My father was a fisherman who worked hard and long and brought home fish that my parents cleaned and salted, or froze. As a child my sister and I had the rather unenjoyable chore of cleaning the nets, but I remember the wonderful salt smell of the sea as we worked.
Handcrafts have always had a special part in my life because of that experience, watching, fascinated as my father's weathered hands deftly worked the twines to repair holes in his nets. It was a good feeling to have this quiet time with him.

I started experimenting with making jewellery and really wanted to create pieces using materials from nature. A student gave me some beach glass which I put in my tumbler and the rest, as they say, is history. I was hooked!  I decided to call my new jewellery business 'Karlande Designs', from the names of my two children, Karle and Andrew, plus the name of  my father, Andy.

I am amazed by the common bond I share with others who love the sea, the beaches and the treasures to be found while exploring the shores. As I pick up each piece, I wonder where it came from and how it started its journey in the sea. Others share their stories of walks along the beaches, collections of beach/sea glass, and the connections to places and people in their lives.  People give me pieces to create jewelry from because of special connections in their lives – a grandmother gave me pieces her granddaughter picked up as a small child; a mother had pieces her children collected from a beach near the cabin where they created special memories many years ago, and who gave each child a gift of a special piece that held precious significance.

I love creating all sorts of jewelry using different media – beads, wire, metals – but my favorite will always be my “Gems from the Sea”. Whenever I wander on a beach I feel a very real connection to our ancestors who worked so hard to make a living from the sea.