Surrounded by her five “Canadian cats” and three “American dogs”—all rescues—she’s found her rural Wainfleet home the perfect place to plant jewellery.
For 23 years, she’s grown her successful business, Tree and Twig Heirloom Vegetable Farm—literally, from the ground up. Now, the crafty entrepreneur has branched out into her second business, Brindille Jewellery.
Brindille is French for “twig,” she said, explaining the origins of her company’s name. “I grew up on a farm in Flamborough; my parents were the tree, and I’m the twig.”
A plant—known as Job’s Tears—is actually a type of millet, she noted, and a popular crop in Asia, which starts out as green bead-shaped buds, before blossoming into variations of grey, with marble-like strains of white and black running through them. The buds have a naturally shiny exterior, making them ideal beads for her eco-jewellery.
“I’m best known for my tomatoes,” Crago told the Thorold News, in her cozy rustic sunroom.
“I’m very concerned about the environment,” she added, which is why her beads don’t contain harmful chemicals.
“I’m an old hippie, so I love turquoise, copper, coconut discs, little pieces of clay, and the natural stones, and different shapes of wood.”
These earthy elements are prominent when designing her one-of-a-kind custom necklaces and bracelets.
“A lot of interesting stuff from Africa” also goes into her creations, she said, including African prayer beads, and fossilized Stegadon bone, something you don’t see every day.
Some of her traditional tribal beads were used as currency before money came into being, she said, adding that she finds herself drawn to primitive patterns.
“A lot of what I make is chunky and big, with a tribal vibe,” said the former social worker.
When not coaxing jewellery from the soil, the mother of two daughters and seven pets somehow finds time to sell her unique creations at craft shows, and will be displaying some of them at Thorold’s 26th annual Christmas Art & Craft Show.
Crago will be one of many juried artisans appearing at Thorold Secondary School on Nov. 16 and 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
Admission to the show costs $3, with proceeds earmarked for the high school.
For more information, visit treeandtwig.squarespace.com
