Hi my name is Tina and I'm a crafter.

Many fellow crafters describe themselves as craft addicts.  Personally I have transcended the addiction and have taken the next step and have become a craft pusher or “dealer”.  My friends refer to me as The Enabler.

 I love to craft.  …Sometimes I craft with friends sometimes in private.  I’ve been known to craft at parties.  Sometimes I even sneak a craft during work.  I like to experiment with new and interesting crafts and sometimes do dangerous and mind expanding crafts.  It definitely has me seeing color differently.  I started introducing crafts to my friends.  I got several of them hooked on spinning – a gateway craft.  That usually leads to knitting and weaving, sometimes crochet and the dreaded felting.  I’ve got my best friend to experiment with bead stringing which as anyone knows leads to a life of wire wrapping and if you go hardcore will lead to metalsmithing.  Some people end up going down the other dark path, working with hot glass, both dangerous to your health and your wallet. 

I am a member of the American Craft Council and the Hand Weaver's Guild of America.  My experience ranges from costume construction in various styles from Renaissance Faire garb to American Indian dance regalia.  I have held workshops on various ethnic crafts from American Indian beadwork, porcupine quillwork to eastern European wax resist egg decoration (Pysanky).  I have passed on techniques of fiber spinning on a wheel, drop spindle and charka as well as dying and fiber preparation.  I have demonstrated needle arts such as knitting, tatting, naalbinding, ribbon embroidery, black work, cross stitch. I have taught wet felting, dry felting, penny rug appliqué.  And I have sparked enthusiasm in people with techniques in wire wrapping and basic metalsmithing and will be adding hot glass, enamel, and metal clay as well as both glass and metal etching techniques in the near future. At some point I intend to come clean with my crafting and have a workshop on soap making. I am not afraid to try new crafts.  I am willing to pass on that knowledge to whom ever wants to learn.

 I live with my husband, Russell in Alpine California in a house that we built.  Between craft projects we have a silkscreen and pad printing business and I do technical support for a local internet service provider.