Our story begins inauspiciously enough with one single bead. Chris and daughter, Mina, were looking for a gift for Stephanie for her birthday. They had recently heard ads for a bead store in Hastings, Nebraska called “beads and botanicals”, so they checked it out to see if there was anything to help with the gift giving dilemma.  They knew nothing about beading so making Stephanie a gift was out of the question, (though in hindsight the owner, Carla, would have gladly provided anything needed and assisted with the task).  So, while they investigated the new store, they found the “ONE BEAD”. This single item in a store filled with many beautiful gems SPOKE loudly to Chris, SHOUTING “BUY ME!”  Which he did. The bead (which is a Tree of Life pendant) reminded him of the White Tree of Gondor from the Lord of the Rings books. The Fellowship of the Ring (first in the trilogy of movies) was coming out soon and we were anticipating it excitedly. Now, ONE BEAD, a necklace does not make, which lead Stephane to taking the ONE BEAD on a quest to add other beads to create something magical! This leads us to a poem Chris wrote (with apologies to Tolkien)…

One Bead to rule them all, One Bead to find them,

One Bead to bring them home, and in the studio bind them…

The One Bead was gifted to Stephanie in 2001 and as with all jewels, it was just a slippery slope until the house was filled with beads!  In early 2007, Chris presented an ultimatum, “either stop buy beads (GASP!) or start selling what you make”!

Pixybug Designs was born on April 1, 2007, when Stephanie received the sales tax id from the State of Nebraska.  In July of 2007, while shopping for beads in downtown Grand Island, Nebraska, Chris, Stephanie, and Mina passed by a stained-glass store with a sign in the window advertising Lampwork Glass Beadmaking classes.  It was now Stephanie’s turn to issue an ultimatum, “if I am doing this, then so are you”! Chris took his first glass bead making class and the rest as they say was history!  It was evident from the start that Chris was a natural at glass working.  As a scientist in his “grown up job” he began playing around with melting glass in high school chemistry class by melting pipettes over a Bunsen burner!

As to where the name “Pixybug Designs” comes from, Stephanie loves all things magical and especially fairies (Pixy) and we used to call Mina, Twiddlebug from the little creatures living in Ernie’s flower box on Sesame Street (bug). The creation of Pixybug Designs began with a tiny seed of a dream to create something for ourselves, rather than just working for other businesses our entire adult lives.  We never envisioned it becoming what it has become but we are incredibly blessed to have continued success 14 years later! Chris and Stephanie are both All Nebraska Artists having won Best in Division three out of 5 years for their entries in the Fine Arts division of Open Class entries.