My work with the fused glass jewelry started just this Thanksgiving when a friend who works with jewelry as a profession showed me how the glass was fused.  I was immediately excited about the process and purchased the supplies that I needed. This is another craft where you can lose track of time and never really know how a piece will turn out. The experimenting is the fun part.  This picture shows how much "fun" I've had since Thanksgiving.

I started hand painting silk about 2 years ago, when I wanted to have something different to sell at craft and art shows.  I had done felted knit purses, beaded jewelry and chain maille jewelry, but I had not seen any of the silks at local shows.  I found that I enjoyed the work and was always a little surprised at how things turned out.  Often what I thought of as a mistake, others would like.  I have had no formal training, just tutorial videos and tutorial books, but I found several techniques that I liked and have been mostly pleased with the results.

I first came up with the name "Before My Time"  when I applied to the city of West Chili, NY to sell antiques out of my home.  I was working full time as a contractor for Eastman Kodak in Rochester, NY, but my weekends were spent with my husband at auctions and flea markets.  Needless to say, we found a few interesting items. In fact, we found so many that my finished basement became a showroom!  This was in the early '90's and at a time when Roseville was plentiful and reasonably priced.  And, since I had moved from Maine, I really had a lot of primitives.  We were in a large Cape Cod, but it was full of antique furniture and smalls.  Something had to go!!