JULIA BOOZ-ULLREY

Julia has been beading for almost 20 years, at the start her primary focus was on beadweaving, working with tiny glass and metal beads. Lately she has turned her interest to metalsmithing and has enjoyed learning to saw and solder metal. Julia has experienced the bead industry from several different aspects while traveling in the US, bringing her a more serious commitment to teaching and making jewelry.

Contact Julia via e mail Juila@baublesandbeads.com

 LISA CLAXTON

As a little girl I was entranced by my dollhouse, everything in minature. My mom made a fireplace mantel by cutting a small square out of a jewelry box and then gluing little pebbles over the surface. At age 15 I began stitching seedbeads into jewelry and decorative objects. A shoulder injury put an abrupt halt on my bead stitching while presenting me with a new medium: wire, which continues to captivate me to this day.

I explore new ideas and am driven by the classroom experience. Together we can share the experience of making jewelry that is directed through technique and design but are reflective of individual style and inspiration. My current work focuses on textile techniques with wire including: weaving, crochet and knitting. You can view my current work and jewelry making blog at LisaClaxton.com

TERI DANNENBERG

I began beading about 25 years ago in my previous life as a geologist in Texas.  My love of rocks and minerals drew me to semi-precious beads.  I started with stringing and pearl knotting all the wonderful Earth materials together.  Then a few years of a career change to teaching, family obligations, and a move to California and beads faded from my life.  Then a friend from Texas came to visit and she brought a bead project she was working on with her.  I loved the look of the tiny seed beads she was working with.  We had to find a bead store and SOON!  It was all over then, my obsession with beads, color, and all the patterns they form was rekindled. 

In the last 10 years I have worked almost exclusively with seed beads, crystals, and pearls.  I also dabble a bit in PMC, wire, and pearl knotting, but my love is off-loom seed bead weaving.  My professional background is in science and teaching and both these disciplines guide me as a beader and a bead teacher.  I am always wanting to discover what happens if I do this or that with beads.  And I love teaching and encouraging my beading students to try new things or new color combinations.  When I teach a class, I am teaching you a technique or my vision of a design, but what I really want is for you to take it and change it so that it is your own vision.

SHANNON HAIRE

Shannon Haire has been creating jewelry since she was a young girl, so it was natural for her to want to share that with others. She has always had a rebellious heart, so as an artist she loves to create pieces that take traditional ideas and turn them upside down. For Shannon, a piece that makes her laugh out loud as she is making it is a piece that she will make again – otherwise her pieces are one of a kind. Her favorite materials are semi-precious stones and sterling silver, although she has been known to make jewelry out of many interesting objects, including bones, old padlocks, bicycle gears and bullet casings. Shannon has a flair for dramatic pieces and will try anything once, but is drawn to stringing and playing with wire to create the perfect necklace or bracelet. She loves a challenge and gets her inspiration everywhere resulting in everything from dramatic Middle-Eastern influenced headpieces and jewelry, to Victorian-inspired chokers and pieces that express traditional simplicity with a twist. Contact Shannon via e mail Shannon@baublesandbeads.com

EMILY B MILLER

14 years ago I walked into a bead store. Since then my life has been taken over by beads, silver, PMC, tools, teaching and enjoying the creative process. I love to teach, passing on the unique pleasure I get from making beaded jewelry. Teaching is fascinating, watching the effect your words and actions have on another person. Following students efforts and seeing the creative process happen is so exciting. I’m constantly learning from students, finding new ways to explain or demonstrate a technique. Email Emily at class_director@baublesandbeads.com

It is the act of making that makes creativity so worthwhile, so go make something!

JOE SILVERA

 "I  graduated with a BFA in Metalsmithing with honors from California State University at Long Beach in 1991 and then apprenticed as a goldsmith. Altogether, I've been a metalsmith for almost 20 years. Although I studied fabrication, soldering, casting, blacksmithing, goldsmithing and silversmithing, my favorite technique is lost wax casting. I  love to carve detailed sculptures of animals, people, nature, etc. and wax let's my imagination run wild.

"In college, I was the guy around the studio who couldn't help himself - I always helped the other students with their projects. That experience and my six years of teaching metalsmithing workshops around the San Francisco Bay area have helped me to become a good teacher. I squeeze a lot of material into my handouts and classes, and I'm fortunate to have a good following for my beginning metalsmitihing, soldering, and stone setting classes. Teaching jewelry is exciting for me, because I get to pass on the art of jewelry to my students, which links us all to a craft that has been around for thousands of years."

Contact Joe via email at

joe@silverajewelry.com