Jewelry, heritage & the stories we carry
Made by Hand. Carried Through Generations.
This is where I get to talk about where I come from — my family, my heritage, and the traditions I try to honor in everything I make.
Family comes first
From My Heritage to My Hands
“Before anything else, I'm somebody's daughter and sister, a wife, a mother and a grandma. Those aren't just titles. They're the people and the stories that made me.”
So much of who I am, what I create and what I talk about comes from the generations before me and the family around me today. It lives in the stories we repeat, the things we make, the songs we sing, the food we put on the table and the way we sit down and listen to one another.
My heritage is personal and it's family-held. I speak about my own family history and my personal connection to Cherokee heritage, including my family's connection to the region of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, in my own words and from my own life. I don't speak for any tribe, nation or organization, and I don't use protected tribal imagery or seals.
What I can offer you is the truth of my family, the traditions I was raised near, the craftsmanship I was taught, and the respect I try to carry into every piece I make and every story I tell.
This page is mine to fill in, piece by piece, as I tell it properly.
Clay, creativity & the 7 Clans
Stories Shaped by Hand
Clay asks you to slow down. I shape it by hand, letting a meaningful story, a person, a tradition or a piece of heritage guide what it wants to become.
Some of that work explores the 7 Clans through my own family story and creative practice. I approach it with care and respect. It is personal artwork—not a claim to speak for a tribe or to represent anyone else's history.
Some stories are told. Some are sung. Some have to be shaped in your hands.
A place for the finished pieces
Photographs and the stories behind Tam's clay work will live here as the collection is documented. Nothing shown before it's ready, and every piece told in its own time.
Paint. Paper. Texture. A little heart.
Each card comes with an envelope and the small handmade details that make it feel like it could only belong to the person receiving it.
Paper, paint & a reason to celebrate
Handmade Cards With a Personal Touch
I've always loved making things with my hands. My cards bring together painting, drawing, texture, layered materials and whatever inspiration finds me that day. They aren't generic printed cards and they aren't made by the hundreds.
I make Christmas cards, birthday cards, invitations, special-occasion cards and personal pieces for moments that mean something. Every one is made to feel like a little keepsake—not just something you open and throw away.
One story, many ways of telling it
What I Carry With Me
The clay, the cards, the painting and drawing, the jewelry, the singing, the Southern traditions and these kitchen-table conversations aren't a pile of separate hobbies. They're all ways I keep family close, honor where I come from and make room for one more story to be told.
Clay Sculptures
Stories shaped slowly by hand.
7 Clans
A personal creative study rooted in story and respect.
Handmade Cards
One-of-a-kind greetings made for real people and moments.
Painting & Drawing
Color, line and whatever inspiration finds me that day.
Jewelry
Materials, meaning and memories worn close.
Other Creations
Room for the next thing my hands decide to make.
This collection is being documented with care. Real photographs and their stories will be added here as they are ready to share.
Every Piece Has a Story Sitting Behind It.
When I make something, I'm usually thinking about a person or a place the whole time. That's why nothing here feels mass-produced — because it isn't.