For quite a few years I owned and operated a jewelry design business out of my home. I traveled around the United States to various bead shows and bead shops to search for just the right beads and beading supplies to embellish my jewelry. After returning home from the Bead Show in Tucson I was excited by all the things I had bought but also sad that there was no place close to me to be able to restock my items when I ran out of them. Then the idea was implanted into my mind.... "why don't you open a bead store?"

Six months later Mad Cat Beads was born. With the help and support of many friends and family I was able to turn my hobby into a business. A special thank you goes to my dear friend Dara Ward for all her encouragement and dedicated help, love and support. She shows you that anything is possible. Even though she worked a full time job, she worked beside me on her time off and helped me run and manage my bead store.

I had 3 wonderful years running my bead store, teaching and opening up the world of beads to everyone near and far. In November 1997, I made a difficult decision and closed down my bead store due to my health. I was not saddened by the decision, instead, looking at the three years running my store as a learning experience, an internal growth, and showing me the way of who I am today. I met many people who today, I call friends.

I am still running my business called Mad Cat Beads but now, in a different light. My love for beads has turned me into a new direction towards a world of glass and lampworked beads. My curiosity with glass started in 1997 when a friend and I took a $10 lampwork class. Even though the class was a bare bone's one, I knew that this was an art medium I wanted to explore. Going home from the class with my new lampwork kit, Cindy Jenkins Book,  "Making Glass Beads"  and a re-kindled creative inspiration. I found out I was in love with the world of glass.....

In February 1998 I took a Lampwork class from Kate Fowle Meleney. I recommend this class to anyone new or curious about lampworking. Kate is a patient and informative instructor. I learned a great deal about the art of Lampworking and left with the confidence to work on my own.

In April of 1999 I took another wonderful lampworking class, from Sylvie Elise Lansdowne. I arranged a 2 day class for 6 of us eager to learn. We jetted Sylvie up to northern Maine for a wonderful 2 day retreat of lampworking. I would recommend to anyone Sylvie's class, whether you are new or advanced in lampworking. We explored many types of mediums and techniques, things I have wondered about, wanting to try and even things I never knew existed. Sylvie showed me that there are no mistakes when working with glass, it is just my opportunity to find my own style and my own self when working the glass in the flame.

In February 2001, I participated in a class instructed by Beth Williams called, "Metals In Glass". What a real cool class... We worked with various metals, particular colors of glass and learned how their reaction together becomes a new pallet in which to work with. Every sample bead I made gave me more and more ideas of how to incorporate the new techniques I was learning into styles I currently create with my torch. I would recommend taking this class from Beth if you ever have the opportunity. She does wonderful and informative demos on the torch and is a great instructor.