Frost Flower Creations

Cassandra DeBaets is a designer and artist located in Anchorage, Alaska. She designs and creates jewelry out of new and upcycled materials. Frost Flower Creations donates a portion of every sale to Natasha and Brady Aulbrach of Portland, Oregon. They are currently experiencing homelessness. Link to their fundraiser here.

What inspired you to name your collection Frost Flower Creations?

It was actually a pair of earrings I made. They remind me of crystalline ice formations, and they have a forget-me-not blue glass teardrop. I had read something about frost flowers, so it was perfect.

 

What motivated you to create jewelry?

I wanted pretty things that my grandparents just couldn't afford to buy, so that was part of it. I always liked Stevie Nicks' bohemian, mystical goddess style, so when my stepmother offered to teach me to use a beading loom, I dove into beading.

 

What inspires you to utilize upcycled materials in some of your pieces?

People throw away some good garbage. If I'm broke and I need to craft, I will go full raccoon.

 

Who inspired you as a child, creatively?

A lot of dead people. Frida Kahlo, for one..

 

"Use the Force... but don't strain."

 

 

Cassandra recently gave me a pair of these Aurora gem earrings as a gift.

 

 

In addition to her collection, Cassandra is attempting to finish her certification. Due to financial woes, she has one last obstacle to overcome before eligible for a fantastic position in Anchorage. If you wish to donate, please visit the fundraiser here. Thank you!

In 2014 and 2015 I was hitch hiking the Sterling Highway and I was such a sight with my thumb in the air, dancing while listening to Brown Bird with my headphones on. The sun was up, I was warm and in no hurry to reach my destination. Homer is and hopefully always will be beautiful and peaceful. The people there are hit or miss, not much of an in-between. Those who were chill, were chill. Drama-inclined folks outnumbers everyone with a sense about themselves though. A local shop owner had a shelf full of books on proper business etiquette yet she would still publicly patronize me with the audience of customers as I was working. Other examples flood my memory, but as I have a full day looming ahead of me I need to force myself to sleep. Ciao.

I've always been a child of the night, a creator of the early shadows. The times I painted with the most passion and assurance was when I stayed up overnight or for days at a time and enter the studio at eight am to prep my coffee and paint with a sense of mania, not stopping until I was interrupted and convinced to join everyone else for lunch.

earlier I was imagining writing a super short version of my story
she looks across the waters, facing southeast, where destruction and civilization was surely left behind years before. the moments when her sister wasn't obsessed with direction and knew how many sunlit moments were left in a day to harvest and gather roots and grass, or when the tide would be out to comb the beach looking for any shred of fiber that might be useful.

I have the best focus, initiation, or drive in the early hours of the day. I can write, I can paint, I can create. Most of all, I can read and retain what I've read!