To my “J”
For those who don’t know, ElleJae is a combination of my name, Lori, and my daughter, Jessica. Basically, “LJ”—but we thought ElleJae looked a little classier.
About 12 years ago, Jessica and I came up with an idea to create organic purses made with organic fabrics and incorporating beautiful gemstones. We attended the annual gem show in Tucson and collected quite a stash of gorgeous beads. We drew up several designs, and I still have the prototypes tucked away in my closet. I have to say, a couple of them looked pretty darn good, but still needed refining.
About a year into our project, Jessica was diagnosed with breast cancer. Sadly, she passed away 10 years ago, leaving me with tremendous grief and a broken heart.
It took some time, but eventually, I began putting the pieces of my life back together. As I looked around, I realized I had a couple of drawers full of gemstone beads that I had no idea what to do with.
Making purses is, at the very least, a two-person job, and I simply couldn’t do it myself. So, our purse-making adventure came to an end—but the gemstones we had collected were still waiting for their next chapter.
So, I started playing around with them and made a few necklaces for myself. I came up with some really nice designs. Then I made a few more…and still more. Before I knew it, my jewelry box was overflowing with pieces—far more than I could ever use myself.
I decided to put a couple of them on Etsy, and much to my delight, they started selling.
And that little idea Jessica and I dreamed up all those years ago eventually grew into what ElleJae Jewelry Designs is today.
So, in honor of “J”…Happy heavenly birthday, my sweet girl. You are loved, missed, and remembered every single day.
143 TIAB. ❤️
