Heeeeere's Kate!

That's Kate on the right. She is one of the first creative friends I made after moving near Chapel Hill. At the time, she was dying silk using a shibori technique. Wow, what beautiful silks she created! And, with those beautiful silks, she created beautiful scarves and garments. Then hand, wrist and arm injuries put the ol' kabosh on that artistic work. Below is just one example of a detail of her pieced scarves. She still has a few left at http://www.ktracton.etsy.com/.

I think it was while she was trying to give her hands a rest that she started beading. And she's jumped into that with both feet (well, actually, hands :)). Thank goodness this artistic endeavor doesn't seem to hurt her hands (or her feet!). Below are some of her more recent creations. A simple, but beautiful, necklace...

Or, a not so simple, and gorgeous necklace...

I love the charms on these earrings...

A bracelet sure to attract attention, this is loaded with color and interesting beads and so prettily done. Although I wish Kate never suffered the injuries she did, there is a silver lining in it for us all :). And if you ever want to help Kate at one of her shows, she lets you wear one of her creations. As she would say, "Sweet"! Check out her blog, http://www.shiborigirl.blogspot.com/ for more of her creations including those in her kitchen!