Michelle Waldren Beads, Lago Vista, TX
I am a Lampworker I build glass art on an oxygen/propane torch. I make mostly large art beads for necklaces and pendants. I also make paperweights , marbles, Wine bottlestoppers ,drawer pulls, fanpulls, and gear shifts. I make mostly jewelry for now, but am always adding new items and learning new skills.
My name is Michelle Waldren (maiden name-Girouard)I was Born in Tulsa Okla. Raised in San Clemente, California, got married to John Waldren and we moved to Anchorage Alaska, where we lived and raised our children for 17 years. Anchorage is also where I started my beaded jewelry business in 1991. My Daughter Kiara was 2 years old and my son was 14 and I felt the need to start a home business, where I could stay at home with them and where I could be really creative. I began by learning to make Native American style seadbeaded earrings, then through a good friend learned how to make earrings necklaces and bracelets using larger beads. I started by doing a Southwestern style Jewelry and quickly moved on to my own style. I am a a big fan of ethnic style jewelry and clothing, although that did not come about for a while. I learned about selling at the local grade school craft fairs and I was off at a run. About 3 years into it I met a woman( Kate Drew Wilkinson) teaching a class thru the Alaska Bead co. and she was making her own glass beads! When I asked she told me how I could send for beadmaking vidios by Lewis Wilson to learn how to make beads myself .I also took a beadmaking class thru a local glass artist named Donna Schelin. Within 3 months I was set up and making beads. After 3 more months I was selling them to individual bead lovers and thru the Alaska bead co. With the help of my husband, I opened my own lampworking studio after about a year and started teaching beginning beadmaking classes and selling all the equipment and supplys. I quickly learned that I needed to sell my work in the lower 48 along with selling locally. So I started traveling to shows like Embellishments, the Best bead show in the Tucson Gem and mineral, Whole bead and several others. My next step was to start hiring teachers from the lower 48 to come and teach in my Studio. I was blessed with people like Loren Stump ,Andrea Guarino, Al Jennell, Stevie bell,and Kevin Ogrady. I was so excited in that I was aked to be in the local Newspaper, on the news and finally in the lapidary Journal Jewelry Magazine. For me the bead business was a whirlwind from the start. I went from being a lonesome and bored mom of a toddler to doing alot of things I never emagined myself doing and having alot of exciting things happening in my life.
Somewhere along the year 2000 life started happening rather strongly in my home life and I ended up dropping out of sight for about 4 years. Now I am divorced and living outside Austin Texas with my wonderful parents and several siblings,and have begun with a great new start in life and my Business. My daughter is getting married in June and my son has been married and gifted us with 2 beautiful girls. I have finally joined the computer age and have started working on the internet! I no longer have a teaching studio but teach out of other peoples studio's. I teach in Austin at the Blue Moon Art glass supply, and I have taught in California, Housten , and Oklahoma. Just recently I passed 900 students that I have taught! Wow! time flies.
My next goal is to learn several new skills, by going to school in places like Corning, and Penland, so that by adding to my skills I will be able to create all the things that I dream of. What more could a girl ask for ?
