Meet Ellen Kowalski | Artist & Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ellen Kowalski and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ellen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started my own business in 2021 during the height of the pandemic. I was at a crossroads in my life. I had just left a college program that didn’t work out and my daughter was finishing preschool. I didn’t know what the next step in life would be for me. In my free time, I would scan Instagram for recipes, and arts and craft ideas. One day I came across a clay earring artist. I was instantly fascinated with the craftsmanship and creativity involved with making them. It gave me the itch to make something with my hands. I didn’t own any clay, but I did have a lot of beautiful scrapbook paper left over from making scrapbooks and handmade cards. I thought to myself, “This paper is beautiful, I want to wear it.” How do I make this work?

While researching, I ran across wood and paper earrings. Instantly I was hooked! I began watching YouTube videos and reading articles on how other artists were creating jewelry with paper. After buying supplies, I plugged away in my office to experiment with all the ideas. Through lots of trial and error, successes, failures, tears, and the occasional giving up; my earrings were finally born. After seeing friends and family enjoy my earrings, I decided to start my own business. I have sold my earrings at vendor events, brick and mortar shops and now through Etsy. What started out as a creative outlet turned into a small business that I’m proud of.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have always had a passion for creating things. My experience in scrap booking and card making led me to find beautiful papers. I found that making earrings was another satisfying way of using colors and patterns found in decorative papers. Hence, Elle’s Endearings was born. “Elle” is my nick name and the word endearing means inspiring love or affection. My goal is for my customers to enjoy their endearing pair of earrings.

I make my dangle earrings of a durable, yet light-weight wood base and cover them front and back with high quality paper. I hand-paint the earring edges to match the gold-filled, sterling silver, or stainless steel hardware. For protection and water resistance, I seal them with resin. I make my stud earrings with handmade cabochons. I glue the glass cabochon onto the desired paper, then glue the finished cabochon to the stainless steel bezel. In addition, I make earrings using brass bezels filled with resin and a variety of glitters, dyes, powers and polymer clay slice to create the desired design.

My earrings are an act of time and love. While my stud earrings take less time to make, my wood and paper earrings go through a multi-step process taking roughly an hour to complete a finished pair. My earrings are unique not only because of the paper I choose, but I meticulously cover my wood and paper earrings entirely in resin including the edges to achieve an elegant glass-like appearance while also protecting the paper from the elements.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First, I would take them to one of my favorite breakfast spots- The Flying Biscuit Cafe, in the Park Road Shopping Center. They have the most delicious grits and biscuits I’ve ever had! Afterwards, we would check out all the cute shops including, Park Road Books, Julies, J. Crew Factory, and Micheal’s. Then, we would drive through Myers Park to admire all the elegant homes on our way to Freedom Park for a walk/bike ride to admire the beautiful scenery. For lunch, we would pop over to Kid Cashew in Dilworth. After exploring the city, we would enjoy dinner and drinks at Fahrenheit.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have several people I would like to dedicate my shout out to. First of all, I’d like to thank my mother, Lynda. My mother is who I run to with all my creative ideas. She, too, is an artist. She listens to my creative endeavors and dives right in with enthusiasm. My mother lives by the phrase- “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Her motto encourages and inspires me to keep going and to keep creating even when there are obstacles and I feel like giving up. During frustrating times, she would tell me, “Take a break Ellen, come back to it in the morning with fresh eyes and a new idea will come.” Sure enough, Mama knew best. I give credit to my mom, who gave me beautiful scrapbook papers from her own collection and who even came up with the idea of embossing the paper to create designs. My mother was also my first customer and while wearing my earrings, caught the attention of Sara- owner of The Lady Jane, in Harrisonburg, VA. I thank Sara for taking a chance on me and for allowing me to sell my earrings in her shop. I also want to thank Christi-owner of The Buttercup in Woodstock, VA who sold my earrings in her shop as well.

In addition, I would like to dedicate my shout out to my husband Dan, my daughter Annabelle, my father Craig, my sister Julie, and my friends Lindsay and Daniela. They were my biggest cheerleaders who pushed me to persevere and whose feedback and support helped me fine tune my craft.

Website: https://ellesendearings.com

Instagram: ellesendearings1

Facebook: Elle’s Endearings, LLC

Other: Etsy: EllesEndearings

Image Credits
Lynda and Annabelle