My story begins with the fact that my maternal grandmother was a first grade teacher. I spent most of my summers and after-school time with her, and she taught me to read, to write, to tell time, and the importance of being still. Watch. Listen. Learn.

She was an artisan in her own right, not only in the classroom but in her home. She sewed so many beautiful dresses and outfits for me over the years; she made lovely "trash cans" from discarded ice-cream tubs (the kind that come from Baskin Robbins), shelf-paper, and rick-rack; she crocheted--CROCHETED!--a queen-size bedspread; and she knitted a snuggly throw to take to college.

Sadly, my Mema is no longer with me, but more important than all of the wonderful items she made for me, she made an impression. I've come to realize that her sewing time or knitting time or crafting time was her place of relaxation, and I have wholeheartedly embraced that energy.

When I come home at the end of a long day of school, I'm beat. I love my student teenagers, but I'm glad to send them on their way when the bell rings, and to hurry home for some "me time."

I love pulling out a bright white sheet of watercolor paper, or a canvas, and letting the chaos of the day wash away while I indulge in bright colors, vivid black lines and curves, and the shapes and feel of what I consider to have been an amazing decade in which to grow up: the 1970's. That era is my inspiration, but I try to give it a twist to bring it into the new millennium.

Not only do I draw, doodle, and paint, but I also love to create graphics using Paintshop Pro. I discovered it years ago, and it has been good to me through the years...(a poor teacher's version of Photoshop). Designing, doodling, painting, drawing...it's all a form of very rewarding play to me, and I think that lightheartedness shows in my work.

Watch. Listen. Learn. Thanks to my grandmother's life lessons, I've never stopped. I crave learning new things and trying new things. If she'd known that all of those hours I spent stretched out on her living room floor, coloring (within the lines), would have one day led to this entrepreneurial adventure, I think she would be very proud. Proud not only that I'd found an outlet for my creativity, but that I'd found an outlet for my soul.

The items she made and shared with family and friends were all done with love, as are my pieces. When you're the proud owner of a Groovy Gal Designs Piece, just know that there's a little bit of heart and soul in there. Thank you to my Mema who set the example and nurtured those traits in me.