About MoonWinks Studio
About MoonWinks Studio
Flashback to March 2020...
When COVID brought the restaurant industry to a sudden halt, my restaurant company closed its doors along with so many others across the country. Like a lot of people during that time, I found myself walking around the house wondering what to do next.
One day, my wife Terri said:
“You’re going to need a hobby to help pass the time.”
I had been collecting sea glass since I was a kid, so almost without hesitation I replied:
“Well… I’m going to learn how to make sea glass jewelry.”
Terri immediately asked:
“And how are you going to sell it?”
My answer was simple:
“At the Farmers Market on San Juan Island… and maybe to a few friends.”
The funny part? At the time, I had absolutely no jewelry-making experience.
Like so many people during that season of life, I turned to social media, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and online creators to learn. Night after night, I watched videos, studied techniques, practiced wrapping sea glass, learned silver work, made mistakes, started over, and slowly taught myself the craft.
What started as a creative outlet quickly became something much bigger.
Before long, friends began asking me to create custom sterling silver rings, pendants, earrings, and other sea glass jewelry pieces. The encouragement and support I received at local markets proved two things:
- There was truly a market for handcrafted sea glass jewelry inspired by the Salish Sea
- People connected deeply with handmade items that carried a story
During my years traveling for business, I had developed a habit of saving small jam and jelly jars from hotels along the way. At the time, I had no idea what I would ever do with them — I just liked the idea of reusing something small and beautifully made instead of throwing it away.
Years later, those same jars found a second life.
I began transforming them into hand-held hummingbird feeders using reclaimed jam, jelly, and marmalade jars, each one uniquely painted and assembled by hand. What started as another creative experiment quickly became my number one seller at the market.
There’s something magical about watching someone experience a hummingbird feeding from their hand for the very first time.
Today, MoonWinks Studio is built around that same spirit of creativity, curiosity, sustainability, and connection to nature.
Every piece is handmade on San Juan Island and inspired by the beauty of the coast, reclaimed materials, and the belief that meaningful things often begin in the most unexpected ways.
Thank you for supporting handmade, local artists, and this unexpected journey that began with a simple conversation at home during one of the strangest moments in our lives.
— MoonWinks Studio
Handmade on San Juan Island
Inspired by the coast. Made by hand. Meant to be loved.