Well, my TWO passions both found me in a dusty antique shop. And if we're going to split hairs over details, then I guess you could say the first one found my husband.

One day while having a girl's day out with my mom, I got a call from my husband who was at antique store and had found something he thought my mom might be interested in.

"Mom, Mike says there's a guy at the antique store looking to sell a giant stack of banjo sheet music and lithographs, are you interested?"

My mom stopped dead in her tracks. Being a talented banjo player and avid enthusiast of all things banjo, of course she was interested. After some haggling with the dealer, my husband reported back that he had secured the entire pile (it was a biggie) for $30. Not too shabby.

At the time I was a beginning decoupage artist. I loved decoupage, and trying to emulate the beautiful style of the Victorian era. But I felt a big disconnect with my materials that I was buying in big craft stores. After my mom had taken all the higher quality music pages, she said I should take the falling-apart ones and try to use them in my work. I jumped at the opportunity.

Soon I wanted to find more mediums in which I could utilize the teeny pieces left over of my (ever growing) music collection. Now I'm addicted to searching through my sheet music for romantic, odd, witty, and heartwarming words to use in my jewelry.

So what's the second thing that found me in an antique shop? Browsing around one day, I noticed a peculiar, and very old, instrument propped up in the corner. I didn't even know what I as looking at, until I read the tag "Autoharp- 1880s. $40". Why I didn't buy it right then and there, I don't know. But I did run home and read everything I could about this instrument. My step-father owns an autoharp, which he let me play and gave me some lessons on. That Christmas my mom gave me my very own harp, which I named Hester :)

That both my passions found me in an antique shop is not surprising; I have always had a deep respect and awe for the past. Before starting this creative endeavor, I was an unemployed archaeologist. My hands longed to touch old things again, and feel a connection to the people who had created and lived with them long ago. I am so thankful that I am able to do something which combines my love of the past, love of music, and love of love.