Libertyville Moms Turn Passion into Business

Basement Jewels

After Kathy Horton’s daughter, and second child was born 13 years ago, she was faced with the question most moms face.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” she says. “I didn’t really want to work out of the house, but I wanted to make some income.”

During this time, a friend of hers asked her to take a jewelry making class.

“It happened by the grace of God,” Horton says. “I walked away saying, ‘I can do that.’”

Horton, a Libertyville resident for 14 years, now sells her handmade jewelry at in Libertyville, Peg Ann Kompany in Lake Bluff, and two stores in Wisconsin.

“I do everything out of my house, in an unfinished basement, in our 100-year-old house,” she says. “But that’s where I enjoy making it.”

Horton says she makes a good living creating jewelry that's unique yet affordable.

Be Ready to Invest

An important part of starting your own business, she says, is not being afraid to put the initial time and money into it.

“The more materials, the more creativity comes out,” she says. “I have all of this in front of me, all of these visions. That’s what makes it easy for me.”

Her simple, all-occasion pieces include a lot of fresh water pearls, silk thread, and knot work. Besides her design, Horton says her sales background helps keep the business going.

“From being an independent sales rep and knowing that you can never stop. You’ve got to keep selling. If you keep it up long enough, sooner or later, everything comes together,” Horton says.

Hard work and perserverance were part of Horton's life at a young age.

“I grew up on a farm and my mom was really crafty,” she says. “She did all of our clothing and reupholstered our furniture, gardened. We worked hard.”

From Kool-Aid to Scrunchies

Jen Kallieris, a Libertyville mother of three and former school teacher, says that as a child, she got her first taste of entrepreneurship.

“Remember in the 80s when hair scrunchies were popular? I used to have Kool-Aid stands all the time,” she says. “I would make scrunchies, my mom taught me how to sew. I’d put all of my scrunchies on a wrapping paper roll and put them by my Kool-Aid stand. If you bought a scrunchie, you’d get a free cup of Kool-Aid.”

Kallieris now designs and makes hair accessories for adults and children. Her business, DOTsie TOTsie, features hand-crafted headbands, hats, bows, hair clips, and her signature ponytail cuffs. The vibrant colors, unique fabrics, flowers, and ribbons are all inspired by her two-year-old and only girl, Dottie.

“She’s my inspiration,” Kallieris says.

When Kallieris started hair clips for her daughter, she realized she could make them herself.

“My sister pushed me to start doing it. She bought me clips and flowers and said ‘Just do it,’ because she knows I like to be creative.”

Learn the Market

Kallieris started by mimicking products on the market.

"Once I learned how to do that, then I started making my own unique products,” she says.

For her, creating hair accessories wasn't about making money, it was about having fun and being creative.

“It was just fun to see what I could come up with, I got to use my brain differently,” she says. “I still love to work. I put Dottie down for a nap and the boys are at school. I put on my music, and I just let the creative juices flow.”

Kallieris says she didn't start pushing her business until she saw that they were selling well.

“The business was a success, so I pushed it more. And it’s definitely helped,” she says.

Currently, her work is available at and Motif in Libertyville, Conveniently Sold in Mundelein and Bottlecap Buzz in Hawthorn Mall. She also holds open houses and parties where customers can browse and purchase her pieces.

Creativity Pays for Fun

Kallieris' profits paid for their family’s Christmas expenses in 2010. In addition, she also uses it towards her children’s sports, birthday parties, and extra entertainment.

“Last year, I bought Six Flags passes with my business money,” she says. “Just stuff that’s nice to do without it taking away all of your income.”

Her advice for small business owners? Renew product lines frequently. Kallieris aims to offer new accessories every three months.

“I think it’s important to bring a product that’s unique and isn’t out there,” she says. “I try to make all of my things different from what I see.”

Unexpected Solace

Tara McDonnell, a Libertyville mom of four, found unexpected solace in jewelery making. In 2005, her retired parents in Arizona suggested she attend the Tucson Gem Show.

“So I planned a trip to see what it was all about and bought a few things for myself,” McDonnell says. “When I started wearing my stuff, people were like, ‘Oh, can you make me something like that?’”

McDonnell, a self-taught jewlery maker, started Sassy Designs. She makes an annual trip to the show to buy the materials needed for the year.

“I study what’s in,” she says. “I teach myself how to make it and then I take feedback. I listen to my girlfriends, that’s how I learn.”

Her large, chunky jewelry exhibits her eye for unique, eye catching beads and stones that she finds at the Tucson Gem Show.

Passion for Fashion

Like Kallieris, McDonnell did not start with the intention to make money.

“It was about the fashion and loving to wear it. And then my husband said, ‘You may be onto something,’” she says.

After her third son was born, she resigned as a full-time teacher at . She now teaches an English course at Harper College and tutors.

“I feel like a stay-at-home mom Monday through Friday,” she says.  “But if I pick up a Harper class and I’ve got a case load of tutoring, and I’m doing this on my own time, I pull in quite a bit. And I can still be home with my kids.”

Currently she sells her work at Motif in Libertyville and Peg Ann Kompany in Lake Bluff, as well as doing home parties and shows. She recently moved into a studio space on Second Street.

“The concept here is that if people want to make an appointment to come in and shop, they can. I’m not going to do retail hours because I have a kindergartener and a two-year-old," she says.

In addition to having her studio space open, she also hopes to incorporate children’s birthday parties and adult parties later. Guests at these events will be able to design and build their own jewelry from her supplies and go home with the finished product as a favor.

McDonnell hopes to continue her business on the same small scale while still staying fresh.

“I hope that I’m creative enough to diversify my look and find new beads, because if I don’t go that national online route, my buyers somewhat stay the same. I hope it’s enough to feel like I have other sides besides my motherhood, and at the same time doesn’t dominate my life," she says. "It’s an important balance.”