I sold my first piece of art in junior high. It was a pencil sketch of the Beatles, from one of their albums. The next few years were full of doodles and sketches, and helping my dad to paint signs for the church festivals and other local events. Life took over, I raised two children and slaved away in the administrative support world, and still do so.
My wonderful husband raises flowers and gourds and carves walking sticks from tree roots. He encourages my art, and has carved gourds for me, cleaned and cut slates (no easy task) for me to paint on, and even made me my own drop spindle when I wanted to learn how to spin the yarn, not just knit it into a scarf! I have a number of regular customers who send me photos of their pets and I try to memorialize them on slate, fabric, canvas, whatever they want. I\'ve participated in the Grove City Arts in the Alley in my hometown several times, and am working on joining other events throughout the Columbus, Ohio area.
Yard sales and thrift stores are my paradise locations, and I find the most beautiful fabrics to work with for my bags and aprons. Linen is my favorite fabric medium at the moment. It makes wonderful sachet bags, pillows, and aprons, especially white aprons! I look for lace and buttons from past eras, and add freshwater pearls to my creations. My headbands and hair accessories are awesome retro upcycled pieces as well. I run home from work every night to start on another project. My husband has to pick up all the threads and pieces of things after I leave for work in the morning. My dream is to retire, renovate our barn, and have my own crafting, cooking, and baking studio to share with anyone who wants to learn to create.