Nikki @ Lily Bug Designs

Nikki’s Crafts:

Kailyn @ Kailyn’s Bit of Sunshine

It all began as a little girl who loved to draw and create. That meant sometimes getting into trouble because of the many messes that went with her creations. As a child her mother introduced her to the world of paper dolls. Her mother would draw her a simple doll and showed her how to make clothes for the doll. This was one of her fondest memories of her mother. When she was just 10 years old, she moved to Texas, where she remembers, “I would happily sit for hours at a time and just draw pictures.” After high school, Kailyn attended college and even took one art class, but art would have to take a back seat to family. Over the next few years she married and began a small family. During this period of time her desire to sketch and draw resurfaced with a vengeance. She began creating her daughters birthday and Christmas gifts, one of her favorites being paper dolls. Kailyn spent the next 20 years raising her family and doing her art mainly for family and friends. Because she chose to stay home and raise her family, funds were always tight. Learning new mediums and techniques required her to teach herself the skills needed. She began to branch out, and expand her artistic horizons. Self taught she started to woodwork and tole paint. This allowed her to take her own designs and cut and paint them. From there, she began working with clay, making her own beads to incorporate into her jewelry making. Bead making then prompted her to learn lampworking. Glass has become one of her favorite mediums, from glass bead making to fusing glass pendants. After moving back to Texas again in 2003 with an empty nest, her husband took their formal living area and turned it into the studio of her dreams. She now has the perfect place to create and come up with even more ideas. She spends two thirds of her days in her studio. A whole new world of creating began with the birth of her grand babies. From patterns for a christening gown, baby shoes, diaper bags, purses and baby bracelets, to wooden puzzles, giant stuffed snakes, stuffed blocks and of course more paper dolls, Kailyn is totally in her element. Recently she has decided to go back to work so she can spoil the grand babies even more. She has found the perfect job, working for G’nosh.. With over 40 years of creating, she is still the girl who just needs to create and can still sit happily for hours at a time just drawing pictures. Kailyn blogs at Kailyn’s Bit of Sunshine

Kailyn’s Crafts: