I'm Marsha Wiest-Hines from Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA. I began beading in 2007, when a friend gave me a strung bracelet for my birthday. My wrist is ridiculously small, and the bracelet was very big. I thought, how hard can it be to make it smaller? I went to the bookstore, to find a book to tell me how to adjust the size of the bracelet and next to "Beading for Dummies" there was "500 Beaded Objects." I fell instantly in love and knew I wanted to DO THAT!

Beading is a creative outlet/hobby/meditation for me, although I do sell my work. I have an Etsy shop and have sold through several local galleries, my favorite being Minnetonka Center for the Arts, where I am currently selling some of my work in their Arts of the Holidays show.

This was one of my very first efforts, done as a color study and an exploration of the bead textures and finishes. I was very proud of working out the little violet flower and leaf for myself. I have used this leaf technique in my "Mom's African Violets", with some refinement ever since! For example, this leaf uses the same technique, although somewhat refined by the addition of cylinder beads to the seeds ("The Last Leaf").

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I find myself a competitive person by nature, and some of my favorite work has been created with a competition in mind. This was my first effort at an entry to the Bead Dreams competition, and one of my all time favorites. Needless to say, I have never managed to get an entry accepted at Bead Dreams! I sold this piece ("Sticks and Stones") and I miss it!

I became a member of the Etsy Beadweavers Team just as I was making "Sticks & Stones" and several of my other favorite pieces were created for the team challenges. This Bollywood Beauty Necklace won our Bollywood Challenge last year, and this necklace "Ash and Ember - the Balrog" won the Lord of the Rings Challenge last spring.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with fellow beadweaver and lampworker Hannah Rosner. I won a competition through "One Stop Bead Shop" that required the use of some of her beads, which I thought were beautiful and inspiring (INK Necklace)!

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This led to her asking me to be her partner in the International Society of Glass Beadmakers, in the "Convergence II: Adorning the Past Present and Pretend" Exhibit, and we were fortunate to have our entry, featuring Hannah's breathtaking Orchid and flower beads and my weaving creating a cloche hat and necklace for Daisy Buchanan from "The Great Gatsby." Our work was chosen for the exhibition which has been on tour, including a trip to the Kobe Glass Museum in Japan during the earthquake and tsunami. I think "Innocence in Decay" is due to arrive back home sometime soon!

I find my beading inspiration in the world around me, and I found an amazing morning of inspiration on January 13th, 2010. The world outside my home was coated in hoarfrost and absolutely breathtaking! I shivered my way through some pictures, before the beauty was burned away by the rising sun, and from those photos came my "January Dawn" piece, which won the Jewelry category at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010. I'll share just one final piece, which won the Bead Mavens "Vernal Visions" contest this last spring, "Persephone's Return." I don't often bead embroider, but I really enjoyed working on this hand painted lace!

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Designing wearable art is my day job as well. I have a Master's in Costume Design and when I discovered Competitive Ballroom Dance, (another instant love!) I knew I had found my future. I started my business, Made for Movement in 1987, and believe I have the best job in the world. I work in the beautiful studio my husband made for me on the garden level of our home, and you can see some of my designs at my website www.made4movement.com. Here's one of my favorite clients, Patsy, in one of my favorite gowns, probably because I like the over-the-top jewelry so very much!

When I'm asked to name a few of my favorite beaders, Zoya Gutina's name is certainly on that list! I also love the work of many of my teammates on Etsy Beadweavers, Miriam Shimon, Patrizia Tager, Sue Horine, Smadar Grossman, Betty Stephan and Kate Tracton, to mention just a few.

I don't really have favorite colors, I just use whatever gets the message across, and I use peyote, RAW, herringbone, netting and various spirals stitches most often. My inspiration is either what I see outside my windows, or while walking my dog, or the many and varied themes of the Etsy Beadweaver challenges. I have really grown as an artist by being a member of this team!

My gallery on MyLovelyBeads.com

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