Anam Cara Clay Goods

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United States
Waynesboro, VA
Anam Cara Clay Goods

Handmade polymer clay jewelry for the woman who wears her personality out loud. Lightweight. Bold. Comfy. Shenandoah Valley, VA
New drops + market dates ↓

Julie Mullins, owner and artist of Anam Cara Clay Goods, has been exploring the art of jewelry making since childhood. From pony bead necklaces during recess to friendship bracelets at summer camp (and the hemp/macrame comeback craze of the early 2000s), this creative outlet has been a journey of exploration and discovery of personal expression in authentic ways. As a child, Julie’s father worked

as a full time portrait artist and her mother a very talented seamstress, so the pursuit of creativity was always encouraged. With former careers as a professional chef, dance instructor, and camp counselor, the common thread tying her 22 year career together has been her enduring love of non-profit work. After moving from the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee with her hubby and their two “fur babies” in 2018, she began serving at Innisfree Village, a residential community for adults with intellectual disabilities in Crozet, VA. This life change was the catalyst for finally pursuing her dream of owning a small creative business. After envisioning dozens and dozens of business ideas, she discovered polymer clay in 2020 and that is when future plans started taking root. Learning this art medium kept her sane during the pandemic, and brought her to a renewed place of peace and purpose in forging a path as an artist and entrepreneur. Julie simply fell in love with this curious and expressive process, where each piece of jewelry is distinctly unique, surprising lightweight and durable, as well as functional and fashionable. While bold statement dangles, studs and drops, necklaces, bracelets, and other fun accessories are the stars of the show, Anam Cara Clay Goods strives to empower others to explore their own creativity, to feel positively beautiful inside and out, and to remember that just like a pair of earrings, we are all better together!

05/27/2026

I am someone who looks at her to-do list and genuinely (maybe even naively), thinks, yep, I can do all of that. 😬😂😫 And then the realities of the day to day hits me like a ton of bricks and I realize, oh my! “No I cannot. What were you thinking, Julie?”

A couple weeks ago we debuted my brand new market displays. I was so excited about them. But loading up the truck that morning? Completely new territory. Josh and I were both stressed, figuring it out as we went, nothing going quite the way I had pictured it.

But at the end of the day it all came together and people kept stopping to say how great everything looked. And honestly, that made every stressful minute worth it.

The behind the scenes though? Not always pretty, folks. And that’s kind of where I am right now.

The Spring Mini Collection and The Gather Journal are both coming, and I am genuinely so proud of both of them. But the launch timeline I had in my head? I have to give myself some grace and move some things around.

Here’s what I keep reminding myself: I am the one setting these crazy expectations. Which means I am also the one who gets to change them (and not feel like the world is going to end if I do). I’m a work in progress, people. 🙏

The anxiety and stress have been really real lately, and it has made it harder to be present with my art the way I want to be. So this is just me being super honest with you, and so grateful you are here.

Hang in there with me. More updates soon. 🧡

05/22/2026

Friends, I will be out in Staunton, VA this weekend for Art on the Town with and I would love to see your face. ❤️

Yes, the forecast is looking a little iffy. Yes, it might rain. But here’s the thing about a market full of handmade art made by real people who set up their booths and showed up for you.

It’s absolutely worth a jacket and an umbrella. ☂️ 😘 It’s part of the experience and vibe, folks. So come weather the storm with us. Hope to see you there!

05/18/2026

I don’t do many two-day markets, but I showed up to this one. Partly because I had brand new displays to debut (yippee!), and partly because in this challenging season of small business, I just needed to be around actual people.

What I didn’t expect was the number of folks who stopped and hung out and asked about the story behind the pieces. Where did the idea come from? What inspired that color, that technique? They weren’t just shopping, they were genuinely curious, and it impacted me in ways I didn’t see coming.

At one point Josh looked over at me after a woman walked away and said, “That should say a lot to you. What she just said matters, because what you make matters.” And friend, that made my heart soar and my eyes well up, because it helped me realize that my stories actually make a difference. That what I create and share is landing somewhere with real significance.

It’s a lot to process. Because I’ll be honest, I did not go into that market with the best attitude. I was tired after an unusually trying week and not feeling very excited or motivated.

But that market turned it all around for me, and the lesson I’m taking with me is this: you don’t have to be a big brand to tell a powerful story. You just have to be willing to tell a true one that resonates with the right people.

So that’s what I’m going to keep doing. Creating, sharing stories, and making things that matter. Because you told me they do, and that means more to me than you’ll ever realize.

05/14/2026

Something is coming. And it has paws. 🐾 It has heart. It has bandanas. And every single purchase gives back to a cause that means the world to our family.

I can't say too much yet — but there's a very special girl in my life who has a birthday coming up in June, and let's just say I've been in the studio making something that feels like her all the way through.

More soon.

05/06/2026

Fourteen years ago today Josh and I said I do!

But our story starts long before that. We were friends in high school, working the same job together, and that first summer cemented something neither of us fully understood yet. A deep, forever kind of friendship.

For a long time that's all it was. I was Doc and he was Sunshine (insert long funny backstory here). 😜

Then one day, ten years later, something shifted. We saw each other differently. "What if there's something more here?" was swirling around in our heads. And we've been together ever since.

When Josh first told me he loved me he added two words I'd never heard before.

Anam Cara. Soul friend.

I had no idea those two words would one day become the name of a business, a collection of handmade jewelry, and a community I pour my heart into every single day. But he knew something about me, the way he always has, before I knew it myself.

All these years later he's still my biggest cheerleader. Every market, every late night, every moment of doubt and every moment of joy, he's been there for all of it.

The name was always his gift to me. The brand became mine to share with all of you.

Happy anniversary, Sunshine. You are and always will be my Anam Cara. 🧡

05/04/2026

This whole adventure started in one of the hardest seasons of my life.

Endometriosis had taken a lot from me: my certainty, my sense of direction, my sense of self. My heart, my mind, and my body were all in an uncertain place at the same time.

But I kept working with my hands.

I kept trying. I kept making. And slowly, quietly, something started taking root.

Looking back I am still in awe of how this all came to be. It wasn't fast and it definitely wasn't easy. But the journey, for this business and for me, has been transformative in ways I never could have planned for.

I wouldn't trade it for the world.

04/25/2026

✨MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!! ✨
🗓️ May 23rd 11am-1pm 🗓️

Our grand opening will be filled with snacks, drinks, laughs, deals, & celebration!!! Truly an event you won’t want to miss 🥹🤍

💕 I am so honored to be surrounded by each of these incredible women & it is such a joy to get to work with them every day. So wild to go from 4 of us to 10 of us just like that 💕

Get to know everyone a little before meeting us in person!
👇🏼daztats our insanely talented tattoo artistrowann our wonderful spray tan artist
our phenomenal massage therapist
our top notch nail tech
our beautiful permanent makeup artist
my instagramless momma, Amy, our detox diva estheticsllc your beloved wax queen aesthetics the skin wizard
our lash lift superstar
& me! doin all the estie things ✨

04/22/2026

Growing up my mom and I called gifts “prises.” And no, that’s not a misspelling.

It’s not something you win, but something you receive with surprise and joy. It was just our word — hers and mine — for that moment when someone hands you something wrapped with love.

This Mother’s Day might not be a surprise. She probably already knows what her prise is this year. 😉

But that doesn’t matter. Because what we’re really doing — what we’ve done together for a long time — is showing up for each other. In the small moments and the big ones. In the prises, wrapped and unwrapped.

The Bloom Box is this year’s prise. And I made it for her.

One week left to preorder — April 30th is the last day. If you want to give the mom in your life her own prise, this is it. ❤️

Link in bio.

Address

Waynesboro, VA
22980

Website

http://www.anamcaraclaygoods.com/, https://faire.com/direct/anamcaraclaygoods

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