2018 Designer of the Year

We all have career goals, right?  When I first started making jewelry, one of mine was to have my work published.  I still remember what that first piece was.  It was a woven cocktail ring made out of Swarovski crystals and Miyuki seed beads.  After that, it was to have a piece published in Beadwork magazine.  Another ring design was born.  And then another after that.  

             

(From left to right: Crystal Cocktail Rings published in Step by Step Beads magazine, November/December 2007; Flirty Flower Ring published in Beadwork magazine, February/March 2008; and Simple Twist Ring in Beadwork magazine, August/September 2009.  All of these will be available in PDF and kit form on my website very soon.)

I took a hiatus for a while.  I wasn't very active with the beading world from about 2010 until about 2015.  I was still making things, I just wasn't publishing.  My job had become geared more toward the purchasing and product management end of things, so I wasn't playing in the beads as much as I was buying them and counting them and selling them for others to enjoy.  

In 2015, something lit a fire under my butt and I got really excited about beads again.  I think it was all the cool new Czech glass beads - SuperDuos, Crescents, Honeycombs... I could go on and on!  I started designing again.  And my work was once again being featured on the glossy pages of my favorite beading magazine.  I had four pieces published in one year.

           

(From left to right: Heavy Metal Bracelet published in Beadwork magazine, December/January 2017; Copper Connections Necklace published in Beadwork magazine, June/July 2017; Beads In Bloom Bracelet published in Beadwork magazine, February/March 2017.  The In Bloom Bracelet is currently available in kit form.)

And then... MY WORK WAS ON THE COVER FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!!!!!!!  I could not be more proud of this necklace and bracelet set, and I have even designed an entire collection around this color palette.

Even after having the honor of being on the cover, never ever EVER in my wildest dreams did I envision that one day in the lazy days of summer, I would be contacted by the editor of Beadwork magazine to be told I was under consideration for Designer of the Year.  Could I submit a few samples of some pieces I might like to highlight?  Sure, no pressure.  When I found out I had received this honor (I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy), I was over the moon excited.  It has been the hardest secret I have ever had to keep.  But it's here!  It's finally here!  And not only is it here, but my work was on the cover AGAIN!  

 

What's next?  Well, as a Designer of the Year, I will have a piece featured in each of the magazine's six issues over the course of the year.  I already have all of them done and I know what's in store.  Number three is my favorite and the last one will be as much of a show-stopper as the Tucson Vista necklace was.  That's all I can say about that, but I promise to share them as soon as I can.  Suffice it to say, this is an incredible honor, but I feel like it is just the beginning.  I am already working on new pieces to feature here as well as in the mags.  Stay tuned for more!