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 About The Author
I was born in New York, and grew up on the North shore of Long Island.. My first degree, from FIT, is in fashion design. I eventually earned another degree in art education and a third in fine arts, with minors in anthropology, art history, and psychology.
I’ve had the opportunity to travel extensively and have lived many places in the world; settling for about 10 years in a remote Catskill mountain cabin with no utilities or running water. I made sweaters, shawls, clothing, soap, and jewelry to barter for the “extras” we couldn’t afford, such as the midwife who delivered my children. When my youngest was a little over a year old, I took on full-time employment as a counselor in a psychiatric day-treatment program. I led a handcrafts group and provided supportive counseling to deinstitutionalized people.
Since 1997, I have worked as a therapeutic art teacher in a residential facility for court adjudicated boys. I never seem to teach the same project twice, though every year I do teach ceramics and some form of jewelry making – metal work, glass fusing, wirework, beading, copper enamel, and more. My boys (aged 12-18), really enjoy combining macramé and beading! I love teaching and working with these special guys, but in an attempt to make more money, occupy my mind productively, and enjoy more creative gratification, I began designing jewelry on my two-hour commute.
Soon I was spending time combing the internet for suppliers. When I had an inventory of only ten pieces, Backwoods Beadery was born. We sell from our Website and at craft fairs and home parties. My husband John is our Webmaster and takes care of the business end in addition to being a great bead designer. I do the buying, more of the design, and the new product end of things. We both contribute to the newsletter.
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I got the idea for this project from an upcoming fashion motif, which incorporates ropes, cords, knots and strings. This spring we’ll be seeing a variety of “strung out” elements such as eveningwear laced with golden chains from Chanel, dresses dripping with stringy threads and silky cords from Marc Jacobs, and twisty knotted fabric accessories from Benjamin Cho. There is an offhanded sense to these designs that is inherently appealing and inspired me to create these bracelets. I think the idea is perfect for a parent/child togetherness project. For all of us recovering Scouts, there’s finally a practical use for some of those knots we haven’t used since we got that merit badge!
