Song Sense Jewelry - Seven Fingers  Zero Toes!  

My Studio

www.SongSense.org named "Top 50 Handmade Jewelry Blog" March, 2018!
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What is Song Sense Jewelry? Song Sense Jewelry started in 2009, but then I took a 6-year break for health reasons and returned in 2017.  I have jewelry that I have made, as well as vintage southwestern estate jewelry I have collected.  All of my jewelry is made with your comfort in mind. No wires hanging out of your necklace to scratch your neck. I run my fingers along the beads to make sure they are not sharp. In most necklaces, I place small, smooth beads in the back so nothing will irritate behind there. All bracelets and necklaces securely connect. Most with magnetic clasps. Nothing is likely to fall off. Most of the material is high-quality sterling silver, gold filled or gold plated, and genuine AAA gemstones. Some of my earlier pieces do have pewter. All is nickel-free. ____ ____ Who is Kathleen? Disabled Actress and Entrepreneur Now Designing Jewelry - If you ask me what my crowning achievement has been, I'd tell you, next to the birth of my son, the co-founding of PHAMALY, the theater group for performers with disabilities, fills me with great pride. As a child, I wanted to be a singer and dancer, later translating that to an actress on the stage. I would choreograph my own pieces, wearing long nightgowns to trail behind me, disguising the leg I was missing since 9 months of age. As a result of a condition called Amniotic Band Syndrome, I would have my remaining leg amputated at 16yrs, for a total of 27 surgeries. But I would go on for more than 20 years to grace Colorado stages in many roles, such as Golde, in "Fiddler on the Roof," Kate, in "Kiss Me Kate," and my call to fame, Daisy, in "Side Show". I eventually had to quit my day job of 20 years at the University of Colorado Medical School when unexplainable pain began to hit my body. I could sit for an hour, sometimes no more than 20 minutes, before pain would demand I lay down. It was a difficult life change to adapt to, given that I was used to being active. I 4-track skied in my younger years, before theatre. And raised my now adult son myself. It was around this time that my Mother-in-Law came to visit and brought her jewelry making materials. I was so taken by the beauty of the beads, and the intricacies of the designs in the necklace being made, that I asked my Mother-in-Law, Fran, to teach me to make jewelry. So Fran took some time to show me the basics, and then she continued lessons long-distance through e-mail and phone calls. Fran and I would have so much fun discussing on the phone new beads that had come out, or sales one of us had found, or beading techniques Fran learned and wanted to teach me.Fran has since passed away from ovarian cancer, but her beads and her lessons live on through me now. I'm excited to announce that I'll be returning to the stage this summer!  But until then, I'm throwing into my jewelry and Shop the same passion and determination I gave to co-developing PHAMALY. ____ 
When I work with something of Fran's, I remember how much joy the two of us had beading together. And I thank Fran again, for the wonderful gift of a creative outlet she gave me to express my passions, my love, and the certainty of my place in this world. 
Visit my Blog at http://songsense.org
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