I grew up during the heady space race years in Florida. Kidney shaped coffee tables, mustard yellow shag carpet, palm trees and gold flecked formica everything. Oh yeah. The neighborhood kids were normal, but playing with dolls was not my thing so I spent a lot of time alone. My imagination was my best friend. I spent countless hours exploring the swampy areas around our home, pretending to be a member of King Arthur's court, watching the sky for UFOs or talking with my friend, Mr. Needles, the pine tree. We lived near the coast so beach trips happened most weekends. The ocean was my first love. It was a magical time. In the middle of this childhood revelry my parents decided it was time to 'move back home'. We went from flat, wide open views, sand and salty air to the mountains and trees and lush hills of Virginia. This made my parents very happy. I, however, insisted I would get dry rot.

Onward - I majored in technical theatre but managed to get caught up in the copy industry. There were other interesting jobs along the way: floral design apprentice, fashion photographer, retail display, carny, REALTOR, film crew, plus a few more. I went back to school twice. Once for computer science and once for interior design. Through all that the one constant was my art. I began painting in oil at age 8 (began exhibiting around age 12); started sewing in my teens (thanks Mom!); launched my first company, GothicV Capewear, in my twenties; taught myself pyrography in my thirties; dabbled in web and graphic design in my forties. Then the boot of destiny connected with my posterior, and I lost my job. I realized it was time to finally do what I love - ART. And that, dear friends, is how I ended up here!

Associated Etsy shops:
pillowslips pillowslips.etsy.com
Peridot Clothing peridotclothing.etsy.com
Monster Rescue League monsterrescueleague.etsy.com
The Bohemian Wardrobe thebohemianwardrobe.etsy.com

In the area? Stop by my shop, The Mistik Bibelot, at Now Then & Again on Apperson!

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A good thought:

"Never fear that you cannot do a certain thing, that you cannot bring out certain qualities from within you, that you cannot overcome obstacles on your path. Remember that all things are possible to a Power which governs the whole Universe and that you are the very embodiment of that Power. Latent within you are all those forces and qualities of yours. Your problem is to bring them out."

Eugene Fersen
Fundamental Principles of Science of Being, page 15
www.scienceofbeing.net