Origin Story

Origin Story: The Silver Bohemian

Made to Matter: A Life Pieced Together with Love and Letting Go

I didn’t set out to build a brand. I set out to make sense of what remained.

After losing my first husband, Brian, to ALS, I found myself reaching for meaning in the quiet, sacred spaces where words failed. It was in the weight of his worn shirts, the scent of his favorite hoodie, and the sound of our shared songs echoing in memory. As a caregiver, a mother, and a woman shaped by both grief and grit, I turned to my hands—stitching, painting, repurposing, remembering. Grief moved through me in threads and brushstrokes, in the beauty I tried to rebuild from what was broken.

Years later, when I lost my mother suddenly during the pandemic, the ache returned—but so did the call to create. Her life was etched into the tiniest things: fabric scraps, handwritten notes, broken jewelry, dried flowers. These pieces, too precious to part with and too full of feeling to ignore, became the raw materials for healing. I began again. One candle. One paperweight. One jacket stitched with memory and meaning. And in the making, something softened. Something sacred stirred.

In time, healing began to shape itself into something new. Not as a replacement for what was lost, but as an expansion of what had been loved. And then, gently, Jim entered the story.

Where Brian had been my partner through the storm, Jim became the calm after. We met in a season of rebuilding, and his quiet steadiness helped me remember who I was—beyond the caregiver, beyond the widow. He didn’t try to replace what had been lost. He honored it, and helped me expand into something new. Together, we built not only a life, but a rhythm: creative retreats, wellness offerings, long walks, slow mornings, laughter around the table, and a shared belief that healing is not a finish line—but a living process. His belief in me—and in the way I turn memory into meaning—gave me the courage to build something lasting.

That’s how The Silver Bohemian was born.

Out of tattered fabric and sacred memory.
Out of the knowing that even when something ends, something else—equally beautiful—can begin.
Out of the wild, wonderful truth that we are all made to matter—and so is what we leave behind.

This work is more than my livelihood. It is my offering. A living tapestry of what love can create—across time, through loss, with hope, and with a heart wide open.

From grief came my life—not just the surviving of it, but the sacred weaving of it. What began as a way to hold on became the way I learned to let go, to become, and to bless what is. My brand, my art, and my healing work are ever-evolving—just like me. They are stitched with gratitude for all the souls who’ve shaped me along the way. While there are far too many to name, these relationships remain especially pivotal to who I am today:
Brian, who taught me presence and quiet courage.
My mother, and my Father who passed down creativity, care, and the joy of making something with your own two hands.
And Jim, who continues to remind me that love expands, legacy evolves, and healing can be a beautiful, everyday act.

This is why I do this work. Because love leaves a trace. And I’ve made it my mission to follow those threads—and help others find theirs, too.

If this story speaks to you, welcome.
You’ve just found your way to The Silver Bohemian—a space where memory, creativity, and healing meet. I'm so glad you're here.