The Story of Dragonfly North

Dragonfly North started in 2016 above the Arctic Circle in Nunavut, Canada. After being semi-retired for a few years, I decided to take a teaching job in the small Inuit community of Qikiqtarjuaq which is located on the northeast side of Baffin Island, Nunavut.

I already had (and still have) an Etsy shop selling handmade tiny dolls: 3SistersDolls.etsy.com. But I had to put my shop on vacation mode for the whole year when I realized that 1) my dolls got left behind in Thunder Bay in that one box that didn't get shipped and 2) shipping anything anywhere from Nunavut is insanely expensive.

But I had to create, so I made some felt ornaments for our tree at Christmas. I have always loved fabric and ribbons, so I started searching for ideas of things to make that wouldn't take a huge amount of time and expense (shipping again). I purchased some ribbons, webbing and hardware online (and waited months for it to come). I made some key wristlets and gave them away to the staff and older students. The girls all loved my bags of charms.

When I returned to Thunder Bay (land of the Sleeping Giant), I opened my Etsy store, dragonflynorthstudio.etsy.com which originally focused on northern and Canadian themed charms and keychains because of my love for the north.

As I was searching suppliers for charms, I found the beautiful enamel dog charms that make up most of my products today. I love dogs and I try to find as many different breeds as I can. I have now included some products with the beautiful artwork of Olga Bosnak, with her vast collection of dog breeds and other animals.

While my Etsy shop is made up of handmade items, this website store gives me more range in what I can showcase from other makers and companies.

Life back here in Thunder Bay may not be as exciting as Nunavut, but it is definitely cheaper (and a bit warmer)!

Diane Ellis