Bead Chat Magazine Spring 2014 | Page 11

happy with exactly who you are! Bandana Girl donates 10% of it's profit and donates jewelry for fundraisers, to my local Breast health center and American Cancer Society. When did your passion for leather and metal begin and do you have a favorite medium? After expanding my ceramic skills and creating components, I felt like silver and gold just weren't working with the ceramics organic feel. I started to play with copper, brass and bronze and really found a comfortable home in metals. I taught myself how to make wire components and then added sheet metal. Then began texturing, riveting and patina work. This has been a couple year journey. Last year I recognized that I needed to add another level to my designs to round out my style and began teaching myself leather basics. You do so much for the beading community, what is your reward and what do you love most about working with this community? I remember when just learning jewelry & ceramic techniques, my online journey started there and I remember how many people were willing to answer questions in numerous forums. One person was Marti Conrad, she is one of the kindest, talented & most sharing people I encountered, she was always there to say a kind word or help answer questions. As a newbie, many didn't really want to be bothered and those that did, really set my course for future endeavors. I love participating in this new community of online artists. I love to be inspired and love to learn new things. I'm totally in the right place! artisanwhimsy.net 11