I love unusual jewelry and want to make intricate, one-of-a-kind items using complicated techniques. That's what drives my creative thinking and designing: the challenge of it. My jewelry is created primarily with bead embroidery, bead weaving and other techniques, many of which require my favorite tools—a needle and thread. I also work in micro macrame, which occasionally requires a needle.
I've always been a maker. I taught myself to sew at age 5, when I decided to alter my favorite Halloween costume to fit a purple stuffed rabbit. Writing, drawing, photography, cross-stitching—I've bounced around different mediums all my life, looking for outlets that allowed me to express myself. As an adult, my love of jewelry eventually morphed into beading for fun.
But creating became a greater passion for me when I discovered seed beads and intricate, hand sewing and knotting techniques. The art of seed beading merges my love of hand sewing with a fondness for tiny beads, enabling me to make connections between colors, textures and shapes that result in something both expressive and wearable. My primary materials are tiny glass seed beads—which I love—and semi-precious gemstones.
I move between techniques to keep a fresh and modern perspective on beading as I create. I also hate repeating myself and working in multiple techniques allows me to focus on making one-of-a-kind items. Also, I'm constantly learning new techniques, such as wire weaving and forming, and blending them with hand-sewing techniques—always pushing my skills to find a fresh perspective.
From the most outrageous to the most minimalist items, jewelry should always make a statement. Through intricate, hand-stitched and beaded techniques, I create durable, attention-getting designs. Bold, elegant, artsy, modern, rebellious.
