Kwai, I'm Dominique

I am the artist and one-woman operation behind cedarlilie. I belong to the Abenaki First Nations community of Odanak. I am also French-Canadian and I LOVE beads. What started off as a relaxing hobby has now turned into an ever-evolving and growing online bead and supply store ,and platform to sell my art. 

How it started

I’ve always been crafty, but when I came across beadwork, I knew I’d found my creative medium. However, I find beads to be particularly invasive. I find them everywhere... in my shoes, in my wallet and in my hair. That said, what started as a relaxing hobby quickly became an important part of my life.

In July 2020, I started cedarlilie as a place to share and sell my beadwork. Since then, it has grown and evolved into an online bead and supply shop, a place to learn, and a way for me to connect with makers at every stage of their beading journey.

More than a creative medium

My academic journey and my beadwork have always been closely connected. In fact, if it weren’t for school, I may never have learned to bead. I learned from other Indigenous students while completing my undergraduate studies.

Growing up without access to my Indigenous community, language or culture, beadwork became an important part of my journey to reconnect. Alongside my academic work, it has helped me learn, grow and connect with my community and culture in ways I never imagined possible.

Beadwork continues to be a space for learning, connection and creativity in my life and I am incredibly grateful for where it has taken me.

cedarlilie now

One of my favourite parts of growing cedarlilie has been connecting with people who are just beginning their crafting journey, as well as those who have been beading for many years.

I love the conversations, the stories, the sharing of knowledge and the friendships that have come from this community. Beadwork is medicine, and I am humbled by the opportunity to help people find the beads, supplies, kits and resources they need to begin, or continue, their own beadwork journey.

What started as a small creative outlet has grown into something I could never have imagined, and I am constantly learning and growing alongside it.

Wliwni. Merci. Thank you.

Thank you for allowing me to share my art and passion with you, and for choosing to support my small Indigenous business. Every order, message, project and connection means more than you know.


- Dominique