My on-line business, DRAGON BEADS, often makes people ask more about me... so I hope that these pages will satisfy your curiosity.   I hope that you will come back and visit my pages often - to see new pages, new links, new glass, and new photographs.    Be sure to Visit DRAGON BEADS  if you haven't been there yet!

The Artist:
This was my FIRST quilt.  It was was made for my mother.  Won Blue Ribbon in Greene County Fair 2010 (finished)
 

I've always been a person to dabble in just about anything artistic that attracted my attention. I love counted cross stitch and needlepoint, which I have shown at the local county fair, and won many ribbons.  Recently I have taken up quilting - another addictive hobby!  

I have tried my hand at soapmaking, enameling, painting, ceramics, and many other things over the years.

About fifteen years ago I learned to spin - and now I have two spinning wheels, several drop spindles, and bags of fiber! Fine merino is my weakness, but I also like to spin silk.
I also have a four harness Schacht Baby Wolf loom, but haven't woven a single thing in years (a half-warped project of cotton/linen dish towels still waits on the loom).

I also do a lot of photography, collect antiques (especially old glass), like to cook, camp, travel, and visit museums, and watch cooking shows.

And - of course - I make GLASS BEADS 

GLASS

Glass has taken over my artistic life, though I still do a little needlework and spinning. My love of hot glass/beadmaking absorbs a lot of my attention these days. In July 2000 I spent a weekend with a dozen other women in a glass get-together christened CIRCLE OF FIRE (click link to visit and see the weekend fun!) We hope to do this every year.
September 2000 I went to PENLAND School of Crafts and took a lampwork paperweight class with Mr. Paul Stankard one of the world's best lampwork paperweight artists. I had a great time at Penland (Candice - of COF) was there - and I learned about using Kugler and other soft glass to create small flowers and encase them using Mr. Stankard's torch technique. Photos of this experience are under my "Penland Experience".

In November 2000, I finally got my chance to do off-hand glassblowing at the Springfield Museum of Arts,in a three hour paperweight class. I made two paperweights and a small Christmas ball.
In January/February of 2005 I got my long-time wish of finally doing blown glass!
My final piece from the four session class was a pretty decent vase.... ok the foot is a bit wobbly - but the color was great!   I hope to take a longer class someday.

My pride and joy in glass is lampwork bead making.  In 1996, I learned how to make glass beads using a gas torch and Italian Effrette colored glass rods. Recently a lot of people have been enjoying my glass beads. They are now available through my DRAGON BEADS website. The name of my company came from a little inspiration one night.  I love Ann McCaffrey's "Dragonriders of Pern" series... and was making "lizard" beads one night when it suddenly occurred to me that with a pair of wings- - - I would have a baby dragon!  This is the bead that I nicknamed the "Dragonette." It is my idea of what a newly hatched, still somewhat confused, baby dragon might look like. The actual size of these beads is about 1.25 inches long.

READ MYpast "FEATURED ARTIST" bio at JUSTBEADS.com

FAMILY

Chris was the first High School bracket two-time TRACK CHAMPION (2000 and 2001) at Kil-Kare, and competed in Bracket 3 Regional finals in Indianopolis both years. He spends most of his time making his car "perfect." His Car appeared in the Feb 2007 issue of "Ford Builder" magazine. In his spare time he likes to work on cars... of course.  Chris and Amber also have a miniature daschund named Rylee, (who is a sweetie) and a Siamese named Lexie.

Chris, who tured 25 in 2007 is a automotive mechanic genious...  he is a certified ASE mechanic, and working full time.  He married his high school sweetheart in June of 2006, Amber....  and they graced me with a beautiful grandson, Ean Christopher in  May 2007.  

AND - I have a SECOND GRANDCHILD ON THE WAY (May 2011)!

PARENTS

Robert and Nancy with Great-grandson Ean

Our extended family includes my mother and father, (Bob and Nancy) who are very involved in their grandson's activities. We've always been an extended family doing our vacation, boating, fishing, camping, shopping, etc together. When the boys were younger we loved go camping in the fall, the weather is so much nicer when evenings are cool and a campfire feels warm and cozy.  The boys have their own interests today - so that time is past.  Grandmother was amazed at Chris's addiction to cars and racing.   The first day my mother went to the race track, and Super Pro cars going down the track (some over 110 mph), she wasn't too happy about the idea of her grandson going THAT FAST.... of course she soon learned that not all cars go that fast! When Chris made HS Champion we all went to Indianapolis for the Bracket Finals, and we all enjoyed that experience.  My mother taught elementary grade education for  30 years.  Today she loves to garden, read, and spend time with family.   My father is a retired Air Force Lt. Col, and retired AF civilian engineer.   He was an Air Force navigator before he became and engineer.  He worked for the AF as a civil engineer for many years.   Dad likes to watch TV, watch and feed and watch the birds and squirrels, does some genealogy research on-line, shop garage sales,  and read his email.
My parents had a "pet" WHITE SQUIRREL that visited regularly, we called her FROSTY.  Unfortunately she disappeared in August of 2003 and has not been seen again.  She was very tame and would come to the door when hungry - and actually took corn of a hand offered ear. We miss her very much.  In 2008 another white squirrel started to visit regularly, (perhaps one of her offspring) but is not as "trusting" as the first Frosy and is not a daily regular at their feeder.

 PETS

 I had two cats , Domino and Lola, but Domino passed away in November 2009.  Lola is now my sole kitty.  I also have several pet chickens... who are a lot of fun to watch in the yard.

In 1996 I discovered beadwork, a craft sure to drive most people cross-eyed. In the course of meeting so many talented beaders on AOL, I developed an interest in "beading" with tiny seed or "Delica" tube beads.    I finally finished my first amulet purse, which is the Hummingbird Purse pattern by B. Elbe. This one was done in "Delicas" in peyote stitch, and has beautiful Austrian crystals in deep rose on the fringe. I also recently completed my second Delica amulet purse - which incorporates one of my lampwork "Bumble Beads." It is quite darling and a Honey of a Bag!