I have had a lifelong love of beads and began pursuing beadwork as a part-time business almost 20 years ago in order to spend more time with my children, Solana and Kai. Currently, my designs and color choices are influenced by nature's bounty of gemstones and flowers, as well as the sparkle of Swarovski's faceted bicone crystal beads from Austria. I also make hanging beaded crystals suncatchers t
hat reflect my childhood love of the fictional character "Pollyanna", a young woman who taught her entire town to play the "glad game" as a way to have people come up with things that they could appreciate. In one scene, Pollyanna cheered up a bed-ridden woman by hanging crystals in all of her windows. This made the woman realize that she was fortunate to be able to see all of the colors of the rainbow that the crystals brought into her room. This spirit of good cheer and colorful beauty is at the heart of Solana Kai Designs.
