The Origin Story

Now that its been 10 years that ALL GOODS FROM THE WOODS has been around, I was feeling a bit sentimental and went joggin’ down memory lane to dig up all the old buried goodies…May you enjoy this story. I hope you find a spark of inspiration on the other side of it!

Let’s just set the scene back in 2014 for a sec,

Kickin’ it off with a photo from where I was at the time, in my waitressing days at Thelma’s.

Living + working in a resort town that had shoulder seasons of verrry slow months was the greatest blessing for me. I would work my butt off during our touristy seasons, then give my co-workers my shifts for those slow shoulder months . Me, Jay and our pups would take off for months and live out of our pop-up tent trailer in different remote locations on these trips. Camping here, there, and anywhere that wasn't an actual campground…

On this particular trip in 2014, we were living among a forest of old growth fir trees in the backwoods of Northern California. Jay’s Uncle Clif met up to camp with us for a short time. He is a master at tying his own flies for fly fishing and he was patient enough to teach me how to tie them too.

I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of working so intricately with my hands and really appreciated the act of making something that served a purpose. A few years before then, Clif also gifted us the book "All That The Rain Promises and More" which quickly became our favorite book of all time, and we were thoroughly thumbing through that baby on a daily basis. This specific combo of tying flies and acquainting us with the fungi kingdom really kicked things off for me. Shout out, Uncle Clif !

Arts n Crafts were my jam when I was a little kid, but I channeled all my creative energy into playing music in my teens, so it had been years since I delved into any kind of craft up until this moment of young adulthood.

I never felt so accomplished than this moment of landing my own fish from my very own fly that I tied, thanks again to Uncle Clif!

We spent our days hunting, fishing, exploring and identifying any new mushrooms we would come across. My admiration for the woods ever-growing and my gaze began to focus closer and closer to the forest floor.

I became absolutely enamored by the micro + myco worlds.

Every evening when we got back to camp, Jay would cook us dinner and I'd spend that time gathering up kindling, tending to the fire, fixin’ a pot of water and patiently wait for our chamomile + fir needle tea to brew. I'd sit in front of that fire and empty my pockets of the forest treasures I had found that day. Be it acorn caps, alder cones, rocks, bones, twigs with character, etc.

Where the Jewelry Journey Began

We visited the nearest town to gas up + refill our propane tank. I noticed a little building behind the post office with a painted sign above the door that read "bead shop". What an unassuming place for a bead store…
Like a magnet, I was in that bead shop moments after laying my eyes upon it. I felt all kinds of giddy like a child. The old woman who I presumed was the owner, was sitting in the back, beading while listening to the radio. She seemed as though she was in a trance and I dared not disturb her. I slowly and silently walked each row, touching no thing, my eyes growing wider with excitement with each silent step I took. I was beginning to have flashbacks of that one time I got to make jewelry with my mom’s cousin Angela. AH, yess… what fun to be had.

Angela was the only adult I ever knew that had a whole room dedicated to beads/crafts and I always thought that was the coolest thing ever. I remember thinking then, “wouldn’t it be fun to prioritize arts n crafts to THAT level when I’m grown up?”. She inspired me so much as a kid and to this day, I tip my hat to her for introducing me to jewelry making. Shout out, Angela!!!

With Jay and the pups waiting for me in the truck, I grabbed what I thought was the bare necessities to begin making jewelry. A small bag of mis-match beads that had a $3.00 sticker on it, an even smaller bag of earring hooks, and 2 small spools of wire. I broke the old womans beading trance, handed her $12 cash and we were on our way back to camp.

That evening around the fire, I fooled around with my new supplies and a few of my treasured forest finds. I made my first ever pair of Ruffed Grouse feather earrings which were destined to fall apart the moment someone were to actually wear them (cause they were held together by twisted wire), but it didn't matter. I enjoyed this process more than anything. Spending time around a fire, crafting something that “could” be worn, with materials I collected from those very woods...I found my heart!

then next several pieces I made were no more sturdy than the first set of earrings I made, but I was inspired, having a blast and kept at it

my craft started to hit its stride when

I invested in some better crafting supplies…heh! I was having a blast crafting, but quickly realized that I needed better supplies if I wanted to make things that could actually be worn…

I found a medium that gave me the ability to play with lichen, mushrooms, flowers, moss, plants and all things living which was a game-changer!

I foraged, dried and set these little treasures behind glass (which as it turns out, was much more durable than thin wire wrapped around feathers…go figure)

I was having so much fun experimenting and tweaking the process. I made a habit of wearing my experimental pieces to see how strong they were and to observe how they aged.

our living spaces mysteriously began to transform into crafting stations

and my eyes began to see little nothings as “somethings”…things like the little scraps left behind from chopping wood, became a canvas for wood burning

upon our return home,

the art of tinkering really began. With resources being much easier to come by, I slowly begin investing into my tool collection…. starting with a torch. I decided I was ready to try my hand at soldering.

I found an article on stained glass soldering techniques and decided that seemed like a good place to start since it was a minimal investment.

Spring was nearing, and I had the idea to set up my own booth at the local Farmer's Market in Big Bear….So I scavenged through our yard, searching for materials to make my own displays and made myself a little mock set up in my backyard.

At the time, I knew very little about vending and the farmer’s market scene overall, so I was going in pretty blind with no expectations.

first day EVER set up (Big Bear Farmer’s Market) Spring of 2015

Maaan, I had such a good time meeting new folks, n sharing stories about each piece. I could hardly wait out the rest of the week for the next market.

Truly, the experience alone was enough to fill my cup, but there was even more to be stoked about!.... I made a more money vending those 2 days than I made during my week of waitressing. WHAT?!?! This blew my mind to smithereens!!! Simply making things I wanted to make, then finding homes for them could actually pay the bills?! I really felt like some kind of code had been cracked….what fun!

A Quick little backstory on the biz Name

The literal day I made those first pair of Grouse Feather Earrings, I told Jay “look at my goods from the woods!” just being silly, then shelved it…

I was contemplating starting an Etsy page, still living and experiencing those same woods where it all began. We were fishing just about every day, and one day I was contemplating the stark differences between catching native fish vs. hatchery fish. Having such a deep reverence for the intricate beauty and vigor of a native fish, and then feeling somewhat despondent anytime I caught a dull and ragged hatchery fish… I realized something. I deeply love all that Nature Creates. I felt a correlation with my forest treasures, in that what made them feel so special was the same thing that made native fish so special…. their Native-ness.

I came up with a business name that felt suited for these creations…. “Native Creations Co.”…. It was an innocent yet ignorant choice, that I would later come to understand was not as well-suited as I initially thought.… but all is a learning process and this name was a part of my early journey.

p.s. aside from the sign, I tried out a blue/purple color theme for a minute… was *not the vibe!*

It wasnt until I made my Etsy page, my first set of business cards and sign for my booth that I realized “Native Creations” made other people think that I was claiming to be Native American (rightfully confusing)…uh oh….My BAD!

At the time, All Goods From The Woods was a simple tagline that just stuck from the beginning and I was using those words to describe my craft. Cute, clever and straight to the point, right?. Well, once I realized I should no longer have “Native Creations” be the name of this vessel, I changed my name to the original concept “ALL GOODS FROM THE WOODS”. To be honest, I thought it was too long to be “the” name and overall kinda silly, but I am so glad it stuck cause those five words strung together have felt like home ever since.

back to the booth progression

these early years of vending really make me giggle…wouldn’t want to skip that!

k, Hold it! this one has a story,

This market was on my exact 2 year anniversary of vending. On THIS EXACT DAY^^^ something shifted and I decided to go ALL IN on ALL GOODS FROM THE WOODS. I was still waitressing at the time, and after wrapping up from this market, I put my 2 weeks in to quit. This was the best decision of my life because my life literally became all about play play play thereafter.

It is the greatest gift one could ever receive.

I became obsessed with discovering new techniques and coming up with new ways I could incorporate different natural materials. I was continuously pushing out passed my comfort zone. Here is a little taste of that streak…

curious about these butterfly wings? -> HOME page, click the EARTH SOURCED button on the banner ;)

This soldering was like my training wheels, I knew it wasn’t my final destination, but more like a bridge to get me there. By following the fun, my craft began to expand in all kinds of different ways…experimenting with more mediums, and different skills

I began playing with a dried morel mushroom, added several coats of painted silver on it. Then added fire to disintegrate the mushroom, leaving behind just the silver

Even though this piece wasn’t quite how I imagined it could be, I was ecstatic

The growth spurts continued

Jay and I have always been rock nerds. We collected rocks and crystals from all over before we knew they were “cool” and had metaphysical properties. I didnt have a very “woo woo” background… I just liked what I liked. and maaaan, I liked rocks.
So once I had a little bit of jewelry making under my belt, I naturally wanted to infuse rocks we had personally found into the mix. We delved into the world of lapidary (stone cutting)

Though it was super exciting to see what had been hidden on the inside of these rocks we collected over the years… I didn’t adore the environment/toxicity of lapidary itself which in reality involved being indoors, florescent lights, gnarly equipment with restricted hours of use... I gravitated more towards what allowed me to spend the majority of my time outside and found fun ways to collaborate with other artists who genuinely loved the art of lapidary and outsourced most of my stone cutting.

Being in Nature is more our speed. Naturally, we enjoyed the rockhounding so much more than the stone cutting/shaping.

a return to the wild

Every time we retreated back into the woods, I found so much inspiration and crafted like a madwoman. It was my fuel.

Then, I discovered that I could make my own molds from genuine forest treasures. I carried mold making kits with us everywhere we travelled.

Through more experimental trial and error techniques, I found a way to make REAL SILVER pieces, with these Forest Finds.

Guys, my excitement for playing with this new medium was through the roof!! For months I struggled to fall asleep because I would be too excited thinking about what I was going to create the following day. It was the literal opposite of Artist Block… I was frustrated by my human-ness…requiring time out of each day to do human things like sleep, eat, and take care of myself. teeehheehe

By continuing to Follow the Fun, I was growing, learning, and honing these techniques every day. Before I knew it, I handcrafted an actual collection of Silver pieces.

My Studio Progression

Our cabin was only 500sqft when I started ALL GOODS FROM THE WOODS. Much of my early crafting took place either on my coffee table, on my porch, or on the road...This meant setting up and tearing down all my tools every time I crafted. I knew I was going to need a bigger space with proper ventilation, so we saved up and added a room on to our house where our old firewood storage used to belong. This addition couldn’t have unfolded at a better time! Here is the initial studio set up once we built the space…

Might not look like much to you, but to me, it sure felt like every day was Christmas morning in there.

Being able to tinker away on my projects without having to pack everything up in between other activities was a luxury. Again, it may look like chaos to you, but to me, this messy bench was a symbol of success and liberation.

I would get lost in my own little world when working in my studio. I found the same peace in there as I did in the wild. It was divine.

In 2021, we sold our Cabin and I said goodbye to my beloved studio

We moved to the Ozarks and it took a year before we built my new studio and I got to unpack my Metalsmithing tools. Here is a little taste of how my new creative space came to life, and diving back into my craft.

We had to bring power to it, and install lights, outlets, insulation, walls, floors etc. before I could unpack.

This space became more than just my Metalsmithing Studio, it is my own little

place of SANCTUARY + CREATIVITY

10 years later, the roots of my style remain… forever inspired by Nature.

Now you can find me here in the Ozarks, vending just a few festivals a year - meeting folks and continuing to find new homes for these little pieces of my heART.

May this story continue for another decade

If this story sparked anything for ya, please drop me a line…. I would love to hear from you!!