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Blythe Haney is a Racine artist who makes jewelry and small crafts out of sea glass she finds in Lake Michigan.
RACINE — Like any kid who grew up in the Midwest near Lake Michigan, Racine native Blythe Haney loved going to see the water. But as a teenager, she made her trips more interesting by collecting pieces of sea glass she would find near the shore.
A high school boyfriend once showed her some sea glass at a spot where he often went fishing, “and I was like ‘Wow.’ Ever since then, I started collecting … even bringing my family to all start collecting together.”
“It’s a fun little calming hobby,” Haney said. After a while, the family would have jars and jars full of sea glass; it didn’t take long for her to realize she wanted to start crafting things with sea glass as a way to get creative and get rid of some of her collection.
Blythe Haney, left, at the beach with her father a few years ago.
So Haney began making jewelry and selling pieces at craft fairs in 2015 through her business, ByBlythe. Later, she opened a shop on Etsy, a website where artists can sell items online. In 2019, she won People’s Choice for Favorite Artist at the 2019 Racine Art Guild’s Starving Artist Fair.
Haney’s jewelry is also currently on sale at the Racine Heritage Museum, 701 Main St.
In Racine County, Haney’s favorite spots to hunt for sea glass are Samuel Myers Park by Gateway Technical College, Carre-Hogle Park near 16th and 18th streets and North Beach by the Racine Zoo.
The most common colors Haney said she finds are clear, green and brown. “Back in the day, most everything was in glass jars — medicine bottles, perfume bottles, all that.”
Blythe Haney shows off a wire-wrapped necklace she made from sea glass.
Haney likes collecting rare colors and pieces, some not necessarily even being sea glass.
“The more rare colors — the pinks, the reds, the oranges — are the most fun to find. Especially because you can think about the type of history that it had,” she said.
On her Instagram, Haney has posted pieces of pottery and glass she has found that originate from parts near and far in the world. For example, she found a fragment of a plate made in England in the 1980s; on the other hand, she found a piece of a butter crock from a cheese company in Kaukauna.
Blythe Haney also found a piece of a plate that was made in England in the 1980s.
Blythe Haney shows a piece of pottery she found which originally belonged to Kaukauna Dairy Co.
Spring is her favorite time to hunt for sea glass, she said. “Especially just as the snow is melting, because it’s all hidden underneath … Good storms will really move the sand, the waves will move things up onto the shore … It’s interesting to go out and all of a sudden there’s a bunch of pretty ones that I’m sure weren’t there the day before.”
Haney started out making necklaces and has since expanded to wire-wrapped jewelry, bracelets, rings and earrings. Her Etsy shop has made over 300 sales and she’s an active member of the Twitter art community, which is made up of various artists who share, trade and promote each other’s art.
“It’s fun to interact with other artists,” Haney said.
When she first started her small business, social media was not as prominent of a marketing tool. According to Statista, in larger companies, 92% of marketing specialists were expected to use social media as a marketing tool in 2021.
In 2018, 77% of small businesses were using social media as a marketing tool, too — that number has grown over the years.
Blythe Haney shows off some jewelry she made with pottery also found in Lake Michigan. She said that along with sea glass, pieces of china and other artifacts are found.
Though Haney graduated college with a degree in graphic design, her day job is as a social media specialist, and she uses those tools both at her official workplace and at her small business.
As of 2020, Etsy has about 4.5 million sellers; in a huge market, Haney likes to keep things personal to her customers.
“Sea glass jewelry isn’t super, super popular, but I think that’s what draws people in. I like to market to people in this area, people that have ties to Lake Michigan, because it does all come directly from Lake Michigan,” she said. “This area is sentimental for some people.”
Haney has three younger sisters and they are each other’s support system when it comes to artistic projects.
For example, Paige Haney — the sister born directly after Blythe — crochets, paints and draws portraits. Chloe Haney, next youngest, is a cosmetologist. The youngest, Brighton Haney, has 18 months left before she graduates from ballet school.
Chloe Haney, left, helps her older sister Blythe Haney work a craft fair.
Though Paige is only selling her art to close friends, she feels motivated by Blythe to someday start her own small business.
“Seeing Blythe and how far she’s taken her hobby, seeing her work so hard … it’s inspiring to see how far she’s gone,” Paige said.
Paige said she and Chloe will often sit and help tend to Blythe’s booth while she’s out at craft fairs. “I never see her at work, so I was taken aback. It made me think, ‘I wanna be like her.’”
We all have dreams. The five stories in this collection are of Racine County residents who followed theirs in 2021.
When I was a little girl, on my list of dreams, I wanted to become a teacher, a fashion designer and open a Filipino restaurant with my brother as the head chef and my sister as the waitress, and I would be the hostess. I dreamt of being a movie star.
As you grow older, your dreams change, and in the past year I’ve spent reporting for the Journal Times, I’ve been able to fulfill one of the more realistic things on my list: hearing and sharing the stories of real people. And it was most fun for me to hear the stories of real people who achieved their dreams, despite how the last year still living amid the pandemic has challenged us all.
Some Racine County residents chased dreams from their childhood, like Elle Maru, who dreamt of becoming an artist since she was a little girl and has now published two books.
Some residents dreamt of commemorating and bettering the community. Alex Hanesakda opened SapSap restaurant to tell the stories of refugees like his family through his food; Pastor Bill Thompkins wanted to honor the black families who migrated to this area for a better future during the Civil Rights movement; and finally, teenage Isaiah Lambert wanted to end gun violence by starting a basketball league that promoted brotherhood and mentorship.
Some dreams rose from the ashes, like Deon’Te and LaShaya Cottinghams’ of opening a new clothing store after trials that left their family homeless.
Every dream, big or small, can mean a lot to us. Hopefully, reading these stories from people you may know in the community is a sign for you to follow yours.
Elle Maru has written and illustrated two books since graduating from Carthage College in the summer, but didn’t think she would become an artist.
SapSap finally opened its new, permanent location at 2343 Mead St. on Thursday, where the restaurant will continue to spread its message of love and healing through “delicious delicious” food — SapSap directly translate to meaning “delicious-delicious” in Laotian.
Nehemiah Gardens’ founder and main coordinator for the new exhibit, Pastor Bill Thompkins, said he is looking for more names to fill the walls with, which he envisions will one day have several thousand names. The purpose of the new exhibit is to “remember, honor and celebrate” those black migrants.
Isaiah Lambert had an idea in May, after the killings of Dontrell Bush and Marcus Caldwell, to fight gun violence in Racine with basketball. On Sunday, that dream became a reality as the Put The Guns Down Basketball Association tipped off.
The name “Regal Society Lifestyle” comes from owners LaShaya and Deon’Te Cottinghams’ belief that everyone is either a king or queen, and should wear a crown — whether that crown is self-confidence, strength or another symbol of power.
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Blythe Haney shows off a wire-wrapped necklace she made from sea glass.
Blythe Haney is a Racine artist who makes jewelry and small crafts out of sea glass she finds in Lake Michigan.
Blythe Haney shows off some jewelry she made with pottery also found in Lake Michigan. She said that along with sea glass, pieces of china and other artifacts are found.
Blythe Haney shows a piece of pottery she found which originally belonged to Kaukauna Dairy Co.
Blythe Haney also found a piece of a plate that was made in England in the 1980s.
Blythe Haney, left, at the beach with her father a few years ago.
Chloe Haney, left, helps her older sister Blythe Haney work a craft fair.
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The post An ode to Lake Michigan: Artist uses sea glass found at local beaches to make jewelry – Lake Geneva Regional News first appeared on Magikal Journeys Jewelry Handmade.
