All my life, I’ve enjoyed working with my hands.  In 1997, while living in Northern California, I was introduced to off-loom bead-weaving with seed beads.  I was hooked…  My first project was an amulet bag in peyote stitch and I must have made 3 dozen as gifts for friends and family!

I love feeling the beads in my hand as I work, and the ability to change beads to create wonderful designs is a great outlet for my creativity.  I think of it as “painting with beads”.

I’ve always been inspired by Native American designs and have traveled throughout Arizona and New Mexico to the various reservations and native sites.  Peyote stitch lends itself to these designs, as well as to those of Frank Lloyd Wright, another big influence.

In 2013, I was encouraged to teach some of my designs at Sea of Beads, a local bead store in Austin, TX, where I live today.  Those first classes worked out well, and now I teach 4-5 classes each month.  I like teaching basic techniques and encouraging new students to learn bead-weaving.  But, I’ve branched out to more complex patterns as well.  If you live in the Austin area, I’d love to see you in a class someday.

Happy Beading!