I began making jewelry in 2000 when I found it too difficult to continue the artists' books I had been working on while teaching full-time. Remembering a deceased friend's necklace of brass and turquoise I decided to make something similar for myself. When I wore the piece it garnered a lot of interest and so I began to make, show and sell beaded jewelry but within a couple of years it became harder and harder to find distinctive centerpieces and other elements to make my work unique and so I began taking metalsmithing workshops and classes. This was very challenging at first as I was not a tool user and the torch made scary popping sounds. I soon got used to the metals studio and all its trappings and began to incorporate found objects in to my work. I was selling in bricks and mortar galleries when I heard about Etsy. Having done some selling of vintage jewelry on eBay I was comfortable with doing online sales, so when I started my Etsy shop in November 2007 Etsy looked like the most promising of the online selling venues and I appreciated its commitment to the individual maker. A couple of artist friends had shops and suggested I check it out. It has been a wonderful experience and has led to some celebrity purchases, having work in a movie as well as appearing on numerous blogs. I find Etsy buyers to be appreciative and a pleasure to deal with and I love being part of the Etsy community.