An Introduction...

Hello and welcome to my first blog post!  

I thought I would share a bit about me as I feel out this world of blogging.  To be honest, I'm way out of my comfort zone here, not only talking about myself, but sharing with you what I hope to be things that you're interested in, but hey, here goes!

My passion for making things started when I was young.  I was a child that got bored easily and when I visited my grandparents, my grandma would keep me busy by teaching me different crafts.  I learned how to crochet, knit, macrame, and work with beads.  From doll dresses to doilies, to dream catchers, I still have many of the things I made when I was young.  I was her first grandchild (of many!) and I bet she was thrilled I was a girl who enjoyed all the things that she did as well.

My grandmother was and is still someone I admire very much.  She made her living as an artist, doing shows, and hustling to have a career in a creative field.  Her greatest love is making bobbin lace, and she has done that since she was young, but she has also dabbled in a great many other things, including jewelry.  Around the time I was 14, she was the editor of a jewelry publication and so she started teaching me bead making.  I made beads with polymer clay, puff paint, and even magazines before I got into metals and gemstones.  When I visited her as a teenager, she would take me to bead stores in Portland and I would fall in love with every stone I saw.  Not only that, but we would go to jewelry galleries and I saw how gems were used in jewelry designs and that's when I was hooked. I continued to make jewelry throughout my teenage years and into my 20's.  After taking a basic wire class, I was on my way to designing collections and teaching myself new techniques.  A good friend of mine offered me her guest room and I used that as my studio for a few years.  It was during that time I had my first show where I could share what I had been working on.  It was a relief to have so many friends and supporters come out and really want the jewelry I had been designing.  And that's when I knew I wanted to continue doing this and make it my career.  

For most of my adult life, I worked in the restaurant industry as a server while pursuing my jewelry career on the side.  It was almost 3 years ago that I decided to quit my 'day job' and work towards my passion full time.  I've steadily been growing as a designer and a businesswoman.  At the same time that I left my career in hospitality, I also got married to my wonderful, supportive husband who has been a great mentor and encourager along the way.  I am so happy to have made the decision to give my jewelry career all I've got.  And I'm so grateful to have you with me along this exciting journey!