Beading: My beading business sprouted in July 2001. Tennis friends noticed the fun and comfortable

watch bands that I was wearing. Ordered some and many other things. Most of my bead work is wearable,

however, I also love to make multi media cards, ornaments, key chains, glass candle holders/vases, mobiles and

beaded stained glass windows.

     Photos:      Home Page: Blue dive watch with a beaded watch band and other wrist wraps.

                       Above, orange: I bought the pendant. It's carved bone with yellow topaz.

                         The necklace is a beaded chain of yellow fiber optic cat eyes and yellow

                         topaz diamond Swarvoski™ crystals. The earrings are a double drop design.

                       Above, brown: Loop design necklace and earrings.

     Beads:    Manufactured world wide, by local artists and antique.

Quilting: All quilts are a free combination of materials (patterned, old clothes, tablecloths, curtains, ribbon) and textures (velvet, lace, fleece, faux fur, silk, kite fabric). I love to recycle fabric. Which if you look into the history of quilting, is how pioneers made quilts. Old fabrics are great, they have already been washed and preshrunk. This allows me to combine different textured materials more easily. Many of my quilts include some of my old clothes that I had not been able to part with for decades. However, once I started quilting I had no problem cutting into them.

Creative Design Services is my one person consulting business. Established 6/98.

Engineer:      Medtronic, Biomedical (U of MN, MS-BME, The Design of a Spinal Neural Bridge) 

                    3M, Project Leader, Automated Equipment (BSME, Design),     

                    Honeywell, Software, Graco, Industrial and design.

Home:  Huge arbors, gardens, Zen, Sculpture, fountains, house renovated, and expanded. We entertain in an elegant people conservatory (2001). Antiques (Glass dishes, bottles, furniture), wood working, decorating, tiling (our entire basement, the conservatory (56 kinds of granite and marble), and under the kitchen sink). Great recipes, food and bar.

Health:

10/96, I became gravely ill. Fast forward 9 years, 12/04, I got a label for my journey, Auto Immune Disease. It's been an unreal battle and discovery of interrelated and cascading problems (RLS, Sleep Apnea, Neuropathy, Hyperactive Allergies, Acid Reflux, Arthritis, Thyroid Disease, Infections (Pneumonia, organs, yeast, belly button), Asthma, Fibromylagia, etc.).  Some would say that Art was a salvation for them during such a period.  It think it's been pure joy. Suddenly, 9/05, The fog I've been in, seems to be clearing, so much that I'd like to be a Biomedical Engineer again. Depending on the day, some clouds in the sky are a delight to look up at, they make the sky more interesting, but like anyone else, I love a bright sunny forecast, and spectacular sunsets.

The Future: Art and Engineering.

10/04, Tom and I visited Yellowstone National Park. It was a mesmerizing magical place for me. We returned with great photos and many great stories. 11/04, I was down for the count again. During deep pain and some paralysis, I was able to reach places in myself where I rediscovered wonderful memories (of being with my dad on the Mississippi, boating through cattails) and created many paintings, sculpture and fountains with light. The creations will be built in many iterations yet to come.