I graduated with a BA from Fort Lewis College in Durango CO received my masters at the University of New Mexico and got my creativity from growing up with limited art supplies and almost no books. Although the box of crayons, package of markers, Big Chief notebook, and Encyclopedia Britannica provided hours of imagination and entertainment.
I was an educator for 17 years and a development officer (fancy shmancy way of saying I raised money and developed programs to raise money) for a local healthcare system also for 17 years.
Both careers enabled me to exhibit my creative side in many, many delightful ways. Teaching was a platform where I could indulge in books and stories and arts, crafts and awesomeness. Development work took me to a corporate level, but my job specifically was not only about being a major gifts and grants officer, but writing for the hospital's newsletter, creating the foundation website, and getting an education in marketing and graphic design. I was able to create many of our collateral materials for campaigns, events and mailings. My lifelong passion has been working on children’s books, picture or coffee table books, creating everything and anything, inventing, crafting, journaling and rethinking journaling, creating projects out of crazy ideas of all kinds, photography and watercolor in my “spare” time.
Thanks to Christine, she brought the fun of puzzles back into my life with a deeper appreciation of the craftsmanship of what a beautiful puzzle can be while adding more fun to it with "wildly imaginative playful" pieces in each box.
Enjoy and please stick around to see the Joyful Nook Gallery grow and develop.