1. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself? How long have you been an artist?

I was born and raised in rural Montana...Big Timber, to be exact. We lived on a 40 acre farm along the Boulder River, raising cows, sheep, chicken and horses. I have an older brother, and a twin sister. We attended a rural 2-room school till the end of 6th grade….just like Little House on the Prairie! For college, my sister and I moved to Seattle to attend the Art Institute where I studied graphic design. It was quite the culture shock moving from a farm to downtown Seattle….but I loved the hustle and busyness of city life! I now live on a 5 acre hobby farm in Woodinville with my husband, Alex, and 2 children, Tia and Dylan. We raise Scottish Highlander and Belted Galloway cattle and have 9 chickens, 4 cats and the sweetest black lab you’ll ever meet! We are a very active family and love to golf, ski (I snowboard), hike, play on the water and take advantage of all the school sports that are offered; basketball, volleyball and track. I also love to entertain! Baking and cooking for my family and friends gives me a chance to use my cookbook collection….I have over 160 so far!

I’ve been an artist for as long as I can remember. My grandmother kept a box of clean, white sheets of drawing paper at her house. My sister and I would sit for hours drawing. Grandma’s fridge was overflowing with tacked on pictures that we created. My aunt Lynda was also an incredible artist and gave me lots of inspiration with her drawings of horses. At one point, I wanted to be an illustrator, but I decided against that because I didn’t want to be pigeonholed to one illustration style. I decided to go to school for graphic design because it was an art form where I could make a living and get a good job. I actually ended up recruiting for the creative industry for 8+ years, until I had my first child.

2. How did you first become interested in jewelry making?

I actually started beading and wire-wrapping as I loved the colors and gemstones! One of my favorite bead shops gave classes and I signed up for their metal stamping class….and I never looked back! Working with metals is my preference, but I still work with beads when I get custom requests. With metal, the possibilities are endless!

3. What inspires your creations? Why?

My jewelry style can be considered rustic, yet it’s polished. I get some of my best ideas when I’m out for a run or gardening. I sketch my ideas so I don’t forget...or I sit and create it right away. I’m always browsing through catalogs like Sundance and get lots of inspiration for new ideas. I also get inspiration from custom requests from my clients. They’ll ask if I can create something specific they have in mind and most of the time, I can! I LOVE figuring out a way to create that special piece for them!

4. How long does it take for you to create a piece?

I have so many different styles of jewelry pieces….from simple tiny charms, to hand-knotted beaded necklaces to hand-sawed and soldered charms, which can take me anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours. I’m definitely not a procrastinator and like to check projects off my list as soon as they come in….which is why I run my small business well and efficiently! I have a fast turn-around time….the only thing that holds me back is when I have to custom order supplies for specific projects and it’s the waiting time for the mail to arrive. I love being a go-to resource for my clients for last minute gifts as I’m usually able to provide something special, custom and personalized for them within the day, sometimes 2 depending on how complicated the project is. I have tons of repeat customers because I’m fast and my price-point is good!

5. What is your favorite kind of piece to make?

I love, love, love hand-sawing! I use teeny tiny saw blades and cut shapes that are intricate and detailed. I can then solder those sawed pieces onto charms creating unique, one-of-a-kind charms!
I also love getting custom requests from my clients, especially the ones that don’t know what they want! This is my chance to get really creative and ask lots of questions about the nature of the piece they are looking for. I take all that information and I sketch out possibilities for them. We weed through the options and narrow it down to the final design, then I get to work! I cut the metal, hammer it, handstamp the piece, dome or shape the charm, oxidize it, brush it to a beautiful sheen, add the jump rings, slide it on the chain, then I package it up, ready to deliver!