Did you sell these years ago? Yes! I get this question each season. Sometimes, someone shares a story about a Suncatcher: maybe they still have it in a window in their kitchen, or they remember the car they sold, sending the Suncatcher with it. I love to hear people’s stories. Here is a little of the Suncatcher story.

I started painting Suncatchers in the late 1990s. I had dropped out of university after a year at McGill, and was working in a cafe in Vancouver. I saw a woman in East Vancouver painting light bulbs—you’d plug them in and they shone different colours and patterns onto the walls. I figured out how to do this myself, and started selling them at the craft market at the Swartz Bay ferry terminal. Then I tried the paint on candle holders. I love combining of colour and light.

After a year or so making painted light bulbs and candle holders, I realized you could peel the paint off of the glass. Could I package the painted design on its own? My original idea was to use them on cars. At the time I drove an old mini that was sponge painted when I got it, that I soon added my own designs to.

At first, there was a narrow window of time when the paint could be peeled off. If I left it on the glass too long it was permanent. After much trial and error, I figured out the timing—then the paint manufacturer changed the paint. Now I could peel the designs off at anytime. That’s when Peel and Stick Suncatchers were born. I immediately knew I had something.

The Suncatchers I was selling by 1999 are very similar to what I sell today at the Salt Spring Saturday Market. The designs I have updated and added to, but I still make some of my original favourites.

In 2003 I was in my mid-twenties. At the peak of the business I had eight people painting for me and was selling Suncatchers to a number of stores in BC and Alberta, as well as in person at markets. I was too busy with work to do much else. My Irish boyfriend was leaving to travel in South America. I had the opportunity to take over the lease of a small art store off Commercial Drive called the Happy Place. I could do that, increasing my workload, or I could close my business and head to South America. I chose the later option, and went on one of the best trips of my life. I volunteered and travelled in Peru and Chile, lived and taught ESL in Buenos Aires, and finished off cycling through Argentina, Chile and Bolivia with my boyfriend (now husband).

That wasn’t the end of the Suncatcher story (obviously)! After my trip to South America I lived and worked in Ireland. I then came back to Canada to finish a degree and a Master’s at the University of Victoria. By the time I finished my Master’s, I had two children under two and we had moved to Salt Spring. I didn’t want to commute off island, and there weren’t any jobs in my field on Salt Spring. In 2013 I dusted off my old Suncatcher racks and set up at the Saturday Market. People still liked the Suncatchers, and I still enjoyed painting them.

This time, I’ve kept things small. I hire one or two people at most to help me paint. Most of the Suncatchers I paint myself, and I only sell direct at the Saturday Market, or from my website. Every Suncatcher is made with care and the hope that it will bring a touch of colour and light into someone’s life. The designs are based on the constant feedback I get from people who visit me at the market.

If you’ve bought my Suncatchers before, thank you so much for your support!

My new project is writing books for children. Writing stories is what I’ve always wanted to do. It’s been in the background while I work and raise a family. Now my children are older, I can finally dedicate enough time to writing to self publish. My first series is called Fox and Fairies, and is aimed at children aged 7 to 10. I’d love for you to check it out!