Artist Bio

Growing up in a household with artistic, creative entrepreneurs for parents, it was a given that it was in my blood to become an artist. I have dabbled in almost everything, from ceramics, batiking, silk dying, painting, watercolor, sewing, photography and the list goes on. It was jewelry design where I found a good niche.

It all started when my father, a glass blower and business owner, gave me a book on wire wrapping and jewelry design. I started crafting little treasures for my friends and family and the word of mouth traveled. Soon I was making a little extra money and itching to do more. Then at the ripe age of 17 my opportunity came. A girl friend of mine was wearing a piece of jewelry that I made for her and strolled into a little boutique. The owner loved what she was wearing and asked her where she got it. Not to long after that, I placed my jewelry in that boutique and made more money in one weekend than I did at my after school job in a week. It was then that I knew I was onto something and I ran my work to every little new age shop that would talk to me.

A few years later, now married, a little older and very driven to turn my jewelry making addiction from a hobby to a fully functioning business; I decided to take a chance and created South Paw Studios™. Thanks to an exceptionally encouraging husband and loving family I was able to quit my day job and focus my attention 100% to playing with beautiful beads and creating jewelry ALL DAY LONG!

It was a dream come true - and still is. Now I have been in the jewelry business nine years and counting. I have grown, matured (a little more) and learned so much. Now my handcrafted jewelry is displayed in high-end galleries and gift shops in multiple states. My jewelry collections have grown. The most recent additions are custom bridal sets, key chains and beaded bookmarks.

I get my inspiration from many unusual things, like lakeshores or even shower curtains. I love mixing and matching colors and adding extra, small details to every piece. I design and personally handcraft every piece of jewelry. I use only the finest Swarovski® Austrian Crystals, semi-precious stones, fresh water pearls, Sterling silver and Vermeil beads. In the future I hope to expand even further by adding Venetian glass beads and more AAA Grade faceted precious stones to my jewelry collections.

Thank you for taking the time to read my bio and remember, keep checking back to the website, it is updated monthly with upcoming gallery openings, new merchandise, sales and art shows that I am participating in. On a personal note - if you are reading this, then most likely at some point you have purchased a piece of my handcrafted jewelry. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for your patronage and I look forward to serving you again in the future.