In the early 1990s, I fell in love with making beaded jewelry and selling it at Grateful Dead shows. Those years, traveling, meeting people, falling in love with the music and searching for meaning impacted me more than I knew. I look at those years with great joy and cherish the memories my best friend, Betsy and I shared on the road. Since then, I’ve kept up with jewelry making, though mostly for myself, family, and friends.
In the fall of 2025, I found a pair of chandelier earrings from my years following the Dead and wondered whether I could make something similar with wire and crystals. That question led me to find Natalia at creationsthatrock.com, who inspires softly through her masterful hands and artistic vision and where I took classes and immediately became completely obsessed.
Soon I realized I could turn that passion into something bigger: I could make jewelry, sell it, and use the proceeds to support immigrants and refugee families at a time when they are increasingly under attack. I felt helpless, as many of us felt watching the terror that has been unleashed not just in my hometown, but across the country.
As I bent wire, attached crystals and hammered fringes I knew exactly what I needed to do… I needed to keep my hands and mind busy, make jewelry and donate everything I make to help. A local boutique loved my mission, and offered to host a pop-up-shop… and now, here we are!
Every dollar I receive from my jewelry is donated to ICIRR — the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Check out my pieces and spread the LOVE.