I began crafting about the age of seven when my Grandmother taught me how to knit. My Grandmother was an avid craftswoman who always had some project or another going. She showed me how to do anything I asked her about, and made sure I had supplies to work with. I was lucky to be loved and encouraged to pursue my talents.
I learned to knit, embroider, cross-stitch,
smock, sequin, and needlepoint all while sitting and chatting with my
Grandmother. Since I was destined to be rather precocious I was
also encouraged to pursue many other creative and physical
endeavors such as drawing, dancing, music, and sports. I was born and
raised in the great State of Maine so I had access to the outdoors and
many outdoor activities. My life was full of the wonder and an abundance of
creativity and beauty.
I began French Flower beading around 1995
when I lived in Dallas, Texas. One morning I turned on the TV and saw a
woman who was making the most beautiful flowers from beads. I knew right
then that I had to learn how to do that! I took about five lessons
before we moved to New Orleans. Once in the city that has more “Heart
Art” than anywhere I continued beading and
adapted the techniques to create a more contemporary styling and to
create my own designs.
I didn’t consider myself an artist until 2006. I knew I was artistic but I couldn’t even think of myself as an artist until then. What changed my perspective was being accepted into an artist cooperative gallery called RHINO.
At that time I was still only creating beaded flowers. I say “only”
because since then I have been expanding my beaded offerings to include
jewelry and accessory items.
Most of my work is created using a nearly lost beading form called French Flower Beading. I began making what I now call “halos” as a
result of dreams that inspired me.
This was somewhere about 2008. I had always
wanted to craft things that no one else was making. Somehow, as a result of being exposed to other craft
artisans, gaining confidence in my crafting abilities and seeing that
other people found my work worthy of spending their hard-earned money
on, I was ripe for the dreams to start.
Most of my work is custom ordered. I delight in creating what's
desired to fit into someone's emotional, spiritual needs. Most of my
work is dream inspired and those I call my "Beading Guides" are very
much on hand to assist me in making what ends up being pieces of art.
However, my work is always meant to be worn. Many is the time when I
have had someone acquire their headpiece for a specific reason (say a
costume ball or birthday party) and then they call me a month or so
later saying they wear their tiara all the time! Sometimes while they
are cleaning because it makes them feel "like the Queen of my house!".
You've gotta know that makes my heart sing.
This year I will be focusing on my online presence and working toward sharing my work with those beyond New Orleans. In 2016, I plan to fine tune my website, create designs that are meant to be ordered from the site, add beaded floral bouquets to my offerings and many other surprises!
This is my preferred email address for inquiries: shangabeads@gmail.com
You can also see my work on my facebook page
www.facebook.com/shangadesigns