The Hunter and the gatherer

It takes a stylish and confident person to style their jewelry in a way that is bold, interesting and truly unique.

Jesse is wearing three of his new talon necklaces. I met Jesse in October at the Vintage Charlotte holiday market and we instantly bonded over jewelry and style. Jesse is an entrepreneur and small business owner as well. Jesse restyles, redesigns and creates custom created clothing from vintage finds.

I asked Jesse if he’d style his new jewels and wow did he take it and run with the assignment. I love how he went out to the woods to photograph himself wearing his Eilisan Jewels. What do you think? Smokin’ right?

So fellas, YOU TOO can wear jewelry and be an absolute BOSS!

Jesse purchased the Squirrel bone pendant, Hunted owl talon charm and the hawk talon charm. These necklaces truly make a statement with any outfit that showcases them.

Jesse and I are currently working on a custom gold chocker necklaces with charms so that he can style his jewelry with his custom re-worked clothing. I can’t wait to see how our collaboration comes together!

So treat your man to some spiritual and badass jewels.

A charm for every patronus and totem animal

You truly bless me with the best ideas, and I can’t ever stop talking about it!

Back in October when I did a market in Charlotte I met a super creative entrepreneur, Jesse Titus of Block Benefits. He requested a thick cable link chain with some of my classic charms. At first I wasn’t feeling this idea, I wasn’t sure it would work.

Well lo and behold, I became a BIG fan of this style/idea! And here it is as modeled on me in sterling silver. Jesse requested an 18kt gold plated charm link chain. I LOVE both styles.

Here I am in my studio modeling the silver chain with my new favorite outfit - leather harness with a velvet dress!

This necklace also looks great with the Crab claw charm necklace.

Serving FACE, jk but I do love getting all gussied up for a night out in my jewelry.

And here’s the 18kt gold plated chain with the squirrel bone charm, bear claw charm, owl talon, badger claw and crow claw.

It just goes to show that it’s best to be open to new ideas and styles because it truly can amplify what is already cool.

Thanks for reading and PLEASE do not hesitate to reach out and let me know what thoughts and ideas you have.

Shop for Eilisain in Seattle at Ghost Gallery

Seattle holds a special place in my heart. I visited many years ago on a work trip and I loved the energy and vibe of Seattle. It’s so different from the East Coast cities.

Well fast forward or backwards to ten years ago when I just got started with Eilisain as a business I somehow became connected to Laurie Kearney (owner of Ghost gallery) through Etsy. Laurie and I worked together for about five years with my jewelry in her shop.

Eventually Laurie shifted her business model and still kept Ghost Gallery which is now a beautifully kept gallery and event space. Ghost Gallery is located on Capitol Hill and very cute neighborhood I used to stay when I’d go for work events.

Thus Laurie has been with Eilisain for over ten years and I love that fact and I love that Laurie has stayed committed to sharing and promoting independent artists across the country.

Next time you’re in Seattle I HIGHLY recommend you visit her gallery, you will NOT be disappointed!

I’m OBSESSED with the art work Laurie stocks at her gallery. Laurie has exquisite taste!

The classic owl talon ring which is currently stocked at Ghost Gallery.

How elegant and gorgeous is Ghost Gallery?!

I hope you enjoyed this post, and if you’d like to learn more about Eilisain and my stockists or get special offer codes, sign up for my email list below!

The tortoise and a little girl

Last weekend my daughter and I got to meet the sweetest and coolest animal: a tortoise, Aladar!

My former assistant Victoria, whose parents live right down the street from us recently acquired a 2-3 year old tortoise. It’s hard to determine his age since he was raised in captivity and uncertain of his age.

Aladar was a treasure to meet! Victoria gave me some states on Aladar, he can feel your touch through his shell and he loves eating flowers, especially RED flowers. He loves to dig and eat all the grass. My daughter Tallulah was so excited and thrilled to meet a new animal. She gently pet him and fed him some flowers.

When I met Aladar i looked into his eyes and when I tell you there was a knowingness in him, this ancient beauty in his face, it was there. This is what I love about animals is the communication with them is layered and deep. It’s all about body language with animals. They will tell you if they like you just by their stance.

Aladar was very busy eating and moving around. He was quite gentle and even gets along with the dogs that live on their property.

Tallulah really enjoyed feeding Aladar and petting him.

What a treat! The more I get to know various animals and how they interact the more I’m informed about my own humanity. Whenever you get a chance to interact with new animals safely I suggest you do, their wisdom is nourishing.

Orchil and time

When I set about creating my newest collection I wanted it to touch upon one of the greatest mysteries of our lives…TIME.

As humans we crave and need ritual and structure. The sun setting, the moon rising, the tides going in and out and thus there is a push and pull to life. I’ve always loved and felt immense gratitude for this cyclical and gentle way of transitioning through our world.

Every night I read one of my spiritual books and one of them is by RJ Stewart, Power within the Land, and I came across this poem:

ORCHIL

I dreamed of Orchil, the dim goddess who is under the brown earth, 
in a vast cavern, where she weaves at two looms. 
With one hand she weaves life upward through the grass; 
with the other she weaves death downward through the mould; 
and the sound of the weaving is Eternity, 
and the name of it in the green world is Time. 
And, through all, Orchil weaves the weft of Eternal Beauty, 
that passeth not, though its soul is Change. 
This is my comfort, O Beauty that art of Time, 
who am faint and hopeless in the strong sound 
of that other weaving, where Orchil, the dim goddess, 
sits dreaming at her loom under the brown earth.

-William Sharp as Fiona McLeod

I was struck by the imagery that came to mind and how much coral resembles webs and the interconnectedness of our world. And also the incredible lessons we learn from Mother Earth and her dark mysteries. There is incredible knowledge and wisdom right below our feet that we don’t tap into.

So I sought to meld the two ideas together, the coral, shark teeth and transparency and depth of water and the mythology of Orchil.

Kyanite was a perfect stone to set in the large shark tooth my friend found scuba diving. Kyanite is healing and a beautiful stone to cleanse and align your chakras plus that blue is gorgeous set with sterling silver and yummy golden bronze.

All these jewels DROP tomorrow , Friday, April 15th….I really came up quick with these jewels and the incredible photoshoot I did with my friend Ashleigh Bowden.

So what do ya’ll think? Are you happy I returned to some seashell jewels and coral? Tell me your thoughts and sign up for my emails so you get the scoop on jewelry drops & events!

You have more power than you know

I say this quite often and most often to myself, but I don’t think we truly realize the immense effect we can have on each other and on our environment. It’s the butterfly effect, that one flap of a butterflies wing can set off a world of events but it truly is REAL.

It’s little things, and big acts that make HUGE differences in our lives. This hits me on different levels but one situation that had me so happy and grateful was rescuing a husky dog from an elderly couple that needed to rehome her.

Here’s the story: One of my dearest friends moved to our small town of Farmville about a year ago, and she’s got a cute backyard. One afternoon I went back there view her garden when I looked at her neighbors house to see a gorgeous white husky dog looking forlorn in a small enclosure. I couldn’t help but wonder, why is that beautiful dog back there most days?

Well it really started to get to me when I’d leave my daughters bike at my friends house and I’d look in the backyard and see Bella looking utterly sad (at least that’s what I figured she felt like because I’d be very sad too).

It kept nagging at me, Bella the husky must be eternally bored not being able to run free. So a customer suggested I talk to the owners and offer to walk Bella. That was all the motivation I needed to get the courage to talk to the elderly couple. When I offered they were grateful and even asked me if I wanted to keep Bella.

Now look, I would’ve taken Bella in a heartbeat but we have three cats nor do we have a fenced in yard. So I began to devise a way to find Bella a home. It took sometime but I found her one with my other friend Steve. My friend Steve has a large fenced in back yard and I told myself, I believe Steve could use this gorgeous husky in his life.

I also want to take a moment to say that at this time, about a month ago, I was feeling really depressed. I was experiencing a bit of a mid life crisis (which to be honest has not gone away - but that’s another story for another time). Bella felt incredibly healing to me, walking her with my daughter and having this purpose to find her a home distracted me from feeling low. Have you ever felt like that?

HUSKY TOTEM MEANING: It’s not the journey but the destination, husky reminds us to enjoy our path and to follow our instincts. Huskies are also a reminder to have fun and be playful. Husky symbolism also reminds us to be in service of others, and taking leadership roles when others don’t.

As you can surmise, when we help others we’re actually helping ourselves. And I’ve found that animals, being in their presence and witnessing their true zest for life whether it’s running, playing or eating is a reminder of life’s simple pleasures.

Bella is now in a space where she can enjoy space and freedom to run and she’s in a loving home. This whole incident got me thinking how when we pay attention to the people and our surroundings, we have the ultimate power to generate love, generosity and ultimately change the life path of others through our actions.

We’re watching this play out on the world stage, Ukraine is being bombed and terrorized by one man’s greed and massive ego. Then on the other hand we have many people giving and doing whatever they can to help the people of Ukraine and it’s neighboring countries. My heart breaks when I see German and Polish mothers leaving strollers for mothers fleeing Ukraine.

So my proposal to you is see how you can make a difference in someone’s life, whether it be small or big. Take a meal to an elderly couple, give a homeless person some cash, be generous because the universe listens and responds to like energy.

My core value with Eilisain and my own self is to nurture you and your life so that you can give the same to others. Come with me on this powerfully divine journey, sign up for my emails and I’ll continue to give you stories of hope, love inspiration and more!

Would you like to win a FREE pair of owl talon earrings AND a double talon ring

Ya’ll know I love to celebrate, it’s my Libra moon but also the fact that I truly love gathering with my friends and family and laughing and sharing new memories.

So with that said I want to share in the celebrating with YOU. I’m giving away not one but TWO pieces of jewelry. You only have to do 5 things (that’s not much at all):

1. Sign up for Eilisain’s email list HERE

2. SHARE the IG post with the giveaway on your IG STORY

3. TAG 3 friends in the comments of the IG post

4. LIKE the post

5. FOLLOW Eilisain Jewelry on InstaGram

The winner will be announced on Friday, February 4th round 6am. The winner will be announced on Instagram and the winner will receive an email with confirmation for ring size and shipping address.

I can’t wait to announce the WINNER, maybe it’ll be YOU!

The Samhain Collection

Initially I wanted to create a spider collection, I transitioned to making it more whole to cover this auspicious time of year. I believe all of us find Halloween so beguiling and comforting because as much as life is a beautiful thing, death will be our reprieve. Thus I decided to create a collection that celebrates one of my favorite pagan sabbaths, Samhain.

Samhain is the Celtic/Pagan holiday celebrates the harvesting season, when mother earth releases her leaves, when we gather honor our ancestors with gifts, prayers and festivities.

So just as snake showed up into my life quite seamlessly, spider is doing the same. Earlier this summer I came across a gorgeous little orb weaver. She’s so pretty with her lil points and black and white colors.

Besides being quite beautiful, spider is an excellent reminder that we are the weavers of our own destiny. And the amazing interconnectedness of humanity and that what each of us does in our lifetime can affet many others.

As you might guess, creatin a spider jewel would be done by hand NOT by casting an actual spider although I’m sure it could be done.

And to challenge myself I decided to create my own spider. It was not easy and I’m still perfecting it. I wanted to create a spider that has longer legs but wouldn’t get in the way of you wearing it.

When I was reading up on spiders I was not surprised to learn that spiders are just as scared of us as we are of them! Yes spiders are scared of giant human beings. And spiders are quite fragile, they can actually break if you drop them from high up. Thus let us have respect and honor for such small yet might creatures.

Perhaps death is scared of us? I know it’s a silly concept to think of, or that human life is just as fragile, complex and if we aren’t too careful - we can break it.

The Samhain Collection will have you amazed and surprised at how necessary it is for our human existance to celebrate, revere and honor death and the departed.. I will be dropping this collection, officially on Wednesday October 20th, the New Moon in Aries.

I'm Launching a podcast ...yes I wrote that

This project has been in the works for quite some time, I truly love podcasts. They are what got me thru working from home and being a stay at home mom. I kid you not, podcasts are my teachers and coworkers. So it is no surprise that I decided to launch my own podcast.

My favorite type of podcast is a mix of motivational/funny/real/applicable to real life. Nourished Intentions is my way of giving back to you what I’ve learned over my lifetime. Here on the blog I experimented with offerings, meditations, advice and so much more. On the podcast I’ll be offering you some of the ways to bring INTENTION into your life. Now more than ever we are in a place of rebirth, we’re discovering we don’t have to be part of the ‘system’ when it comes to our personal time. How can we truly value every moment? How can you maximize your time efficiently and with ease & comfort.

My favorite episode is the interview I did with Erin Harker of The Magick Makers. We chatted about being small business owners and witches in this new world. Erin is so knowledgeable, funny and creative we really vibed on chatting business and magick!

I offer you a guided turtle meditation along with a detailed guide of my patronus pantheon.

The premiere of my podcast is next week on Tuesday, August 31st. You can listen to all of my new episodes and subscribe to stay informed of new ones.

Thank you as always for stopping by, reading about my new podcast AND signing up to learn more about how to live an intentional life!

How to celebrate Ostara and the Spring season

I’m a bit biased when it comes to March and the arrival of Spring in that i ADORE this season due to those factors and my birthday. It’s just so glorious when the first daffodils appear and the birds are chirpping early in the morning. So it’s no surprise that I go all out to celebrate this time of year.

So what is Ostara/Eostre? According to sources online “Ostara takes its name after the Germanic goddess, Eostre/Ostara, who was traditionally honoured in the month of April with festivals to celebrate fertility, renewal and re-birth. It was from Eostre that the Christian celebration of Easter evolved, and indeed the naming of the hormone Eostrogen, essential to women's fertility. The Goddess Ostara has the shoulders and head of a hare.

To me Eostre is flowers, the Spring/Maiden Goddess Brigid has come alive. She is arising from her slumber. I tell my daughter this as we gallivant outside and scoop up daisies for the hearth.

What are some ways you can celebrate this time of the rebirth of our earth? Well you probably already do some, decorating eggs, hidding eggs and baking spring gifts such as bread, short cakes and more.

Simply going outside for a short walk, even just 15 minutes to behold all that Ostara has to offer is a blessing and way to celebrate her. You can also write your spring & summer intentions on an egg, bury it and as you cover the egg speak aloud your desires and wishes. Decorating trees in your yard or your plants inside with gems or rocks, eggs and ribbons is a way to honor Ostara.

Spirit is here for us and she is listening. We have all gone through so much this past year and the future is bright, the Universe wants to see you grow and move forward.

Time spent contemplating themes and concepts help connect me to this season of birth and expansion.

And last of all, if you are into tarot & divination as am I, take time to inquire from spirit any messages she wants you to hear. I do this everyday and season, consulting tarot for divine messages. Journal the response, contemplate on how you can integrate the message into your life.

Honoring this time of year connects us to the divine and brings back to focus our deepest desires and plans. I hope you enjoyed this post, learn more from me in the future and click the link below. Than you as always for reading!

blessings to you & yours

Which Goddess are you?

I can recall the exact moment I fell in love with mythology. I was sitting in detention after school because I was ALWAYS running late to class. And I had picked up a Greek mythology book at the library. The tales were extraordinary, out of this world, and the goddesses?!!! I was sold on how badass and freaking cool the Greek Goddesses were. I mean Athena?! She led the Greeks to battle, they worshiped her.

Enter my late 20’s and I find myself obsessed with Morgana of the Celtic mythology and how she could shapeshift into various magical animals. Goddesses had powers unheard of for humans, and thus my love affair began.

Eilisain Jewelry is not only inspired by the animals used in the process (completely ethically of course) but also mythology, specifically goddesses. Celebrating the feminine divine has been important to me since I began creating jewelry. As you see with each collection there is a paired Goddess or famed character of fantasy such as Ondine or Ursula. Each goddess represents an aspect of life, the rebirth, the celestial and the wildness of the world.

So which goddess most identifies with you? Curious? Take the quiz below to find out! Enjoy my dears!!

Why You Should Invest In An Oracle Deck

Happy New year earth angles!!! It’s about dang time I do a blog post AND let’s kick this 2021 off year with ORACLE DECKS.

I got several new decks and I want to share them with you. I gotta tell you when I began my journey with divination and oracle cards over 20 years ago, it was NOT AS common and popular as they are today. Some people buy decks like lattes! They’re that addictive.

Ok so how do oracle decks differ from tarot? Well there aren’t as many cards as there are in a tarot deck and each oracle deck differs from each other. The one commonality is that it’s used as a tool of divination, oracles are more broad and touch upon the bigger themes in life.

For example my newest oracle deck, Dreamscape features themes that span from animal patronus to deities from across cultures. I’m really in love with this deck as it features stunning Art Novueau style illustration and design plus the messages are so deep and intense.

When/how to use oracle decks - I like using my decks as part of my morning alignment session. So after I meditate and pray I’ll close my eyes, shuffle my cards and ask the spirit realm what lessons I need to think about for the day. You can do readings just as you would with a tarot deck, for example laying out three cards to represent mind/body/spirit or past/present/future etc. You can also chose a card of the day. There truly are no rules to how to use an oracle deck.

Oracle cards provide a deeper meaning and understanding to our lives AND it grounds us in the present moment to listen, get quiet and dig deeper into our dreams and desires and fears.

Here is a brief list of my favorite oracle decks:

!. Dreamscape Orackle deck by Matt Hughes - As I stated above Matt’s art work is absolutely dreamy, gorgeous and harkens to the art nouveau period. I also love that Matt incorporates Goddesses and themes across all cultures.

2. Healing with Angels Oracle deck with Doreen Virtue - This is probably my first oracle deck, I can’t recall as I purchased it over 20 years ago. Doreen has a more christian view on the deck however these cards are so encouraging and provide a beautiful guide to tapping into our unconscious.

3. Threads of Fate - The ladies (Blaire Porter and Brit June) behind this oracle deck did a beautiful job of incorporating several elements in one card. For example with the patience card it features a turtle and a gemstone and herb. You get three in one teachings! The designs paired with gold embossing adds an ephemeral quality to them that is just divine.

4. The Celtic Tree Oracle - Being the Celt obsessed pagan that I am, this deck has been with me for awhile. Trees are ancient and across cultures & religions have been connected to the divine so it makes sense that they would be incorporated into an oracle. What I love about this deck is that they provide a notepad and guide on how to lay out your reading.

Just as there are many, many tarot decks available so are oracle and my best recommendation is to purchase one that resonates with you and treat them as you would any other divination tool, with curiosity and reverence.

I hope you enjoyed my post and you subscribe to my email list so that I can share more of my references and resources with you. Tapping into your inner teacher can have a profound impact on your life and is never time wasted.

You Have An Undiscovered Patronus Awaiting

Since I began working with owl talons nearly ten years ago I researched about owls, their behaviors and how to tap into their strength in my everyday life. From then on it continued to crow, bear, cats, badgers, hawks, cardinals and now snake.

I want to clarify that I use the word patronus instead of totem or spirit animal because I don’t want to use a word that is primarily Native American and that appropriates their culture. So to be respectful we can use JK Rowling’s beautiful term patronus or guardian animal.

I had been brewing up a plan to create a quiz a long time ago that would aide you in locating your patronus in the Eilisain Jewelry world. When you find your patronus, I provide you with guides as to how you can harness the incredible wisdom and power of your patronus. For example, cuttlefish is a beautiful mollusk that can change it’s color to hide from prey or to hunt it’s own prey. With cuttlefish as your patronus you will want to utilize color to empower you or to mask any hindrances.

We can learn SO MUCH from animals, they have infinite wisdom if we look closely, if we notice their behaviors. Something I learned from snake is the uncomfortable shedding of their skin which they endure on a regular basis. What this teaches is us that we are constantly growing and shedding. Look at our current world, so many of us are going through a rebirth and an awakening just as the snake does,

Okay so you want to know which animal in the Eilisain Jewelry collection is yours? Take the quiz! Click the link below and you’ll answer select questions.

5 Things I'm REALLY Into Right Now

Since many of us are home, alot more than usual, we’re consuming more books, television and outdoor activities. Thus I thought I’d share with you some of the things I’m REALLY into. I put emphasis on REALLY because I’m kinda obsessed with them. Here goes!

1. DUNE - I actually got into the Dune series several years ago. I began watching Comicbookgirl19 (now Danikxix) on Youbtube when she did a book club. I hadn’t even read the book yet I wanted to learn more. Now that Dune, the second release of the movie version is set to release this winter it’s gaining even more popularity. What I love about Dune is that the characters rely on their own intelligence, intuition and guidance. There is SO much in Dune, politics, mysticism, religion.

2. Mushrooms - Blame it on my friend Judy but ‘schrooms are making a BIG comeback. Foraging has become a weekend adventure of searching for herbs and edible mushrooms. I believe mushrooms could save us, they’re incredible. They can literally breakdown trash and create new lifeforms.

3. My Octopus Friend - I’ve been raving about this documentary since I watched it earlier in the month. A film editor and videographer moves back to the the Southern coast of South Africa and goes diving for fun (all without a wet suit) and he begins following an octopus. It’s such a beautiful amazing story of the connections we make with animals.

4. Teatime - Okay this is all my daughter’s fault. She ADORES our tea time ritual; pouring the milk and all the fun stuff. There is a wonderful ‘pause’ in teatime. We sit, drink tea and chat. We do this all of course in a British accent! My new favorite tea of the moment is Magic Hour, it’s amazing and they’re packaging is to die for!

5. Magazines - I’ve always been kinda obsessed with magazines, it all started with Sassy magazine. Now i”m super into home decor’zines like House Beautiful, HGTV magazine, Oprah, Good Housekeeping. I especially enjoy magazines because it’s a perfect way to zone out but NOT on my phone.

Now more than ever I believe it’s SO good for your soul to find activities that allow your mind + body to unwind. Finding special moments throughout the day to connect, be still and enjoy an activity is super good for you!

If you enjoyed this post and you want to stay up to date on all the things I find fascinating, join my email list. Click the link below AND you’ll get 10% off your first Eilisain Jewelry order!

Thanks as always for stopping by!