I’m Kristin!
The hands behind WildWood Designs and I’d like to take a sec to introduce myself.
I’m a 4th generation Southeast Alaskan woman, born and raised in Juneau. I really do believe that my hometown is one of the most beautiful places on earth and I am very proud to have grown up here. My husband Spencer and I have 2 wild and crazy boys, Cash (9), Saber (7) and a Bengal cat, Jaws. They keep us on our toes every minute of every day. We are a very active family and partake in all the fun things - hiking, boating, fishing, skiing, camping, sports and travel. We are always on-the-go.
I am a Pisces woman, an artist, a yogi, a lover of the ocean and the stars. I get by with extremely hot baths, essential oils, healing crystals and I couldn’t live without chocolate. I am a child of the 90’s, a die hard F.R.I.E.N.D.S. fan and Goonies never say die.
In my past life I was an esthetician, a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist, and a massage therapist. Im still trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I revel in quiet spaces. I also cant be held responsible for what my face does when you talk.
Beads!
I learned how to bead weave when I was 10 years old at my summer cabin in a rural fishing community called Port Alexander. Since then I’ve been doin git off and on my whole life. I find bead weaving a form of meditation and a way to express my love for all the things that inspire me. I started WildWood Designs in 2018 when my hobby was clearly turning into my day job and I felt I needed to make it “official.”
I use only the highest quality materials of thermally bonded beading thread, size 11 Japanese Delica seed beads and gold metals that will not tarnish. I often use high grade gemstones in my work and only choose ones that are in their most natural state (not heated or dyed).
Bead weaving is one of the most under-valued forms of artwork. Each pair of my woven earrings takes anywhere between 1.5-5 hours to make and that doesn’t include the countless hours of design work ahead of time. Every single seed bead is woven over and over by hand.
It is a labor of love and the enjoyment of the art is a huge part of the satisfaction.
The Hawaii connection
You may notice that a lot of my earrings have an island vibe. Thats because Kauai is a second home for my family. My husband spent a lot of his childhood there and he went to UH. We were married on south shore in 2012 and have a home under construction that my husband designed. We are laying down roots for our kids as their dad did before them.
The spirit of the Garden Island invokes such inspiration for me. The colors, the ocean and the aloha is intoxicating.
Every time we are in Kauai I add more earrings to my ever-growing Kauai inspired earrings and I am so happy to share them with you as they are so meaningful to me. I hope when you wear them you feel a little slice of Aloha.
Mahalo for supporting WildWood Designs!