I first named my business Blackberry Bear in the late 70's in California, for all the things I loved best from my growing up there. I learned all my handwork skills from my Mom, who taught me to knit, crochet, and sew, and supported any other handwork I wanted to try. She was a firm believer in giving each child the opportunity to explore the arts and crafts that were available. I was knitting and crocheting by age 5, and hand sewing fitted doll clothes, before moving on to using the sewing machine. I never looked back!

My business morphed through several phases, though I never lost the basics; as I did freelance florist work, home design and decorating, made beaded and appliqued sweatshirts for LA celebrities, and several other ventures before settling down to jewelry and unique knitted garments. My move to Tucson following family, served to further involve my interest in all aspects of jewelry work, and gave me the opportunity to participate in the Tucson Gem Show each year. I joined the Southern Arizona Alchemists Chapter of the PMC Guild, the Tucson Handweavers and Spinners Guild, and the Southwest Fiber Arts Guild. My Mom and I participated in doing local shows and craft fairs, and then decided to move up to larger local and regional shows with our line of one of a kind art and crafts.

The internet was growing, as was online shopping, and though my initial foray into an ecommerce website was not tremendously successful, I was able to find gallery representation and gained valuable exposure during the process. I always knew that the internet was very important, and kept trying to find a venue that would allow me to list and sell our crafts; as many do, I started with ebay, moved on to etsy, found 1000markets, was invited to join Cafe Handmade, and finally found ArtFire. The journey continues.....