Hello!
My name is Alison Libby and I am the guest blogger for this week. I look forward to sharing my beading experiences with you, and hope you will post your thoughts and ideas. That is what makes the BeadStyle blog such a great resource.
During a summer vacation in 2005, my niece, Natalie, gave me a beaded anklet she bought at a local sale. I loved it. It took me back to my days of beads, embroidered shirts, bell-bottoms and peace signs. A couple of weeks later, I stopped by a local craft store and bought some beads, stretch cord and glue. ‘What could be so hard? I’ll make a few anklets for myself,’ I thought. And make anklets I did (and bracelets, and necklaces, and earrings...)!
That is how it all started. Having gone through surgery and treatment for breast cancer the previous summer, I was looking for a new outlet. Making jewelry was something I could do at my own pace, and I could be my own boss (a dream most of us share)!
Since then, I have been doing about 24 arts and crafts shows a year, putting on home parties, and maintaining a fairly successful website for my company, BEADZ. This past May, I had the honor of being published in the gallery section of BeadStyle magazine. I have no idea where my ability to design jewelry was lurking, but I am glad I found it!
A few months after giving me the anklet, Natalie told me, “I never thought I would give someone an idea for a business plan.” Very funny, since she was about nine-years-old (going on 18!) at the time. But I am so glad her gift launched my new creative endeavor.
Please post your own stories. I would love to hear how you got started beading and how it has affected your life.