Several years ago, I was an architectural/structural designer and project manager. Eager to get more in sync with my husband who had just started a new career phase, I bowed out of the outside working world and began spending more of my new free time in my studio. I found myself returning again and again to an old favorite that I'd really never had time for, namely, polymer clay.

Most people that I encountered had never heard of it. And when I explained and showed them a piece, they usually looked at the glorious colors and said "so, you paint this"? No, I'd explain, all the colors are a result of blending or manipulation techniques.

As the pieces that I was turning out (initially just for myself and as gifts) started turning heads AND reaching critical mass, my husband suggested that I look into selling my work. Somewhere about that time, I stumbled upon Etsy. And, I entered the 2009 BeadStar competition, just for fun. To my amazement, I won a category 1st place with a polymer clay necklace!

I eventually settled into my personal "style", in no small part thanks to a wonderful group of women. The Polymer Clay Artists Group on Etsy is no more, but many of the artists are still doing their creative things.

Vowing that I'd never complete a piece that I wouldn't wear or use myself, the Etsy shop is very much "me". I don't wear pastels, flowers or overly feminine clothing, so my jewelry pieces don't consciously go there. Strong, bolder colors and patterns are my comfort zone. (That doesn't mean that they won't easily blend with other styles!)

I'm also constantly lured into experimentation by one of polymer's properties which is overlooked by most polymer artists (unless they are sculptors) - polymer clay can be very strong! Properly cured, it can be carved, sanded, drilled, layered. It can have wonderful, unexpected shape and texture. It can be formed into parts that can be mechanically connected.

With my design background, I tend to attack polymer clay projects from the inside out. Many pieces get mentally "built" as I fall asleep at night, first puzzling out their construction sequence in my head...

Liquid polymer has also become a bit of an obsession, and I've become known in the polymer community for soaking gauze fabric in LP and doing unusual things with it. Like making bracelets, ruched polymer "fabric" for earrings and decorative home decor items.

So, I continue to dream up, experiment with and create things that I love. Having other people love them, too, is a bonus!