Local Artist Finds Joy in Jewelry Making

DAYTON – Anna Steinhoff is determined to find beauty even in everyday life. She makes rings and necklaces out of bullet casings and Swarovski crystals and crafts bracelets out of leather and metal. This Dayton mother and wife, though not, she insists, a "girly girl," has carved a niche in the local jewelry business – and her pieces are on sale now at Azure Mountain on East Main Street.

"It's awesome to see something I made on a complete stranger," she said.

Like Art and Brenda Hall, who have invited her to share their new store front at 309 E. Main Street, Steinhoff never expected to start a local business. In fact, jewelry making was first and foremost her own personal escape from the trials of long-term illness – something she has endured several times in her life.

"It was a bright spot in my life," she recalls. "Making jewelry really helped a lot."

When Steinhoff was 13 and living in Nine Mile Falls near Spokane she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of blood cancer. She required treatments, and frequent stays in the hospital, until she was 16. "It was something to do in the hospital room," she said. Many of her pieces created during these high school years were displayed in the windows of Tandy Leather in Spokane.

Then, when she was 16, she visited Dayton during a sporting event and met her future husband, Justin Steinhoff. They later married and, in 2002, had their only child – a daughter, Elise. "She was a complete miracle," Steinhoff said. "I wasn't supposed to be able to have kids, but her due date was on the anniversary of my remission, so I knew God was saying she'd be perfectly fine."

Elise, turning 13 this May, was perfectly fine. But her mother got sick again when the child was just 2 years old. Steinhoff, then 26, developed immune thrombocytopenic purpura (or ITP), another blood-related illness. ITP is a disorder that can lead to easy or excessive bruising and bleeding. To make matters worse, Steinhoff eventually contracted meningitis as well.

For four days she lived in the ICU at the hospital, eating a "cocktail" of medications and enduring chemotherapy for the ITP. And then, after those four days, both illnesses were gone. "And I've been healthy ever since," she said. Steinhoff will be 38 in June. "I'm healthier than I ever have been."

For many years she was too busy to make jewelry. Then she and her family moved to Dayton seven years ago, returning to Justin's roots as a DHS grad. His father, Terry Steinhoff, is a chiropractor in Dayton, and his family was one of the founding members of the community. Justin works as an investigator at the state penitentiary in Walla Walla.

Anna Steinhoff is currently a jobs coordinator at the pen. She has also worked as a referral coordinator at the Waitsburg Clinic, the executive assistant to the CEO at Dayton General Hospital, and as a CNA at Booker Rest Home.

Only recently did Steinhoff return to jewelry making. "I've done it off and on over the years," she said. "I'm not a girly girl, and a lot of jewelry is really expensive, so I like to make things that are more natural but still pretty."

The first time Elise shot a gun, Steinhoff made a necklace out of the bullet shell. "It's kind of redneck sentimentality, but it works for this area," she said. She uses a Dremel tool to cut the ends off bullet cases, and adds Swarovski crystals as accents so they stay "pretty and sparkly." Any of the colored leather in her jewelry is hand painted and distressed. And she prefers natural colors and stone to decorate.

"I get my ideas all over the place. Pinterest, or from something else I see and I build on," she said. Her husband even tosses in suggestions, such as using two fishhooks together to form a heart. And she does most of her work on the floor of the living room while spending time with her family.

Steinhoff began selling her jewelry under the name "Blue Mountain Made" at Blue Mountain Station a year ago. "And it went really well," she said. "It's been a lot of fun being down there on weekends. And I've certainly made enough money to pay for supplies and special purchases for our house or the family."

About a month ago the Halls asked her to join them in their new storefront downtown, and she is looking forward to the new venture.