I grew up in Florida and spent a great deal of time (including what my teachers considered school time) on the white sandy beaches of the 'Emerald Coast'. I was what you might call a bit of a rebel! I also yearned for travel and adventure so I decided at a young age to join the Navy.  This I did firstly for the travel and secondly for the educational benefits...oh yea I did it for the measly wages also!  So...I spent some wonderful years seeing a lot of the Caribbean and Europe and simply having a great time!  (I also did a bit of work.)  Fast forward (a lot!!) to 1989....I came to SHAPE Belgium for what was to be my final tour of duty in the navy.  As a good friend once put it...'I arrived in Belgium, met my husband and came to a screeching halt!' (There were so many handsome soldiers running around the place I just had to pick one.)

I guess I've always been creative in one way or another.  When I was in high school I made most of my own clothes.  While in Antigua I was the base photographer and spent many hours developing my photos.  I've also worked with wood and ceramics. In 2001 I took a class to learn the technique of Tiffany glass.  I found that I really enjoyed working with glass and not long after had my own studio in one corner of our basement.  A couple of years later I became really interested in fusing and lampwork (making glass beads).  To make a long story short I now have taken up most of the basement and my studio is now devoted primarily to making glass beads.  I love what I do!!