I'm a natural denizen of the sweet, cool, magical hours between sunset and sunrise. A moon-and-star gazer. A very eclectic child of the universe. I'm still exploring myself and falling in love with the world around me. I have wanted to be (in no particular order) an astronaut, a princess, a scientific genius, a shaman, an Elf-friend (or an Elf if at all possible!), a teacher, a writer, a dancer, an ascetic, president, TALLER, a fairy godmother ... and a good many other things. I have succeeded fabulously in being an eternal dreamer. I don't have a lot of answers, but boy have I got questions. I was almost a grown-up until a few years ago when my son was born. How lucky was I to have such a marvel in my life! I get to be a child again, this time without the fears and insecurities. I get to marvel at each new day, each new experience. I can laugh and be as silly as I want to be while savouring and understanding the wisdom and grace that 40 years on this planet has gifted me with. Every day we wake up and tell each other "We can be anything we want to be."

I believe in living out the things I want my son to be. I can't just talk strength and dreams and goals to him; I have to live those things. I can't point to respect and empathy and say "Be that." I have to BE that so that it's a live, real experience. I'm not perfect and I fail a lot, but I keep picking myself up, dusting myself off, and trying again.

Now, what am I doing here on Etsy? I'm living a dream.

I'm a mostly self-taught jewellery designer. I've been to some workshops but I like to learn on my own so that's the path I've taken. I am planning to do a jewellery design certificate at a wonderful local college here in Toronto very soon. As a single parent, it will take some saving up to get there, but it's definitely in the cards. At this point, I work full-time in web/graphic design and development and I make my jewellery in those treasured hours of solitude each night. Sometimes the design is fuelled by ideas I have and sketches I make: sometimes the stones, textures and colours have their own song to sing and I give my hands and mind to them.

I've always loved rocks and minerals, shiny bits and glittery baubles. I've always played with beads and for years I incorporated them into my clothes, adding beaded designs (like a panther on my black jean jacket!) or fringe or a subtle sparkle here and there. I'm also a lover and unofficial student of architecture and design, and maybe a little engineering too. I love to delve into the structures and lines of things, the principles that hold it up or keep it together. I'm often looking at things to see the ways in which space has delineated an object or how an object impacts the space around or within it, or seems to amplify emptiness (a complete paradox, almost unmentionable except that I once saw a glass sculpture that flowed to make the emptiness within it larger and emptier - sounds silly but that was the experience). I find so much to love about different cultural and historical styles in art, music, textile, architecture and jewellery. One of my favourite things is to mesh them a bit - create something a little unexpected.

A few years ago, a co-worker showed me how to make a simple linked bracelet. I was so excited by it that we ended up making 3 bracelets, a necklace and matching earrings that day! Quite by accident, I scratched the surface of jewellery making and found a passion that encompasses many of my other loves and obsessions. I can play with colour, texture, structure, metaphysics, man's creations, and nature's wonder and end up with an object of beautiful adornment at the end. For me, each piece I work on is a symphony with melodies of the rational everyday natural world around us and harmonies of the mystical spirit of the "Force" that runs through everything.

So ... what am I doing here at Etsy? I'm sharing the world with you. Making it beautiful with you. Celebrating it and celebrating you. Walk with me a little and let's enjoy our journey ...