Hello,

My name is Connie Kuilema,

I make shiny stuff because not making shiny stuff makes me very unhappy.

I come from a long line of makers. My great great grandpa built boats as did his sons. My grandmas, one knit, and crocheted, the other built miniatures, decoupaged and painted tiny little paintings. My mom painted, made silver jewelry , and macrame. My dad built sailing dinghies, furniture, and canoes of his own design.

growing up I wanted to be a lot of things, Cowboy, pirate, rogue,
but mostly I wanted to be an artist. I really credit one of my high school art teachers. Tina Brodey, ceramicist, with showing me how. She was the very first person I’d ever met that did street fairs with their art.
Flash forward several years, and I’ve moved to Chicago, discovered renaissance faires, taught myself to knit chain mail, and never looked back.

Now not only am I an artist, but I get to be a cowgirl, pirate, and rogue all at once!!!

Beading came about as an act of mental self preservation.

I had a lot of extra beads from making chain headdresses, and had bought a book on off loom bead weaving with the thought that one day I’d learn how. Well that day was when my mum, and stepfather were killed by their new furnace one thanksgiving weekend. (Please, please make sure you have carbon monoxide detectors in your home!)

I sat myself down in between lawyer meetings with a pile of beads, my new book, and a lot of determination, imma gonna learn a new skill!

yeah, right. I tried. Nope. Tried again. Ha! Not. This went on for a bit till I got hungry. Ok food will help. Go make a sandwich. I sit back down across from where I’d been working, thought I may as well study the diagrams, and instructions whilst I ate. Pulled the open book over without turning it, looked down at it, and all of a sudden it clicked! The author was left handed!!! Everything was backwards!