About Slinky's Sanctuary
Slinky's Sanctuary is a Hawai'i-based small business that was built on
purpose, intention, and love.
Every piece has been carefully designed and handmade by me from start to finish,
all the way down to the individual tags on my keychains and mini lei.
I even cut out my own business cards and care cards by hand!
I firmly believe that, if you claim that your products are handmade, they should be made
by hand by the person selling them. Slinky's Sanctuary upholds this belief and does not
outsource labor or use AI in any capacity.
Everything that I offer has been made by my own two hands!
I graduated with my culinary arts degree in 2024 and, after a few years in the industry,
decided to make a career shift to focus on my mental and physical health.
Since then, Slinky's Sanctuary has grown into so much more
than I ever could've imagined and I'm so grateful for everyone who has
been a part of this journey with me!
Crochet
I design and write my own crochet patterns for every single crochet product I make. The only exception are my hibiscus charms and hair picks, which are made with an existing pattern that I modified to fit my business.
From there, I make every single piece by hand, which is unique and valuable for many reasons. The originality and meticulously handmade nature of my products are why they stand apart from a large amount of crochet items being sold by other merchants at kiosks, in stores and at markets. Often those merchants don't make their own products, despite what they may say.
Crochet resellers often buy products for cheap from overseas, and since there is no machine that can crochet, that means such products were handmade by people who were paid pennies for their hard work. Such practices are unethical and harmful towards the people who made the products as well as small businesses such as mine that actually hand-crochet their own products. This is why I always encourage shoppers to ask questions when buying crochet products, and to ask for proof that shows that the seller actually made the products they're selling.
Jewelry
I also specialize in handmade elevated jewelry that features preserved butterfly, moth, and damselfly wings. I do all of the preservation and jewelry-making for my earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and adjustable rings. Each piece takes anywhere from 1-3 weeks to complete, from the start of the preservation process, to the final assembly of the piece.
Hawai'i's jewelry market is saturated with many talented makers, so I aim to create a product line that is unique. I partner with a small business in the U.S. mainland to source my wing specimens, and each specimen has all the necessary documents that are required by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for imported and exported insects.
The small business I work with partners with farms around the world that plant the native plants for each species of butterfly/moth/damselfly, which protects the land from deforestation and mono-crop farming, and creates an environment where the populations can grow. Once the butterflies/moths/damselflies have lived out their full natural lives, they're then sent to researchers, museums, and artists like me. All the money that I spend on the specimens goes right back to the small business I work with and the farms they support globally, so that they can continue their conservation efforts.
Visit the directory to view a list of many specimens that I work with!
In closing, the most important thing for me is to be able to connect with
the community while sharing my art, and educating where I can.
Handmade art is extremely valuable, especially in the age of fast fashion,
mass-produced and imported goods, and generative AI, which is why
I continue to do what I do, and work to uplift others who value art
and craftsmanship as well.
Slinky's Sanctuary is a true embodiment of "handmade" and "made in Hawai'i" and I look forward to sharing even more of my art with the world.
Thank you for taking the time to read about my business!
Alex Nii
Artist and Owner
Mahalo to everyone who makes my business possible!
Special thanks to Mom, Dad, Aunty, Darrian, Francis, Micah, Sabrina, and Casey for always helping me behind-the-scenes! None of this would be possible without your support.
