My Crazy Beadin' Cha Cha Life

So how did I get started beading and making jewelry and living the crazy chaotic crafter's life?

First you'd have to know that I am ALL ABOUT COLOR.  I eat it and drink it and can't get enough of it.  My house is a chaotic mess of colorful things  and I usually wear bright colors.  Lime green is my favorite since I was little, but right up there is bright turquoise, fuchsia, bright yellow, reddish purple, and the list goes on and on.

So, 50 centuries ago when I was in elementary school, I used to have groups of imaginary friends with whom I played--my fave group being the pirates.  Somehow I had some shanks of seed beads and would bury my treasure in the neighbor's yard!  The short version is that I always wanted to be creative but couldn't find my niche.  (More on my forays into other crafts in another blog.)  A few years ago I realized that at each craft show I went to, I stopped at EVERY jewelry booth.  One time in Estes Park I bought a millefiori necklace and started thinking...What if I could make my own jewelry in just the colors I love?  So I fell out of my comfort zone, took a class at one of my fave local bead shops, Alley Cat Beads, and lo and behold....I found I was successful.  I completed some earrings, a bracelet and a necklace and I was in love with the process!

I showed some of my first things to people at work and they were very nice but as I look back at those things, they were terrible!  But I have experimented, and worked and learned and hope that at this ripe old age, I still have many years of hand and eye co-ordination left to keep creating.  There is such a thrill in going to my magic room, messing around with my beads and coming up with an object of beauty. I found that I love making multi-colored cha cha bracelets as in the above photos, love the rustle of all the dangles as you wear them, and love how pretty they are.  They take a ridiculous amount of time to make, most have 60-80 hand wire-wrapped dangles.  In an up-coming blog I''ll write more about my love of cha chas--and I don't even know how to dance!!

In 2011, I started my etsy shop selling my creations and have done several craft shows. (www.wilywolverine.etsy.com)  In up-coming blogs I'll talk about why "wilywolverine" and why
"Imaginary Jewelry".

Right now, I am super excited to start the Brenda Sue Boutiques Build A Line Challenge.  You can look for more info here on that in days and weeks to come, but I hope to be creating many new and wonderful things!

So Live Large and Have Fun!  :):)