Creativity is in My Genes

People often ask how I got started in creating jewelry. Creativity flows through my veins. It's in my genes. I've always had my hand in creating things.

As a child, I drew and painted! Pastels, charcoal, acrylics, watercolors, ink, etc.  I'd tell people, "When I grow up I want to illustrate children's books".

In High School when my friends were taking chemistry and physics and geography, I was taking Art I, Art II, Art III, Woodworking, Drafting, etc. In college, I studied graphic design when "cut and paste" literally meant cut and paste! 

Early in my marriage when my children were very young, I started a craft business from my home. I created country style decor for the home which eventually led to a specialty in designing original Christmas tree ornaments.  I sold my products at craft shows for about 13 years.  

After our kids flew from the nest, got married, and started having children of their own, I fell in love with digital scrapbooking! I could totally lose myself for hours and hours a day in building digital pages of our family to cherish forever.

I was deep into scrapbooking mode at a time when I was invited to a home jewelry party about 5 years ago. The jewelry was so beautiful! I admired the wrap bracelets in particular. I came away from that party thinking, "I could make jewelry like that for myself!"  I tossed the scrapbooking aside and made a couple bracelets for myself.  And then a couple more.  And a couple more.

One day in April 2015 as I was drooling over strings of beads and gemstones in a local hobby store, I found myself pondering the question....to bead or not to bead? I had found such satisfaction in making pieces of jewelry for myself. But should I jump into it wholeheartedly in an attempt to add some income to the farm? Will I be able to do this? 

Right then and there I dropped all feelings of inadequacy, loaded up my shopping cart, and "went for it!".