How Spark of Nature Became More Than a Jewelry Business

When I was a child, probably about Riy’s age, my mom taught me how to make pony bead bracelets to sell at the events where she set up her jewelry. I loved making them! It seems the spark of creating has never left me, because I still love making jewelry today. Somewhere along the way, making things stopped being just something I loved and started being something I couldn't imagine not doing. So Dave and I started setting up at events — local shows, festivals, vendor markets. We sold strung jewelry, and we sold a lot of it. I still remember what it felt like to pack up the car and set up a booth together, watching people pick up something we made and decide to take it home. For years, that rhythm became our normal—creating, packing up the car, setting up, and doing it all over again for the next event. After almost ten years of it, something shifted. The joy that had always been there started to quiet down. I was still making things, still showing up, still selling — but the spark wasn't the same. I didn't want to stop. I just needed to find what would light it back up. Eventually, I purchased a kit to learn chain maille. 

Riy understands that feeling in her bones. In her words: When I’m creating something, it feels amazing.

My journey into learning chain maille is actually a hilarious story. That kit I mentioned, well, let’s just say it turns out I needed help. I contacted the supplier I purchased the kit from, sat down with her at Bead Fest, and learned I was doing it completely backward! Even to this day, we still joke about how I was doing it backward. Once I had it figured out, I sat down in the booth to finish it, then went back to my hotel room and made another version of the same weave. The first one was a two-toned Byzantine bracelet, and the second was a stretchy Byzantine bracelet. I even bought materials for a copper stretchy Byzantine that I made for Dave the next day. 

Once I learned a few more weaves, I was hooked! I began shifting into doing more and more chain maille and adding wire-wrapped beads to the designs. In 2016, I began thinking about rebranding. I felt my joy of making begin to spark anew with what I called “bead maille.”

I knew the old branding wasn’t going to work anymore, and I needed a fresh start. 

I was terrified. Not of the work. I knew how to work. I was terrified of starting over after years of building something, of walking away from a name people knew, of not knowing if the new direction would work. There is a specific kind of vulnerability in choosing to begin again when you don't have to. With the support of Dave, my parents, and our friends, I made that leap in 2017. I spent weeks trying to figure everything out, and then one day, it just clicked. I wanted to create emotion with my pieces, whether it was with a connection to nature or through the joy of finding the perfect piece. I began playing around with words and realized I wanted to spark an emotion while staying true to nature in the inspiration and beads I used. And that was it. Spark of Nature. It felt like mine in a way that nothing had before, because it wasn't just a business name. I wanted each piece to feel like more than something you just wear, something inspired by nature, bringing a sense of calm, connection, and positive energy. The spark never really left me, back when I was sitting at my mom's table making pony bead bracelets. It just took a few decades to find its name. 

Almost immediately after rebranding, my life changed completely. I found out I was pregnant with Riy. I tried to keep everything going just as I had before, doing events and keeping up with my website, but it was too hard to do. The following years were just up and down. Between motherhood and everything my body was going through, I had to make a decision. I had to put myself first and put the business on the back burner. That doesn’t mean I stopped completely—but my energy for it was limited. I did what I could, when I could, and even that felt heavy at times. I wanted to be creating more than I was able to. I wanted to create jewelry.

Things have gotten a lot better over the past year. A lot of my health issues have been resolved, and Riy has grown older and more independent, allowing me time to work. 

Since Riy is older now and more independent, I've been able to get back to doing my business more. The best part is that she likes to help, and sometimes she likes to be in the room with me doing art or playing. She even helps me with my designs, which I think is her favorite part of helping me with my jewelry. So, in a way, Spark of Nature is being shaped not just by me but also by my daughter. It's continually evolving exactly as it should. Spark of Nature has become something that grows with me—through every season, every shift, every new beginning. And in many ways, it always will. 

Riy already has plans of her own: I want to use my art show painting as inspiration for a tiny collection. The painting is called “A Princess’s Breeze,” and it has pinks, purple, pastel yellow, and gold. 

Thank you to those who have stuck with me throughout my entire journey with my jewelry business, and welcome to those who are new here. 

And here is a question for all of you. Has your creative path ever taken an unexpected turn? I'd love to hear your story in the comments. 

I hope to see you all soon!