Following My Heart: How Seaglass Changed how I saw myself. 

One day after a storm, my husband and I went for a walk along the beaches of Northumberland.

As we wandered together, we noticed flashes of colour bursting with light beneath the sun. Tiny treasures scattered among the stones seemed to glow. It was awe-inspiring.

In an instant, we transformed into treasure hunters.

We picked our way along the shoreline, searching for every beautiful piece we could find. Before we knew it, we had been collecting seaglass from midday until sunset. It was exhilarating.

When we returned home, we spread out our discoveries and marvelled at the wondrous shapes, colours and sizes we had found.

Neither of us could have imagined that an ordinary walk after a storm would become the beginning of something so meaningful.

Authentic seaglass from England's shores led me to something I never expected.

One-of-a-kind, hundreds of years old, shaped by the tides, multi-coloured and opalescent, I began to feel there was a gift hidden here just for me.

It felt too special to simply keep hidden away in a jar.

"What a waste," I thought.

I held onto the idea for months. We were travelling back and forth between America and England, and money was tight. Eventually, I managed to save about $30 and bought my first rose-gold coloured pendant holder. A month later, I found a chain in a shopping centre and completed the necklace.

The seaglass itself was a remarkable deep aqua colour, shaped almost like a piece of fruit.

I posted a photograph on Facebook with a price of $75 and made my very first sale.

The customer was so appreciative that I felt like a new woman.

From that moment on, my relationship with seaglass became something sacred. I wanted to do everything in my creative power to honour its natural beauty.

Whenever I had a little extra income to spare, I invested it back into the dream. It took nearly three years to slowly build a collection of tools and supplies, but little by little, I made progress.

I was pleasantly surprised when I shared this dream with my family. Their excitement and encouragement meant more to me than they could ever know. For the first time in my life, I felt fully embraced and supported without hesitation.

Then, last Christmas, my husband built me a workbench.

When I asked if he thought he could do it, he smiled and said:

"Baby, you've got an engineer for a husband. I can build you anything!"

So we spent our Christmas break surrounded by the blissful sounds of sawing, hammering and drilling. I was exhausted by the end of it all, but I was overflowing with gratitude.

No one had ever built something for me before.

I was so overwhelmed with wonder that I could hardly take it all in.

That workbench became the foundation for something much bigger than jewellery. It inspired me to create a space of my own—a place where creativity, hope and healing could live.

Later, after receiving a wedding gift, I was able to purchase a used keyboard. Not only was I being given the opportunity to build an art studio and workspace, but I was also recovering something I had once lost.

Music.

It felt like another chance at a good life, surrounded by good people.

It was the beginning I never knew was possible.

Today, we sit together basking in the atmosphere of love, celebration and gratitude for how far we've come.

I don't write these things because I have some perfect or charmed life.

The road that brought me here was often dark and painful.

Yet the love, support and understanding I found in my husband—and in his mother—helped heal my spirit.

For the first time in a long time, I felt truly cherished for my creativity. My spontaneous decision that felt impulsive was actually looked at with a curious excitement. 

I felt surprised and seen in a new light. 

You don't stumble upon the love of your life every day.

Ours wasn't a whirlwind romance. We first met when we were fifteen years old, became friends, and years later, at the age of twenty-eight, that friendship slowly blossomed into something more.

Eventually, we both realised it was time to stop wasting time and take a leap of faith. 

We had no idea what to expect.

Yet somehow, it felt as though we had jumped off a cliff and landed on a feather bed.

The struggles brought us closer.

The trials made us stronger.

And somewhere along the way, I realised something important.

I didn't just set up a jewellery store.

I followed my heart.