A new gift shop is opening in Heron that will bring a variety of handmade pieces, from jewelry, to sculptures and paintings, to homemade lavender products. Cindy and Kent Compton will launch their new gift shop, Montana Blends, with a grand opening on September 10.

After retiring from 30 years of teaching, Cindy discovered a passion for jewelry making and credits her creativity and love of art to her mother, Barbara Mullins. "Every summer I would dabble in some kind of art," she said. "I took a couple of classes on jewelry making and I just loved it. I'm a teacher and I'm also a learner. I always like learning something new. It's the same with jewelry and that's what I love about it."

From rings, to necklaces and earrings, Cindy pulls inspiration from nature. She combines that with her work with metals such as copper and in the end, creates a piece of art that can be worn every day. "I really like working with copper, it's so versatile," she said. When I make something I usually build it from around the stone I am working with.

For those who visit Montana, you will also find homemade lavender products, including salves, lotions and balms. Everything is made in-house by Cindy herself. "Lavender has always been around," she said. "Even the Romans stormed into battle with it. It's so good for healing and scrapes of any kind."

Artists must run in the family because alongside Cindy's pieces, visitors will also see watercolor paintings from her mother as well as acrylic art from her daughter, Melissa Thompson. Kent's love for woodworking is also seen in the shop.

"It's called pyrography," he said. The art of creating a design with burn marks has become a new passion of Kent's that began last fall. Birdhouses made of redwood and cedar hang outside the shop that Kent built from the ground up. "We consider it a green building," he said. "Everything is salvaged."

Cindy has also taken a liking to working with beach glass as she says she grew up near the ocean and has incorporated that into her jewelry as well as her sun catchers, which have been seen in the Sunflower Art Gallery in Thompson Falls. Cindy's sketchbook is packed full of designs, notes and future visions of what she hopes to create one day. "You know you're on the right track when you dream about a design," she said.

Miriah Kardelis

Montana Blends offers a variety of handmade gifts and art.

Montana Blends will host a grand opening on September 10 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visitors can shop while enjoying appetizers and live music all day. Montana Blends is located at 126 Highway 200 in Heron. Summer hours are Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment at (406) 847-5309. Montana Blends can also be found on Etsy for online orders.