I first met Betty in February 2009 when she wandered into my Etsy shop, CreativeSpiritToo and in her words, "just had to have some of my beads." When I checked out her shop, LvsBeadsNThings, I was initially impressed by her unique and original designs but once she created a finished design with my Mokume gane Chocolate Blue beads, I fell in love with her style and eye for design and became a definite fan! A dear friend of mine actually purchased the masterpiece below, as she also "just had to have it!"
Betty is a fifty something, single lady, living in the north country, with 4 huskies, 2 cats and fish. She loves animals of all types and anything related to them, and she also loves to craft. Her favorite mediums are making clay sculptures and custom made jewelry, especially wire wrapping, which she teaches at a local bead shop in Newport, Washington. All in all, Betty has been designing jewelry for about 20 years.
Her style is very diverse, but she leans toward southwestern, but also enjoys creating delicate and dainty pieces. She is inspired by a beautiful stone, bead, or grouping of beads and can simply "see" the masterpiece unfold in her minds eye. She has also started working with polymer clay as demonstrated in the Southwestern design shown above, and also has a wire wrapped birthstone ring design.
Every artist always seems to have at least one ardent supporter and it is no different with Betty. She credits her mother as being her biggest supporter, since she has always allowed her to express herself through her art, ideas and creations. Betty tells a story of her high school days, when she enthusiastically asked her Mom if she could paint her bedroom, and she said "sure!" First she painted her room violet and then added all kinds of characters, cartoons,and scenes. She painted a Rat Fink, an old woody wagon, Wiley Coyote, the Pink Panther and several others. Her brother was so moved that he painted his walls too, with life sized motorcycles and futuristic cars. Her mother loved them and took lots of pictures, however, her stepfather about croaked and came unglued since the house was for sale at the time. What a story!
You can follow Betty and find her work at several sites, all depicting her diverse style.http://lvsbeadsnthings.com
http://lvsbeadsnthings.etsy.com - SPRING FEVER SALE!!!!! BUY ONE GET ONE OF EQUAL OF LESSER VALUE FOR 20% OFF!
http://lvbeadsnthings.blogspot.com
http://justpokinginfun.etsy.com
http://bhamann2001.etsy.com
I am proud to have Betty as not only a purveyor of my beads, but as a friend and loyal supporter. Cheers to a very talented lady!
One of the most talented wire artists I know. I love this lady and her works. I aspire to be as good as her someday. So proud to call her my friend!
I just Love LVS. I met her in the forums and when it came time for me to get a new puppy I probably drove her crazy asking questions. She does beautiful work and her puppy treats are wonderful my Dog Kahn loved them.
Kim (KimsBeads.etsy.com)
Great post! I love Betty's style and have hearted her birthstone ring. It's hard to find nice artsy-fartsy rings in gold. Thanks for sharing this talented lady with us!
~Kat~
H20works
That watch is beautiful!!!
April
indulgentcreations.etsy.com
I love, love, love Bette! She's a super friend and such a talented lady. This wonderful lady is so much fun to know, too!
Awesome feature!!
Rhonda
Awwwwwww Creative, what an honor. You make me cry. How super super sweet of you and thank you too all of my wonderful Etsy friends for their gracious compliments. I adore you all. You are my bestest pals!
Awwwwww Creative, what an awesome feature story. You make my cry and blush all at the same time. You are such a sweetheart! Thank you so much... and thanks too to all of my wonderful Etsy friends and supporters. You ROCK!