic, and brought her to a renewed place of peace and purpose in forging a path as an artist and entrepreneur. Julie simply fell in love with this curious and expressive process, where each piece of jewelry is distinctly unique, surprising lightweight and durable, as well as functional and fashionable. While bold statement dangles, studs and drops, necklaces, bracelets, and other fun accessories are the stars of the show, Anam Cara Clay Goods strives to empower others to explore their own creativity, to feel positively beautiful inside and out, and to remember that just like a pair of earrings, we are all better together!

09/09/2026

I get the studio table, the mess, the slow work of getting it right. You get to put it on and just enjoy it, because now it’s part of your morning, your outfit, your story.

That’s the deal, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I pour hours into something nobody sees; the version that didn’t work, the color I almost second-guessed, the three tries it took to get the technique right. And then it leaves the studio, and most of the time, that’s the last I see of it.

But every once in a while, I get a glimpse. A tag in a photo. A market conversation where someone tells me exactly when they wear a certain pair. And it’s such a gift, getting even a small window into where something of mine ended up.

I think that’s exactly how it’s supposed to work, though. I’m not trying to hold onto what I make. I’m trying to make things worth passing on.

So if there’s a piece of Anam Cara Clay currently living in your world, thank you! ❤️ I hope it’s bringing you the same joy it brought me in making it.

This isn’t really about a table. It’s about everything that’s sat on it: the DIY displays, the antique finds, the custom...
09/07/2026

This isn’t really about a table. It’s about everything that’s sat on it: the DIY displays, the antique finds, the custom pieces, all the collections that came and went. It’s about the time and energy, the hands that built it, market after market, year after year. Five years of showing up, learning, adjusting, growing.

Swipe through 2022–2026 to see it all.

I had no idea what I was doing. I was beyond nervous, hands shaking, asking did I price this right, is anyone going to buy anything. But underneath the nerves was something louder: hope. I had made these things with my own hands, and I was about to find out if anyone else would love them too.

The displays started to grow. Bigger events meant bigger setups. I started collecting antique pieces and vintage odds and ends, hunting for anything that could give the table more character. Inventory expanded. New collections started taking shape. I was still learning, but I wasn’t guessing anymore, because my hands knew the clay better, and it showed. Same hope as 2022. A little more confidence riding alongside it.

Setup is down to an art. Everything has its place, and the whole process is rinse and repeat. I could build this table in my sleep at this point. I got more selective, too. Not every market, just the right ones. The Charm Bar went public. Non-pierced options became a real, requested thing. The table was thriving. So was I, happy, but tired in that deep, this-is-a-lot way. Growth doesn’t come free.

Not a huge shift from the year before, but a real one underneath the surface. I pulled back on markets. Life got busy with other things, and something had to give. I leaned more into connecting with other small businesses, and kept developing new clay techniques, new skills to bring to the table when I did show up. Mostly, though, this was the year of trying to find the balance between life, my work at Innisfree, and this business I love. It’s a lot to hold at once. I’m still figuring out how to hold it well.

The display got a huge upgrade this year with all custom, all thanks to my dad, who put in the work to make it happen. I’m so grateful. Funny thing, something that used to be so easy to set up now takes

09/04/2026

Bold earrings: now trending in the UK! 😄

Turns out Anam Cara earrings travel well, literally. Thank you to my friend Karolinny Santos for taking the brand on her international travels! ❤️

Meet the Earring Girl.She’s got not so subtle opinions about jewelry and her earrings are usually the proof. Some days s...
09/02/2026

Meet the Earring Girl.

She’s got not so subtle opinions about jewelry and her earrings are usually the proof. Some days she’s soft and sentimental, some days she’s bold in the best way, others she’s just having a bit of fun. But the earrings will always tell you which version of her you’re getting.

She’s not one type. She’s not one mood. She’s just fully herself, and letting the earrings do the talking.

I know her well, because (no surprise here), I am her. 😜😘

No shame if all of these are you too; we earring girls gotta stick together. 🧡

It’s giveaway time and this one is practically magical! 🪄🪄🪄🪄I firmly believe that every good witch needs the right pair ...
09/01/2026

It’s giveaway time and this one is practically magical! 🪄🪄🪄🪄

I firmly believe that every good witch needs the right pair of earrings.

So I’m giving one lucky someone a pair of my Magic Witch drop earrings AND 2 tickets to see the new in theaters, because some things are just meant to go together.

Want in? Like this post, share it, and tag 3 of your witchiest friends in the comments for an extra entry (the more you tag, the more entries you get).

Entries close September 10th and winner announced in September 11. Good luck, witches! 🧙🏼

Art in the Park is one of my favorite show weekends of the whole year, and I don’t say that lightly.There’s a rhythm to ...
08/31/2026

Art in the Park is one of my favorite show weekends of the whole year, and I don’t say that lightly.

There’s a rhythm to this one with familiar faces who’ve been stopping by my table for years, new folks discovering Anam Cara for the first time, the whole park buzzing with that last-hurrah-of-summer energy. It just feels good.

Saturday, September 5, 10–5. Sunday, September 6, 11–5. Gypsy Hill Park, Staunton.

Family-friendly, local-art-supporting, Labor Day weekend-ing, really can’t ask for a better combo. Come find me. I’ll be the one surrounded by earrings and probably talking with my hands.

I hear some version of “I could never pull that off” at more markets than you can imagine. Usually from a woman holding ...
08/31/2026

I hear some version of “I could never pull that off” at more markets than you can imagine. Usually from a woman holding a pair of earrings she clearly loves, already halfway to putting them on, before she talks herself out of it and reaches for the “safe” pair instead.

Nobody is checking your credentials at the door. There is no committee deciding who’s colorful enough, artsy enough, or confident enough to wear something bold. You do not need to lose weight first, wait for a special occasion, get a different hair cut, get more settled in your career, or heaven forbid, feels like you morally deserve it before you’re allowed to have fun with what you wear.

You’re allowed to just like it and put it on. That’s the whole qualification.

Here’s the part I think people miss, though. It’s not just that you get to wear the bold thing once you feel confident enough. It’s that putting it on is often what makes you feel confident in the first place. Something actually shifts. You catch your reflection and stand up a little straighter. You walk into the room a little differently. The earrings didn’t wait for you to become someone bolder. They helped you become her.

So if you’ve been holding onto “someday I’ll be the kind of person who wears that,” I’d like to gently suggest that day can just be today.🧡

What’s the piece you’ve been talking yourself out of? Let’s normalize just wearing it.

This order’s about to head out for local delivery, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. 🍂🎃Two pairs, one happy custo...
08/28/2026

This order’s about to head out for local delivery, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. 🍂🎃

Two pairs, one happy customer, and zero shipping wait, that’s honestly one of my favorite parts about offering free local pickup and delivery. Your new earrings can be in your hands the same week you order them, no waiting around for a mail truck. Plus, we actually get to see each other in person when I drop it off, yay!

And in case you haven’t heard yet, the Fall and Halloween collection is officially live in the shop. From cozy pumpkins and falling leaves, to the rich autumn tones alongside all the slightly spooky and bold pieces that are perfect for the season.

So if you’re local, this could be you. Or if you’d rather see everything in person first, I’ll have these same pieces with me at Art in the Park next weekend too.

Shop the collection now, link in bio!

I have. Dozens and dozens of times.I’d pick out something that was genuinely calling to me, and before I even got it ful...
08/28/2026

I have. Dozens and dozens of times.

I’d pick out something that was genuinely calling to me, and before I even got it fully on, the second-guessing would start. This is too over the top for such an informal thing. That color is way too loud. People are going to look at me. And so I’d put it back and reach for something quieter instead.

For a long time I told myself that was just being modest. Not wanting to draw too much attention. Fitting in with whatever the room called for instead of standing out in it. It felt responsible, almost. Like the mature choice.

Honestly? I still catch myself doing it. But now, at least, I question it when it happens. I don’t always win that argument with myself. Sometimes I still talk myself down. But I’m getting bolder, a little at a time, and I’m not interested in beating myself up over the days I don’t quite get there.

That’s a big part of why my earrings do so much of the heavy lifting for me. On the days I’m not quite brave enough for the whole loud outfit, I can still put on the crazy bright, slightly odd pair and let them say the thing I wasn’t quite ready to say with everything else.

If you’ve ever done this too, downplayed yourself to fit the room, I see you. And I’d bet a good pair of earrings could help you a little too. 🧡

Tell me I’m not the only one. What’s sitting in your closet or jewelry box right now that you love but haven’t worn yet? And why? Is it the color, print, style? New rule: wear it anyway. 😘

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Waynesboro, VA
22980

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