Montecito siblings sell homemade jewelry and give portions of the profit to Ukrainian relief

MONTECITO, Calif. – A pair of Montecito siblings picked up a jewelry-making hobby to keep busy when the pandemic struck in 2020, and now they are using that hobby to give back to Ukrainian children.

Siena Jensen, 14, and Meah Jensen, 12, started their jewelry business, Elysse Cate, over the pandemic to "inspire kids to keep positive and do something they love," said Crystal Jensen, the girls' mom.

The girls sold the jewelry on Etsy, to family and friends, and at Nurture Cottage in Montecito, Crystal Jensen told News Channel 3-12.

On Saturday, the Jensen sisters put their hobby and skills to a good cause and they sold "Hearts for Ukraine" jewelry in front of Nurture Cottage from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Crystal Jensen said that after seeing how the sisters wanted to inspire others to stay positive, Nurture Cottage helped come up with the idea to do the fundraiser for Ukrainian children.

They sold special 18-karat gold and rose quartz heart necklaces and earrings, and even had metal stamps so that customers could get their jewelry pieces personalized on the spot, Crystal Jensen said.

The sisters donated 50% of the proceeds raised at the sale on Saturday to UNICEF to support the children of Ukraine.