For many, a creative outlet is a way to find solace in difficult times. 
Jewelry designer and University alumna Elizabeth Martin started designing more than a year ago when her mother died after complications from a heart attack and a stroke. Two weeks after her death, Martin’s son was
diagnosed with colon cancer. 
“It kind of felt like I always needed to do something artsy with my mom being an artist, and it was kind of my therapy,” Martin said. 
During her son’s cancer treatment, she said she would take her jewelry with her to his chemotherapy appointments to keep busy. Martin’s son finished treatment on Valentine’s Day last year and has been doing well since, but she still continued with her jewelry business. 
Martin makes necklaces, earrings, cufflinks and bracelets out of different media such as LEGOs, cork and concrete. 
“I wanted to do something different with the LEGOs versus what everybody else is doing,” Martin said. 
Instead of beading, LEGOs attracted Martin’s attention because of their bright colors and different shapes. She said her process involves taking the raw LEGO and sanding the logo and scratches off, something others who design with LEGOs don’t always do. She then polishes and sandblasts the LEGO and places it in mold. Many of them are sterling silver and placed on rubber cords or vintage chains. 
Martin also has used larger LEGO blocks and cut them into smaller pieces. One piece involves a long vintage chain and a teal square LEGO cut into a triangle set in a mold. 
She said all her materials come from her son’s old LEGOs. She also buys materials off BrickLink and Etsy. Martin will shop garage sales and estate sales for vintage materials. 
Along with the LEGOs, Martin makes cork bracelets and a concrete necklace. She mixes the concrete herself and, for this specific piece, molds it into a smooth sphere to place at the end of a vintage chain.  
However, Martin’s best sellers are her LEGO cufflinks. She said she’s been approached with custom orders, like from a couple for the wedding party in their LEGO-themed wedding. 
Martin primarily sells her jewelry on her Etsy shop, named MyOMyFirefly, but the pieces also can be purchased locally. 
She works out of a small studio as part of N The Art Space on Jefferson Highway. She also has sold pieces in trunk shows at Studio C and at Magpie Cafe. 
Martin was invited to the RAW Artists show in New Orleans to present her work with other jewelers and artists. She said it was a great experience to get to present with other artists at a large event. 
As for the name MyOMyFirefly, Martin said that came from the source of starting to design — a creative outlet. 
“It kind of had to do with a lot of things,” Martin said. “The subtitle on my Etsy site said ‘finding light in the darkness,’ and it was kind of coming out of those two tough years.”
You can reach Meg Ryan on Twitter @The_MegRyan.

Gallery • 4 Photos

Raegan Labat

Liz Martin handcrafts jewelry using old lego pieces for her Etsy shop My, Oh My! Firefly.