Laverne - my first doll

For my first post I thought it would be appropriate to include a photo of my first beaded doll... This is Laverne, she is about 2" tall. She is one of the many reasons I fell in love with beaded dolls.

I started seriously thinking about attempting bead embroidery somewhere around the end of 2004, but didn't work up enough courage to attempt a project until January of 2005. My very first bead embroidery project was this tiny doll. I bought a kit on EBay that included all the materials needed to complete the project. I was hooked from the beginning.

I have spent the last 2 years acquiring beads, doll forms, faces and many other items that I may use in a project some day. I'll admit - I have almost as much fun acquiring the 'stuff' I might use as the creating itself.

I feel fortunate to have had so much encouragement early on. There are several people that instantly come to mind when I think back to the beginning of my beaded path. One is Cindy who was quietly encouraging and helped me tremendously by way of her book about beaded dolls. Another positive influence, not to mention one of my most encouraging supporters is a wonderful artist I met through EBay. I have acquired many doll forms from her over the last couple of years and in the process, formed an inspiring friendship as a bonus. Thank you Monica!!!