i drove out to the lost coast this summer to join my dear friend, jess, at her magical vegetable + herb farm nestled alongside the mattole river. i had been wanting to capture her work for awhile, as all of her products are created straight from field to bottle. we made yarrow hydrosol in the garden, dyed silks with home grown indigo, and bottled some beautiful dried herbs for her other products. hope you enjoy and please visit her site to shop the magic.
xo
hannah
From Delia Bense-Kang, California Campaign Manager
“Taking a beach cleanup a step farther than the landfill, Surfrider Humboldt recently partnered with local jewelry designer and surfer, Hannah Millner, to literally transform trash into treasure. Millner is the owner and designer of Sea to Seed, her hand-made jewelry company out of Blue Lake California. She has recently been experimenting with incorporating beach trash into her pieces, and a cleanup with Surfrider presented a perfect way to source materials while enjoying a day at the beach.
The cleanup took place on Saturday June 8th, in celebration of World Oceans Day. During the event volunteers picked up all trash in sight, but took extra notice of items that might be usable for jewelry. In the end, several pieces of rubber, rope, and micro plastics were found worthy of taking on a new life. In addition, volunteers rid the beach of hundreds of nails, shards of glass, plastic cups, beer bottles, and tin cans. Millner then set to work, creating a special edition “beach trash” line, from which a portion of the proceeds will go back to Surfrider Humboldt.
“I can only hope we can find more innovative ways to repurpose the plastic and waste that is already here, and furthermore reduce our use all together. Until then, I hope to keep finding ways to make earrings, for you to wear proudly and use as a little daily reminder of how long this stuff really lasts,” said Millner. “Upcycling the beach trash I’ve found has allowed me to donate to incredible organizations like Surfrider who are working tirelessly to rid the ocean of plastic and educate children and adults across the globe!”
Hi friends!
I’m very excited to be a part of the Shop Sacred event this year. I’ve been working on a number of new designs, mostly all made of raw brass, as well as creating my new logo. Since farm season has come to a close, I’ve been diving into Sea to Seed head first and I couldn’t be more excited for whats to come in 2019. If you’d like to check out some of my new work, you can find me at the Bayside Community Hall on December 2nd, 2018 from 10-6.
Hope your transition into winter has been filled with the nourishing comforts of rest, good food, and good company.
Sending lots of love,
Hannah
xx
Hi friends!
Thanks for checking in. I'm excited to be back in Northern California, making jewelry and working in my garden yet again. I'm really hoping to expand my reach with Sea to Seed this coming year, eventually making it my full-time job and getting my pieces in a few new stores.
I spent the first couple months of 2018 in Nicaragua, working my third season as a surf coach for Surf with Amigas. Between exploring untouched back roads on a moto with my little brother, working with amazing women from around the world, galloping down the beach on the horseback, hilarious conversations in spanish, desperate hitchhikes to reach the surf before the wind switched, and learning how to make tortillas with my Nicaraguan abuela.. my heart is endlessly grateful. Nicaragua and the people who live there have changed me in ways I couldn't have ever imagined.
I returned to Northern California in early April, coming home to a fiercely chilly Pacific ocean and seemingly endless rain. Jack (my partner) and I quickly got to work on our garden space once the soil began to dry, prepping our beds to be planted with our veggies, herbs, and flowers for the summer. Snap peas, spinach, chamomile, zinnias, and tomatoes are a few of my favorites.
Our goal every summer is to get better at food preservation / cultivation so we can minimize our dependence on the grocery store and reduce our carbon footprint. Luckily, Jack is a fisherman, who supplies us with fresh fish and crab throughout the year. My dream the last several years has always been to become self-sufficient in terms of food, as well as exploring my place in the world of hunting and fishing. It's been a crazy journey and I'm excited to continue exploring down the path of wild foods and foraging throughout the summer. If only we could grow food and walk to the surf from our house! Ha! Hoping to manifest that one in the near future..
A few other highlights from the last few months include cruising down to Do-It-Ourselves Fest in a school bus, meeting my best friends new baby, skinny dipping in the river near our house, baking my first cake with edible flowers, and finally finding the right fin for my longboard.
As I write this, it's already mid-June! The last few weeks I've finally been refining each Sea to Seed piece and shooting with my new camera for the website. My new collection is geared towards higher quality materials (14k gold fill!) and having a core set of simple, beautiful products. I can't express enough how much I love taking my inspiration from what I love most in my life and injecting it into my jewelry, creative content, and my website.
I look forward to your feedback and can't wait to share the new line on the Summer Solstice (JUNE 21!)
Sending love,
xx
Hannah
The past two winters I've been working in Northern Nicaragua for an all-women's surf/yoga/adventure company, Surf With Amigas. Here are some of my favorite moments caught on camera from the 2017 season:
5:30 AM - two young fishermen.
Little boy sitting beneath the bell after school. This was taken at the oldest cathedral in Central America; in Leon, Nicaragua.
6 AM surf quests in Northern Nicaragua
"Nicaragua's national bird is the motmot. This brightly colored bird can be easily recognized by its long, light blue tail. Motmots eat mostly insects, and they, oddly, dig a hole to lay their eggs. They can be seen in forests throughout Nicaragua, mostly in the southwest of the country."
Mid-day scene in Leon, Nicaragua.
My kiwi roommate Annie! We spent everyday together for over 2 months. Spent most days laughing, surfing our brains out, and eating ALL the chocolate we could get our hands on.
Aura, Chloe, Annie and I with the awesome ladies from Stowell Lake Farm/Guayaki.
Nicaraguan history.
Open air market in Chinendega. It isn't uncommon for most perishables to sit outdoors in the hot weather for hours at a time.
