My name is Shawna Morel and I am the owner of Kouva Dream Catchers and Crystals.
I am the head buyer and picker-outer of the beautiful crystals and mineral specimens that you can find in my shop. Choosing beautiful new pieces to offer you is one of my favorite things in the world, and I hope you enjoy them just as much as I do!
I also forage for vines -mostly ones that kill trees- and cut them down to make dream catchers. Sometimes I use an antler, or different types of vine. They are all handmade exclusively by me.
Nikki works at Kouva on Thursdays, shipping your orders, decorating them with stickers and glitter and sweet whispers of love and happiness.
Sara comes in whenever she has time to make me do workouts but also to weigh and measure all the crystals so that I can create Etsy listings for them.
Both Nikki and Sara also accompany me to the Tucson Gem Shows each winter to pick out another literal ton of crystal goodies to offer you throughout the year! During our nights there we enjoy getting lost in the desert and howling at the moon… literally.
I started making dreamcatchers to protect my dreams, and now I make them to protect yours :)
I started making little dreamcatchers at first, because I was having a lot of bad dreams. I started cutting pieces of vines down from trees in the woods near my home. Since these vines wrap themselves around trees and kill them like parasites, I don't feel bad cutting them down.
Then I slowly stretch and bend the vine into a loop, and tie the ends together with string. Eventually, the wood will stay that way untied. Then I weave inside the wooden loop, usually adding some beads as I go. I attach feathers to the bottom, and sometimes to other parts, maybe some more beads or crystals.
First, I made a couple for myself, to help with the nightmares that I was having when I was pregnant with my son. I fell in love with the very peaceful process of finding vines and feathers in the woods, of weaving, and decorating them, as much as I loved the end result- beautiful dreamcatchers!
I posted pictures of the ones I made for myself online, and of a very special one that I made for my son, who at the time was not born yet. I quickly received many compliments, and had friends asking me to make dreamcatchers for them. I set up a shop on Etsy, and here I am.
As I have made more and more dreamcatchers, I have learned much through trial and error, and have become much better at creating these beautiful pieces. Of course, I still have a lot to learn, and lots of room to grow. I make each one myself, from start to finish, with a great deal of love, time and patience. And I am very proud to do so.
