I once had a dream of swimming in a pool full of glitter and it was so fun that I decided to bust into the crafting world by creating my own internet craft show! Ever since I’ve been working a full time job and in every spare moment crafting new projects to demo on my weekly show! Yeah I said weekly! I’m 8 months in and I’m loving every stressful, liberating, creative, glittery, ridiculous moment of it. Now that I know what it feels like to truly inspire people I will continue down this path until I can make it a full time gig ohh and I will eventually swim in a pool full of glitter!

My earliest crafting memories are from when I was really young and my grandma would teach me how to make butterflies out of magazine/newspaper pages and pipe cleaners, rings from the stoppers to orange juice containers, and purses from scraps of material. I have always been a crafty person, doodling and making all sorts of creations, but it wasn’t until recently that I discovered crafting has been the only constant in my life that makes me feel just plain happy. No matter what I am feeling or going through I can work it out through my art and crafts. Crafting is both my addiction and my drug of Choice, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

I remember the first time I took my handmade goods around to local stores for consignment to see if people would be interested. I was so unprepared and clueless about the biz. Luckily, I ran into many helpful and supportive biz owners and crafters that have given me great advice and insight. The crafting community in Des Moines, IA is fantastic. Wish it could be replicated everywhere. (my home town)

Life has been full of ups and downs, challenges and hurdles, and times of “going without”. It was these times of having little that inspired and pushed my creativity the most ~ having to “make something out of nothing” (as my favorite children’s book moralizes). Having the ability to imagine something new out of something old and “disposable” has further value in a world of diminishing resources and learning to live lightly upon the earth. It’s a blessing to have the ability to make lemons from lemonade, and an even greater gift to be able to make use of the rinds as well!

We propose to gather shells from the fouled beaches and use these shells to make art objects, such as jewelry and wearables. These are shells that have been stained by the oil and should not be reintroduced into the ecosystem. We think such shells will be beautiful in their own right and remind the wearer/buyer of the natural disaster transpiring in the Gulf. These projects will also act as a lasting and public reminder of the infinite value of our environment.

My life is unrehearsed. It’s the name I gave my personal and creative blog, and it’s something I truly believe.

I am a passionate card designer and papercrafter. Love playing with paper and ink. I’m a writer at heart, and love journaling my life in countless journals.

My style is clean and simple and also, clean and graphic, love using bold punches of color in my creations! I believe a handmade greeting/card is so much better than an email anyday. Any day. Getting real mail in your mailbox is something I wish more people treasured. I believe in the handmade greeting.

With five siblings growing up, my parents couldn’t afford to buy us designer jeans and trendy outfits. When I needed a dress for eighth grade graduation, my mother introduced me to this wonderful thing called a “thrift store.” For very little money, I could buy vintage pieces and unique items that no one else in school had. I developed an aesthetic that is still with me today. I paid no attention to sizing because if something didn’t fit me, my mother showed me how to alter it. Throughout high school and college, my clothes were custom made. Fashion has always been a big part of my self-expression, but it is empowering to make something with your own two hands. Knitting was another great love of mine growing up, because I was creating my own fabric from yarn. My mother was a meticulous knitter and would rip out eight rows to fix one dropped stitch; but I was more of a rebel and would keep knitting, considering the dropped stitch just part of the design. Today, that’s how I create my one-of-a-kind glam.spoon pieces – nothing is sketched ahead of time. I let recycled textiles inspire the design. I start by deconstructing the garments and rearranging the patterns, and a couple of hours later, it has become a signature piece of wearable history.

22 years of making soft furnishings for interior designers and curtain shops has meant that I have a lot of trade secrets to share and I love teaching people. I’m always so proud when I manage to teach a new skill to a person – it gives them so much confidence in themselves.

I wanted to be a hairdresser and drive a Trans Am. That was my first childhood dream. After receiving a set of Fashion Plates ® for my tenth birthday, I changed my mind and wanted to be a fashion designer. That dream stuck with me until a very mean high school teacher informed me that I had no artistic talent. I ended up getting an MBA and owning a Human Resources firm instead.

In 2005, I had my daughter and my life completely changed. At 35, I was forced to take a hard look at what I was doing with my life and realized that I still wanted to do something artistic. I worked through the damage that was done by my wicked art teacher (and my own misconceptions about what I was capable of) and have been painting and crafting ever since.

Since embarking on my career as an artist, I’ve been published in several magazines, sell my artwork online and in retail stores, and have won awards for my artwork. My artwork is collected worldwide. Since I am an “artist with an MBA” I also publish a free, monthly electronic newsletter geared towards helping other artists make money from their work.

I thought that I needed to climb a career ladder in order to be happy and have money. I climbed the ladder but the view from top left me longing to return to my art life. Soon after this realization I resigned my position and moved to an island – re-inventing myself as I went. I suppose that was, in a way, my version of a mid-life crisis. Since that time I have, indeed, had less money, but I am infinitely more happy with paint on my hands and thread & fibers stuck to my clothes!