Presently I live in Portland, Oregon where my full-time job is that of Administrative Assistant for one of the many mortgage companies here. I share my home with my husband, and an assortment of books which next to beading is one of my other favorite past times. In addition to this, I also write novels, articles and short stories with Native American themes. You can view some of my writing at the link at the bottom of this page.
My ancestry is a mixture of Sauk, Shawnee, and Oglala Sioux, as well as, a healthy dose of Scots/Irish and French. Quite a mix my ancestors gave me! While I honor my European ancestors, my identification is Native American. If I had to pin it down to tribe I would say Nez Perce or Sioux as those are the cultural traditions and languages I've had the most exposure to.
How I Got Started
I got my start in Native American Beading when at the age of 19 I decided I was going to teach myself how to bead. It was a bit tricky at first as the instructions in some of the books I had didn't detail the techniques as clearly as they could, nor how to have the projects have a finished, professional look.
About one year after I started, my husband met a lady where he worked that was an experienced Seneca beader. She took me under her wing, and showed me the details I needed to make my pieces look professional. I took a class from her as well and when that concluded I felt quite accomplished. In the years since that class I have continued to learn new stitches and techniques. I have also taught a number of classes myself since then.
