Also known as: tomatobaby
About me ... well ... what do you want to know? {wonder how many times I'll edit this page?} Valley of the Sun | Arizona I was born and raised in the Valley of the Sun ... Phoenix, AZ. A typical upbringing ... parents who loved each other and devoted themselves to not only to their three children, but also to the world of education. I'm the oldest, have a sister and a brother ... who were also suspicious of being adopted since we all had different color hair ... I'm the blonde ... sister is the brunette ... brother a red-head. We're a close family ... best playmates growing up. When the temperatures would rise well above 100-degrees, we were either at the neighbor's pool or had the entire floor of our playroom laid out with Fisher-Price Little People ... we had it all ... the house, barn, school, garage, general store, hospital, airport and probably other buildings that I just don't recall. Many hours were spent exploring our imagination. We were either dressing-up {brother was dressed like us many times}, coordinating neighborhood plays in our playhouse, playing office {this was cut short when brother managed to staple his hand with the stapler}, swinging on a garden hose slung over a tree branch, playing with Barbie {GI Joe would come to visit when on leave}, riding bikes, coloring, crafts, and countless other imaginative play times which probably lead to stimulating my creative juices. Sedona | Arizona Let's jump ahead a whole bunch ... I met my very creative husband on a blind-date in mid-1993. We had a whirl-wind dating / engagement / wedding period ... but then we were a bit older and decided we'd better get moving on with life before it passed us by {I was 30 when we married ... hubby ... 42}. After our Sedona wedding in August of 1994, we took a chance on a new cable network concept brewing in Knoxville, Tennessee. Our newlywed life headed from the southwest to the southeast and Dusty helped launch Home and Garden Television ... HGTV. We bought our very first home, Dusty kept busy with HGTV, we found we loved to entertain, garden, and decorate our home together{everything HGTV was about ... was happening in our home}. I continued my work as a paralegal {certified in Phoenix}in Knoxville ... up until the very night I went into labor with our first child. Dusty managed to make it back from Boston before things got going ... thank goodness. I loved motherhood and found that my creativity would expand to sewing little girl outfits and quilting. I've also admired antique quilts and folk art and found a way to marry the two together with creating items that we could use and hopefully pass along to our children. Basically, I took a few classes and just started doing-it on my own. I had found a new hobby! HGTV | Strolling the Block Quilt I've been very fortunate to have designed and create two block-of-the-month designs for Home & Garden Television's website, HGTV.com and found myself as a guest on Simply Quilts {our son, then two, was found roaming the sound-studio during taping the show!}. In the beginning, I have admired the classical quilt designs and fabrics. Over the years I find myself now admiring bolder designs and colors. My designs have also been spotted at a HGTV network party and film production in celebrity gift bags. Fiber Art | Creative Work Although I still love working with fabric, I've found a different interest and approach in the world of fiber arts. I've been exploring the world of knitting with wool fibers, but have taken it to a different dimension. No longer a taboo, I'll use hot water to achieve an end result of a felted art piece. It's just another craft which allows me to express myself artistically ... or just a great excuse to expand our home to include a studio! I discovered creativity in purse, handbag, and scarf design ... I'm always looking for a creative outlet. After 14-years ... our family of four {plus Hemingway our wheaten-terrier pup-ster} have since left the HGTV family ... we moved back to Phoenix ... and {at the time of this writing} we're headed next to the northwest ... Boise, Idaho. We look forward to our new adventure ... smaller community ... greenbelts ... bike rides ... and common family values {in case you wondered why we're moving to Boise.} And ... there's a great local indie-craft group in the area ... so you know ... I'll keep creating ... something! Photography | Passion! My true passion is photography. With so much moving around and craft-y items boxed up ... I have relied heavily on my camera to keep things creative in my life. I like to shoot almost anything ... but find most pleasure in taking photographs of children, families and product-type shots. Interested in having something shot? I'd love to hear from you, work with you and create something special. Capturing a special moment, freezing time, or helping you launch your new product line. More about my work can be found on my website | blog at: tomatobaby.com. Have I left anything out? Skipped too much? Do you want to know more?? Ask a question and I'll answer ... I just figured I had rambled on enough ... {blushing / grinning / blushing again ...}
