Barbara Tilley

My basement/studio tells my story much better than I ever could. It is 600 square feet of floor to ceiling craft supplies. There is a narrow meandering path that will take you from the stairs on one end of the basement to the sliding glass doors of the other end. When I make a new friend, I’m always a little nervous about letting them into my studio. What in the world will they think? I’m usually pleasantly surprised with how they don’t see the stacks and piles and bins. They see what’s in the stacks and piles and bins. Just like me, they are crafters, artists, and people who can see possibilities in all the wonderful things that I have collected. I have tried to convinced myself and those who love me that all I need is a better organization system. I might have fooled some of them, but I have not fooled myself. As soon as I find a home for all the stuff that I have right now, I will go out and buy the newest painting, gluing, crafting, carving, whatever thingy that has just hit the market. I have made peace with that. I just have to use this obsession for good. I’m using mine to share all the wonders that I find with you, dear readers and video watchers. I’ll get the goods and play with them until I have something great to show you. So you see, I’m really doing this for you Barbara Tilley, born to a German emigrant and a service man, spent her childhood traveling between Germany and Ft. Sill Oklahoma. After graduation from high school she moved from Oklahoma to Charlottesville, Virginia. She wrote her first book Wire Fun in 2006. She teaches classes in Charlottesville, Virginia and continues to make instructional videos and ebooks about jewelry making.