I was seeking and praying for a way to make extra income working from home. My older son would be heading off to college in four years and three years later the younger, and I was not financially prepared for either.

One rainy Saturday afternoon, my younger son came and told me he was bored. I opened up a polymer clay play kit given by my mom and we began to explore this fascinating medium. In a matter of hours, polymer clay became an obsession. I mean a serious, every night, until the wee hours obsession. I couldn't stop thinking about it! I started making beads. All sizes and shapes, color combinations and techniques. No recognizable style at this point - all over the map. Pure, free-spirited experimentation. But I was making them into jewelry ... and it was so much FUN.

I soon discovered, though, that I wasn't satisfied to just string the beads. I was having dreams and seeing images of something more ... but what I was envisioning wasn't fully clear in my mind. I was seeking some new and signature way to encapsulate the focal beads I was making. Then my sister gave me two books on wirework.

Experimentation morphed into purpose!

I started to wonder if I could sell what I was making. I began crafting piece after piece, experimenting with the new techniques I was learning, buying more books whenever I could. Looking at others' work and figuring out how to be different. Learning the rules of construction and then finding ways to break them. From all that experimentation, a signature style emerged.

My first show was in my home. I invited several women I knew to an open house, served refreshments, had jewelry on display on my dining room table, and made $750 that afternoon!

Excited and encouraged, my next step was to move beyond the confines of home and try taking my work to the world - seeking venues to sell publicly: online, quality craft shows, small galleries and shops, and commission work. Then I discovered ETSY and opened this shop.

Since that time, I have continued to experiment with many new and exciting techniques, even some not so traditional in jewelry making. My most recent obsessions are paper beads, resin work, and gel printing - and finding intriguing ways to incorporate these new-to-me techniques into my jewelry making.

The talent to make jewelry was a Godsend and a gift to me, the answer to my prayers. I'm humbled when I hear responses to my work like "Stunning!" and "Gorgeous!" I've been blessed with some phenomenal shows and commission work since I have been in business, have met some amazing friends and customers, and best of all, I'm proud to be the mom of two college graduates!

So how do I feel now? Really awesome. Grateful and happy to be gifted to live the creative life!