Growing, Preserving, and Sharing
When Kristen moved to Highgate, Ontario, she knew she wanted to grow a big garden. Having grown up in a similar rural Ontario community surrounded by agriculture, food and nature has always been a big part of her life.
"My dad always had a big garden. I grew up in a small town near lots of farms. When I moved here, I wanted to have a big garden too. Growing flowers feels nice. We started a farm stand to sell extra vegetables and eggs and then I started cutting and selling the flowers I had," she says.
So how does jewelry come into play? Kristen is the maker behind Everything Dilley and is known for encasing delicate flowers in resin and turning them into wearable pieces. She started her business 4 years ago and has enjoyed sharing her work with others.
“I started growing flowers and selling them and then wanted to find a way to preserve them. I saw a video online about how to use resin and I thought that would be a way to do that. So I started pressing my flowers to store them and then playing around with resin. I started making bookmarks and then a friend asked me to make rings for her. I gave it a try and started making jewelry. I was never really into jewelry, actually. I just wanted a way to showcase the flower and keep it around for as long as possible in a wearable way. I didn’t want it to sit on a table and collect dust," she explains.
The pieces you can find in Everything Dilley's LUVLOCAL store feature flowers that Kristen grew in her garden.
"People who love flowers gravitate to my pieces right away - they tend to choose pieces that speak to them. They’ll cherish it and wear it," she says.
She also makes custom pieces featuring flowers from funerals, weddings, and other occasions. This way, families can keep a piece of those flowers forever, and show them off every day.
"I find joy in everyone’s custom pieces. I can customize my pieces to how someone wants it. That’s not something you can do at a big box store," she says.
Kristen's personal style is incorporated into every piece, combining delicate flower petals with dark, bold colours.
"I grew up listening to punk rock and heavy metal. I’m a millennial - in high school I wore baggy pants, chains, black eyeliner, had spiked hair. My style is darker. I like pretty things but also dark things at the same time," she says.
One flower prominently featured in her collection is the Bleeding Heart.
"They've got a goth vibe to them, when you hear their name. They're beautiful, too," Kristen says.
When she's not making jewelry, Kristen works as a Dietary Aide, using her skills as a chef to bring joy to others.
"I love cooking for other people. Baking is one of my love languages. When I get to cook at work, I'm at my happiest," she says.
Just like her passion for growing, preserving, and sharing flowers through her jewelry pieces, Kristen grows, preserves, and shares food as well, both through her job and her farm stand.
We LUV Kristen's passion for growing, preserving, and sharing. See all of her work by visiting her LUVLOCAL store!