Scotia Girl Treasures: Finding Beauty, Healing, and Home by the Sea

My love for Nova Scotia has been with me since birth. As the daughter of a Canadian Forces navigator, my childhood was spent moving from place to place, but no matter where we landed, my birthplace in Nova Scotia always stayed with me. It was the place that felt like home — the place where the tides seemed to wash worries away.

At the end of 2018, I found myself at a point in life where change was necessary. I made the decision to return to Nova Scotia, drawn back to the place that had always brought me peace. Before leaving Ontario, I ran a thriving home baking business, something I poured my heart into. Unfortunately, due to health issues, I had to step away from that chapter. Home baking requires long hours on your feet, managing everything a brick-and-mortar bakery does — but with one oven, one fridge, and a small kitchen that also has to serve your family. Letting go wasn’t easy, but it was necessary for my well-being.

During the COVID lockdowns, Scotia Girl Treasures began as something very small — simply a hobby. After moving back to Nova Scotia, I started collecting sea glass along the shoreline, or as I like to call them, my “treasures.” Each piece felt like a gift from the ocean. Before long, ideas started forming. I began imagining what I could create with them, how each piece could be turned into something meaningful and beautiful. That’s how Scotia Girl Treasures was born.

Over the past four years, I’ve quietly grown the business through small custom orders for friends and family. Creating jewelry allowed me to express my creativity without putting strain on my health, and it quickly became something that fed my soul as much as my artistic side.

This year marked a major milestone for me — the launch of my website, scotiagirltreasures.ca, along with opening my Shopify and Etsy shops. While current shipping challenges, particularly not being able to ship to the U.S., have presented obstacles, I remain proud of how far I’ve come. Today, I have over 107 different earring designs available, with new treasures being added weekly as I continue to create and evolve.

Scotia Girl Treasures means the world to me. It represents resilience, creativity, healing, and a deep connection to Nova Scotia’s shoreline. The art of creating jewelry has been an unexpected blessing — one that has supported my mental health, nurtured my spirit, and allowed me to create beauty at my own pace. What began as a hobby has become a meaningful journey, and I am so grateful for where it has taken me so far.