It was an ad in the newspaper...a beginners' jewelry class...that sounded fun!. Little did I know that this short little class would change my life!  I had just retired from teaching in 2002 and was looking for a fun time with my sister and a good friend.  

That evening at the bead store, the "jewelry lady" told us that we would be making a bracelet and it was up to us to choose the beads we wanted to use. Oh my goodness...so many beautiful beads and I would get to wear the bracelet home!  I picked Sterling Silver and Swarovski crystals and this is how the love affair began...

I began my obsession with beautiful beads...looking at my family's old jewelry, garage sales and of course, any bead store I could find. I was inspired by the colors, texture and sheen of all sizes and kinds of beads.  Little did I know that I had begun a journey...and during the next 17 years, I would turn my love of beads into art.

Currently, I am a juried member of Missouri Artists on Main, Best of Missouri Hands and the Greater St. Louis Art Association.  Come along will me as I talk about my transition.

Here I am at my first "exotic" bead store in Laguna Beach, California in 2002 and at a bead store in Huntsville, Alabama in 2004

When visiting my cousins in Las Vegas in 2013, I discovered a bead show at a local casino!