I grew up watching my Mom create. She could crochet, do all sorts of crafts, enjoyed counted cross stitch and was magical with silk flower arranging. She had her own floral design business for a time and I was always watching. I did many crafts as well as an adult and really enjoyed the detailed counted cross stitch designs. At one point, I discovered patterns that added tiny seed beads to the counted cross stitch designs and I was very intrigued by that.

However, once I received the “One Bead” from Chris and our daughter Mina, my creative life changed forever. I loved taking beautiful beads and incorporating them into a design of my own making. As a new beader, I was encouraged to join a group of seed beading gals that met once per month at the bead store for creative together time. The first project I was a part of was a multiple month design to create a seed beaded bottle. When completed the design looked like a Genie bottle! It was a hard project for a newbie, but the gals encouraged me and helped when I struggled and I completed the design. The wonderful part of the design was that each section incorporated a different type of seed bead stitch, so when completed, I had learned many of the basic stitches to use in future designs.

I moved from seed beading to other design techniques; basic stringing, learning to wire wrap first a simple bead wrap and then more complicated designs, creating bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. I made gifts and I created suncatchers for our windows using crystals and prisms. Swarovski crystals definitely became a favorite design element. After several years of beading, I became discontented. I was tired of stringing and wanted a new challenge. I took a beginning metalsmithing class in Omaha. That DEFINITELY wasn’t the route I wanted to travel. I enjoyed aspects of it, but sawing metal wasn’t one of those aspects. I then came across bead embroidery in an article in Bead and Button Magazine. This intrigued me and I had the opportunity to take a beginning class with Sherry Serafini (she is amazing!) in 2010. That changed my beading forever. I love the freedom bead embroidery gives me to tell a story with a design and with the “collage” of focals and embellishments. Creating unique wearable art is a glorious (though sometimes challenging) process.

I have had the privilege to take several classes with nationally known artists and have used what I have learned to “hear” my own voice in my beading art journey.

My “Heart of the Explorer” design published in Bead and Button Magazine (April/May 2015). I have also worked as a blog partner for Artbeads, ZNetShows, and participated in many online beading blog hops and design challenges. The first beading contest piece I participated in for The Hole Bead Shoppe “Day of the Dead” challenge, won first place. I continue to grow and adapt my beadwork with new techniques as well as using new materials in my bead designs.