Lake County Journals:
It’s not always easy to turn a hobby into a successful business, but that’s exactly what Dawn Skowronnek is trying to do.
A stay-at-home mom for the last seven years, Skowronnek’s youngest of two children is finally off to first grade. With the new time she’ll have on her hands, she plans to start pushing her line of handmade jewelry, called Charmed by Dawn.
“I’m the kind of person who, if I see something I like, I don’t want to buy it – I want to make it,” Skowronnek said.
Skowronnek started making mother’s bracelets – bracelets with children’s names beaded into the piece – for friends and family as a sort of hobby right after her daughter, Faith, was born. From there, her product list has grown to include necklaces and earrings.
Though she has taken a couple of classes here and there, she said she’s a self-taught artist with an eclectic style. Some of her pieces are casual, while others are more suited for evening wear.
Skowronnek works out of her home, taking orders online and using her husband’s old office as her work space. Her pieces are almost entirely handmade; even the beads she buys from shows are handmade by other artists.
Photo by Sherry’s Rose Cottage.