As a mother of three and as a doula & breastfeeding counsellor, Jacquelyn has a special understanding and love for pregnancy, birth, babies and breastfeeding. Her jewelry shop, Wild Mother Arts, is the result of over 12 years of passion for birth combined with a love of making jewelry. One of The Leaky Boob’s early sponsors, Jacquelyn happily shares some inspiring thoughts about her business, her passion, and her personal breastfeeding journey, and she is offering a Holiday-inspired giveaway to The Leaky Boob community. Read on to find out more!
TLB: What should TLB readers know about you Wild Mother Arts?
Jacquelyn: My name is Jacquelyn and I’m a mama of three, a doula & breastfeeding counselor, a jewelry artisan, and my life’s work is supporting, honoring & celebrating the sacred journey of motherhood. I make fertility and birth jewelry and nursing necklaces with semi-precious gemstones and I love what I do, especially as it allows me to be a WAHM.
TLB: What is the significance of your company name? What’s the story behind it?
Jacquelyn: I’ve always loved the LLL book The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, which is built on the idea that pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding are all Wild Mother Arts! Eventually I plan on expanding my business to include other things, and I wanted a name that could be expressive of what I do now and beyond.
TLB: Where do you find inspiration for your craft?
Jacquelyn: I find inspiration every time I read a birth story, chat with a pregnant mama, see a mother nursing their child and even just talking to my girlfriends. I love to make meaningful (and many times – practical) jewelry that celebrates the different phases of women’s lives.
TLB: How is your family involved in your business? How do you juggle it all?
Jacquelyn: My whole family helps support me. My youngest often names new necklaces, my older two pick up more chores around the house during busier times and help take care of their little brother. My husband assists with shipping, and right now he’s making a lot of our meals and doing most of the laundry, too – this is our very busy season. I’m not sure if I juggle it all! I try and prioritize, figure out what absolutely needs to be done first, and work down the checklist. When I have a spare few minutes, I try and get to something on the list. As well, my crock pot gets almost daily use, and podcasts are a jewelry-maker’s best friend!
TLB: I know you share regular birth and breastfeeding affirmations on your Facebook page, which 3 have the most significance for you personally and why?
Jacquelyn: Affirmations are special to me – I’ve used them for as long as I can remember, and I believe that positive self-talk is really valuable. Write them down, put them where you see them everyday, and say them daily.
“I remember to enjoy this phase of motherhood.”
This is the one affirmation I use on a daily basis! Though my pregnancy and breastfeeding days are now behind me, and I still miss them, there is always another tidbit of mothering joy just a minute or two away.
“I trust my inner voice; she is a worthy ally.”
I believe that we need to embrace our intuition and trust our instincts more and more in an ever-increasing technological world. Some things just can’t be replicated – not breastmilk, nor our intuition.
“My milk has no expiry date.”
My children each nursed well past toddlerhood, and I fully support full-term breastfeeding and child-led weaning. But it was hard with my first when family and friends kept asking when I was going to wean. So I’d answer, “My milk has no expiry date.” By our third, no one asked anymore.
Jacquelyn is giving away four different prizes to four lucky Leakies (one per winner). The prizes are:
1) A $50 Gift Certificate to the Wild Mother Arts Etsy shop – choose your favorites for gifts or for yourself. Retail value $50.00
2) Angel Pregnancy & Nursing Necklace – a guardian angel to watch over your pregnancy & birth, this sweet necklace is carved from turquoise howlite and can later be used as a nursing necklace. Retail value $24.00
3) Gingerbread Nursing Necklace – with all the richness of gingerbread, this nursing necklace is made with a large picasso jasper & pyrite composite donut with a copper accent. Retail value $22.00
4) Sugar Plum Nursing Necklace – a holiday favorite! Beautiful purple grass flower jasper is mixed with shiny pyrite and a touch of silver – perfect for nursing your little sugarplum. Retail value $22.00
Currently Leakies can find these and other jewelry celebrating fertility, birth and motherhood in the Wild Mother Arts Etsy shop. Also, go check out the Wild Mother Arts blog, where Jacquie shares daily birth affirmations, fertility & pregnancy affirmations, quotes, ideas & activities for celebrating childbearing & early parenting.
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Good luck to everyone! Please use the widget below to be entered. The giveaway is open from November 20, 2012 through November 27, 2012. A big thanks to Jacquelyn and Wild Mother Arts for their ongoing support of TLB and all breastfeeding women; please be sure to visit their Facebook page or follow them on twitter (@wildmotherarts on Twitter) and thank them for their support of TLB and this giveaway opportunity.
This giveaway is open to international entries.
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Special Black Friday/Cyber Monday announcement
Jacquelyn will be having a 12 Days of Holiday Specials from November 23 – December 4th, and the first four days (Black Friday through Cyber Monday) will be buy any two items, and get a nursing necklace for free! For all the details, see the announcement in her shop.
Love your necklaces and affirmations
I keep looking at necklaces at stores that I could wear while nursing my toddler – I know it would not end well. Jacquelyn’s necklaces would be great!
What beautiful necklaces!
beautiful jewelry concepts! 🙂
Awesome necklaces & company… I love my mama goddess necklave. Happy Thanksgiving
Thanks forth is great opportunity for such beautiful jewelry
I hope to be a WAHM too!
I will definitely be using “My milk has no expiration date”. Thanks so much for the giveaway.
beautiful! Thank you for the giveaway.
Beautiful pendants! Thanks for the giveaway!
These would be the perfect thing to hold my baby’s interest while she’s nursing! Good luck, everyone!
Those are beautiful! Thank you so much for the giveaway!
When I first started nursing I didn’t understand the concept of a nursing necklace. My son is now 9 months old and FULLY understand! Your necklaces are gorgeous and I would be thrilled to win any of the three! Thank you for the giveaway!
Super pretty!
Very pretty necklaces!
Beautiful nursing necklaces!
Gorgeous necklaces!
LOVE these necklaces. They would come in handy with my soon to be teething little girl :]
These are beautiful!!
I LOVE nursing necklaces…… these are beautiful!
What a great giveaway! She has gorgeous necklaces!
I am totally going to use, “My milk has no expiry date.” My lo is only 6 months and people are already asking me about weaning!
I have one of Jackie’s necklaces (an opalite owl) and my son LOVES it! So worth it to me because he pulls that instead of my hair while he eats! I would love to have another one or maybe one to give away to a friend as a shower gift!
These are lovely!
Pinned it! http://pinterest.com/pin/73183562666369985/
I’ve been wanting a nursing necklace. This would be awesome!
Love these necklaces! So pretty 🙂
Beautiful necklaces and my lil guy will love playing with it while nursing 🙂
Been begging the spouse to get another nursing necklace for me! Always love wild mother arts!
I love the colors of the sugar plum necklace- beautiful!
These are great for babies and beautiful just to wear a few of my friends and clients have these. 🙂
So pretty I want one! I’ve been wanting a nursing necklace.
All of these are amazing and what you do is amazing keep it up!
Love the “my milk has no expiry date”! I’ll be using that. Beautiful necklaces, I’d love to have one!
Love these necklaces!
Lovely
Cute necklaces! Happy thanksgiving !!
What great artistry
I love all your pieces.
Love these!!!!
Love these!!
I love my nursing necklace 🙂
I love my red jasper fertility necklace. The nursing necklaces are beautiful too!
Beautiful necklaces!
I know a couple of moms who could really use one!
Love the necklaces If I win I’d love to review it on my mommy blog. but if i don’t i’ll definitely be contacting you 🙂 Thanks!
very pretty 🙂
Love my nursing necklaces. I would have no problem spending that prize!! 🙂 Thank you for a great contest.
I cant seem to stop shopping this store!
So pretty!
I love everything at Wild Mother Arts!! I definitely need a nursing necklace…baby #2 is on the way in May!
Oh my gosh, the angel is lovely but I ADORE the Sugar Plum – could really use it , too, now that I have a twiddling toddler. Mildly vexing but it won’t last forever – I always remember to enjoy EVERY phase of motherhood, from toddler to tween and everything in between ;^)
Love the angel necklace!
I love the gingerbread necklace. I think breastfeeding affirmation is so important because many of us nursing moms feel very alone, and having a reminder (be it a necklace, mantra, photo, whatever) that reminds us that we are a part of a worldwide, timeless community of women is so vital to the process. Positive affirmation can make all the difference when it’s 3 am, you’re struggling, and you’re doubting yourself. I’ve certainly had those moments, and even though we are 3 years in, I’m sure I’ll have them again with baby #2 in February! I would love to win a necklace to wear for her.
Love WMA!! The sugar plum necklace is gorgeous!!
Wow, they’re all beautiful but I really love the gingerbread necklace. I always remind myself that by BFing my son, I’m doing something for him that nobody else can really do. It’s milk made specifically for him. That gets me through the 3 am wakeups. 🙂
The Sugarplum necklace, as it has purple flecks and I love purple. The nursling also likes purple, for he appreciates fabulous things. ^^
I adore this!!
Would love the gingerbread necklace. Little man has wandering hands.
Very pretty necklaces!
Love the gingerbread! I’ve stopped wearing necklaces because my little guy yanks on them, and they are not built for tugging baby hands 🙁
I would love to win. My LO gets easily distracted and I have tired many things with him. This is my last hope!!
Thank you for the chance to win one of your lovely necklaces. They are stunning!
Beautiful! My fave is the jasper celtic knot <3
I have always wanted a teething necklace for my daughter but was never able to afford it. This would be an amazing gift. They are truly beautiful!
I love the turquoise angel necklace! I like the affirmation I remember to enjoy this phase of motherhood. I’m reminding myself everyday to love every moment of breastfeeding my son. I know how quickly he has grown thus far and I know I’m going to miss it so much.
Wow you have some talent! These are really pretty. Forget the plain Jane basic wooden ones!
I like the sugarplum necklace and the enjoy this phase of mothering affirmation!
These are lovely. My toddler has become an awful fiddler, so any distraction is welcome!
I absolutely LOVE the sugar plum nursing necklace! (Purple is my favorite color!) I’ve been trying to find something appropriate for my mini man to twiddle while he nurses, this would be perfect!
I LOVE the sugar plum necklace! (Purple is my favorite color.) I’ve been searching for something for my mini man to twiddle while he nurses, and this would work wonderfully!
I would just love that Sugar Plum Nursing Necklace!! I looked in the Etsy shop, too, and the Patchwork necklace is gorgeous, too! And Flourish! And Hedwig! And Cookies and Cream! Ooohh, I love this shop!!
Lovely necklaces!
I love them all but I would have to say the Sugar Plum necklace is my favorite. I also like “I trust my inner voice; she is a worthy ally.” because I am always second guessing myself even though my first instinct tends to be correct.
My fave is Sugar Plum. Nursing has become a much more central part of my life than I ever thought it would. I’m on my third nursling now… I love how each of them nurses so differently; I love all the memories I’ve made during all my hours of nursing. I miss each of them nursing as they self-wean & wish it could last forever… but at the same time, I’m at peace with the knowledge that each of my children chooses for himself/herself when & how to wean. It’s on their terms, & I feel like that shows the independence they’ve gained. I know how blessed I am to be able to nurse each baby: to nurture, comfort & love each baby.
I love the Triquetra Celtic Knot Nursing Necklace – Poppy Jasper Breastfeeding Necklace!
Sugar Plum is my favorite.
I’ve nursed all my babies and it’s been such a joy.
The Angel nursing necklace!
Love your pregnant mama necklaces!
Beautiful! My little one would love to play with one while I nurse him.
My favorite is the Sugar Plum Nursing Necklace.
The turquoise angel!!
Love your stuff
I absolutely adore the Sugar Plum! This is one of my absolute favorite sites. I can’t wait to share this with my nursing friends! Thank you so much for this giveaway–I’m so excited! Pinned it, also! http://pinterest.com/pin/479211216569600954/
i’m pregnant and would love a nursing necklace