Jenean Hill - Lake Hills Designs of Montana

Email - Jenean@jeneanhill.com

I am so honored to be accepted as a member of the Artists and Craftsmen of the Flathead and be able to offer my unique earring designs at ACF shows as well as in various co-ops, studios, and markets around Kalispell and the Flathead Valley. I’ve got to say that the path here was a long one, though.

I was one of the first people I knew who got Covid-19 back in the first part of 2020. I came home from the hospital with balance/stability/speech/memory issues that left me no longer able to work as a national real estate sales trainer and was thus put on disability. The good news is that I was able to come home to the Flathead Valley—the place to which I dreamed of returning often.

Here, I went back to my artistic roots and returned to earring design—a part time vocation that I could do sitting down! I began by procuring earring components from local craft stores, but found that the quality was very much lacking as these parts were almost always made in East Asia. It became my goal to source beads that were exquisite, made in smaller batches and could stand the test of time. I discovered that glass beads from the Czech Republic were some of the world’s most sought-after, finest and beautiful beads on the market. All the way back to the third century, artisans from the area now known as the Czech Republic have been using local raw materials to create beads with a distinct clarity and brilliance that you will now see in my earring designs…

...I then discovered a lovely lady in Spain who created porcelain earring charms that were not only stunning, but also very light weight. I began incorporating them into my earring designs along with the Czech glass beads. To round out my product line, I sourced hammered metals from Istanbul that also paired nicely with my bright and shiny Czech glass beads. My hypoallergenic ear wires are gold… antique bronze… antique copper… and silver ...plated, as well as nickel-free. My designs come in many styles and are loved by women of all ages.

Because I have a passion for helping women make friends, I hold “Earring Connections” in my Kalispell basement studio for women at church as well as anyone who purchases one of my designs. There, a handful of ladies can gather and select from hundreds of focal beads and watch me create custom earrings on the spot to match their favorite outfits—all while making new friends!

Recently, while visiting Logan Radiation Oncology, I kept noticing a basket of hand-crocheted caps that were donated by women to help chemo patients keep their heads warm. It wasn’t that long ago that I was one of those blessed handmade cap recipients. It got me thinking of what I could do. Long story shot, I am grateful that I am now able to donate earrings to help cancer patients undergoing chemo feel pretty...and loved.

If you like my designs and cannot wait until the next ACF show to take home a pair or two, you can always find me at Sassafras on Main Street as well as at my Etsy shop at LakeHillsDesigns.etsy.com. I sell right out of my home studio as well. Otherwise, I look forward to meeting you in person where I showcase my earrings at markets throughout the year as well as ACF’s Christmas Show at the fairgrounds on Thanksgiving weekend.