I was diagnosed with Lupus in 2007 so I have been in a daily fight with my own body. It caused me to quit going to school and work is an unimaginable, scary proposition. The beading has really helped, it's my therapy. I have developed a lot of patience and tolerance through beading while in pain and being tired. It helps take my mind off of things. I initially just made my family items for Christmas but then it quickly became a habit. My mom started to sell a few of my items here and there and then finally my stock of jewelry items became so big to the point I had to do something, so my shop was born. I have expanded my skills from simple stringing jewelry to bead weaving. I have now started making and selling tutorials, beads and kits and my designs are getting some big recognition. I won a Gold Medal from Fire Mountain Gems, I am now a member of The BeadSmith Inspiration Squad, my work has been featured in their adverts as well as many published designs, I was named Beadwork Magazines Designer of the Year for 2018 and I am teaching at Bead and Button 2019! Covid hit our industry hard so I stepped back a bit because of that and a few big life changes in the last 5 years that has taking my attention away but I am working on new designs again.
Aside from the beading and my other hobbies are camping, hiking and off-roading all over Nevada, Utah, Arizona and California and I run my home and take care of my husband, his 3 grown kids and the grand babies, our cats Lexi and Ripley, our dogs Sunshine and Jaxx, our chickens and ducks. Photography and art as well as paper crafting also fill my time. I love hockey, Go Knights Go, and I am addicted to Etsy and Ebay, hunting for unique and vintage beading supplies! Please feel free to contact me at anytime for any reason, I am always happy to meet new people and lend a helping hand. You can find me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram too! I offer discounts and sneak peeks, so pop on over and "Like" me on Facebook and go to my website and sign up for my newsletters!
Thanks for taking to the time. Have a great day!
Laura Graham-Settles
Desert Star Creations