Make. Belong. Become
Guiding the next generation of kind, compassionate humans and makers.
The Full Story
I'm a Jac of all trades — and I'm done apologizing for it. I'm a homeschool mom, a maker, a children's book author and illustrator, a soccer coach, an event planner, and the creator of Little Makers Market.
I've spent my career in roles that demanded one thing above everything else — the ability to connect with people. From hotel front desks to corporate recruiting to event planning, I've learned how to show up for people in high-pressure moments with kindness, calm, and the kind of warmth that lets people know that they matter.
I built this because of the kids I have recently had the pleasure of coaching. Working with Lucas's soccer team gave me a sense of purpose I hadn't felt in a long time — and when parents went out of their way to tell me I was making an impact, I paid attention. I've learned that when people make it a point to share that kind of feedback, it's worth listening to.
So I went all in. In a time when the world felt dark and where my impact felt small, I realized we can all make a bigger difference by focusing on our immediate communities.
I noticed Lucas and his friends were craving places to make things and sell them — they just needed the right venue. So, I shifted away from planning traditional events and took everything I know about creating experiences that make people feel something and pointed it at the most receptive audience there is — kids.
Kids are still open. Still curious. Still fully themselves — and still learning how to communicate in a kind and confident way.
I wanted to create a space for them to make real things, find their people, show up as exactly who they are, and learn skills that will shape how they see themselves and the world around them.
At a time that I was craving more impact in my community and more connection in my own life, these factors all culminated into this.
In a generation fraught with technology and less human connection than ever before, I am determined to give kids a reason to keep using their hands, build real confidence, and learn to pitch themselves and their ideas.
That's what I'm building here. And I'm really excited to see what happens next.
Books by Jacquelyn
My Little Dragonfly
A tender celebration of love, growth, and new beginnings.
Written as a gift from Jac’s husband, Josh to Jac during pregnancy, and lovingly illustrated by Jac for their son Lucas’ second birthday.
The Little Dragonfly is a heartwarming family keepsake turned children’s book. Featuring gentle rhymes and beautiful, hand crafted illustrations, this story captures the pure magic of watching a little one grow.
Perfect for bedtime reading, new parents, and baby shower gifts.
To keep this release truly special, only 500 copies have been printed. Secure your family’s keepsake copy before they are gone.
Letters from Home
A beautifully illustrated A-to-Z journey designed for connection.
Born from a desire to find light and color during a quiet time in the world, Letters from Home is a whimsical alphabet book filled with hand-crafted illustrations and meaningful words. This book features 26 vibrant drawings- one for each letter of the alphabet- designed to spark curiosity and joy in your favorite tiny humans.
More than just an ABC book, it is an invitation to slow down, sit together, and explore the magic of language.
Perfect for early learners, cozy bedtime moments and nursery shelves.
To keep this release truly special, only 500 copies have been printed. Secure your family’s keepsake copy before they are gone.
What Should I Be?
A nostalgic journey to inspire imagination and homemade Halloween magic.
As soon as August rolls around in our house, there is one question that starts to come to the surface over and over again: “What should I be for Halloween?” Growing up, my mom always hand-compiled my costumes from ordinary clothes and simple props and there was something so magical about never having a store-bought outfit.
What Should I Be? is a whimsical collection of those classic childhood Halloween costumes we all remember. It’s a fun book of characters to explore with your favorite tiny human - and perhaps it will inspire a creative project, a homemade costume, and a core memory you’ll both cherish forever.
Perfect for autumn bedtime reading, costume inspiration, and cozy family moments.
How I think
I believe kids learn best when they feel safe, seen, and a little bit challenged.
That's not just intuition — it's backed by research. Neuroscientist Allan Schore has shown that a child's stress-regulating circuits need to feel secure before real learning can happen. And education researcher Ali Carr-Chellman found that kids — especially boys — learn through movement, play, competition, and real stakes. Not sitting still. Not worksheets. Making things, doing things, and sharing them with people who care.
That's the foundation everything I build is designed around. Whether it's a 6-week workshop or a single afternoon event, I create environments where kids can take creative risks without fear of getting it wrong — because that's where the real growth happens.
When kids make something with their hands, they build more than a product. They build confidence, identity, and the kind of quiet pride that doesn't go away.
How I got here
I didn't take a straight path to get here. I took the real one.
It started with my mom. She is — and always has been — the person who brings people together. She taught me, almost without trying, how to throw a party that feels warm and welcoming and fun. Sometimes it feels like a skillset she passed down. Other times it feels like something that was always just in me, the same way it's always been in her.
I spent my twenties working in hospitality — front desk at the Hyatt Regency in Denver and Lake Tahoe, Night Manager at Jupiter Beach Resort — while spending every spare moment exploring art and design. I didn't know yet what I was building toward. I just knew I loved making things feel beautiful and intentional. Eventually that led me to a trip to Surtex, an art licensing expo in New York City, and something quietly shifted.
In 2020 I illustrated and self-published my first children's book. Then a second. Then a third — the first one I both wrote and illustrated. Along the way I was also planning events, coaching soccer, doing the team mom thing, showing up for my community in every way I knew how.
And then there's Lucas. My son. Homeschooled, wildly creative, draws dragons with names. Watching him move through the world — full of ideas, needing the right environment to let them out — is what finally made everything click into place.
All of this exists because of him. And because of every kid like him.
Why this exists
Make. Belong. Become.
Those three words are the heart of everything Hands & Hearts does.
Make — because there is something that happens in a child when they build something with their hands. Confidence. Pride. A quiet sense of capability that doesn't go away.
Belong — because kids need to find their people. The ones who get them. Who think like them, make like them, dream like them. Community isn't a bonus — it's part of the foundation.
Become — because all of it together, the making and the belonging, is how a kid starts to figure out who they actually are. Before the world tells them who to be.
That's what Little Makers Market is. And it's just the beginning.
Let’s Talk
Whether you’re a parent looking for the right fit for your kid, a school or library interested in an author visit, or just want to learn more about what we’re building - I’d love to hear from you.
