I love making things. From necklaces to barettes, anklets to keychains, I make jewelry with glass beads and semi-precious stones. It really all started as a money-saving outlet for my SCA jewelry needs (it was getting expensive). When my friends started to see some of the things I made, they got interested and started asking me to make some jewelry for them. After a while, other people took notice and went on to become my first customers. At first, it was all trade based (you know, I make a necklace, they make me a wooden bowl?) In the SCA, that's one of the ways to get by. Now I have friends, family and acquaintances asking me to make pieces for them.

The thread title (Devious Designs) is the name that we came up with for my jewelry business that I'm hoping to get started on-line. CelticUprising helped design my logo and one of his friends is setting us up with a site! Celtic always calls me devious, and, well, when you use the initials, it says DD (which is my name) so it works.

It's really exciting, you know, to have people look at you as a merchant, and not just someone they know who makes stuff. It's really surprising though, to see people drawn to something that you make and then watch them wear these things and enjoy it. I love it.

All in all, it's really soothing to sit and design something. It takes my mind off of any stress I may have at work and forces me to focus on building something beautiful. Any day can be a good day if it ends that way.

Anyway, I should stop now, it's getting a bit long. Thank you for taking an interest in my rambling about myself. I'm glad you read this far.

I'd like to see stuff like this happen more often.

It's not uncommon these days for creative people to be criticized and told to get a "real job," the kind of job where you have to get up three hours before the human body is designed for in order to do the same thing as everyone else like a member of the Borg collective.

I'd also like to see creative and talented types get into what they do more like you have. It took a friend of mine financial difficulties to finally get her to ask for money for something that she's really quite good at. It's good that you recognized an opportunity and snatched it when you did.

Well, good luck with your business. I'd actually like to see some of your stuff if you can provide pictures.

When I saw the name "Devious Designs," by the way, it made me think of deviantART. If I were you I'd show people photos of the goods there just to confuse people with the company name.

Do you have any pictures of the stuff you made? and do you have a link to your website?