Carole Ohl by Sigrid Wynne-Evans     © July 2007   Carole Ohl has some pretty amazing bracelets. Don't miss them, especially if you like to work with cube beads. I especially like "Checkered Peyote" (item 11128) and "Flower Box" (item 11635). These bracelets are really elegant. I am sure Carole's bracelets will entice you to go and play with cube beads!

Here is Carole's story:

I've had an artist's eye all my life, so naturally my profession as a freelance graphic designer is one I've enjoyed for over thirty years. I love my work and mostly enjoy taking someone else's vision and putting it into a pleasing form. I get to work with color and shape all day. What's not to love about that?

My first memory of beads was when I was four or so. My sister and I often visited our next door neighbor, who had a box of colorful pony beads. I'm not sure what we made with them, mostly; I loved dipping my hands into the box and swishing around in all the tiny bits of color. Decades passed without a bead in sight. Thanks to my parents (mostly my mother for putting up with six creative kids, and you all know how messy creativity can get!), my creative outlets went from one thing to another such as, sewing, quilting, gardening, cooking. I mostly loved working with fabric. My mother taught me to sew when I was about ten and I fell in love with colors and the smell of ironing a new piece of cotton!

Sampling of Carole's Designs:
Click on an image to view the pattern information.
 
               

I didn't think about beads again until I visited a bead shop (The Bead Cage) that had just opened in my neighborhood in Dayton, Ohio. While searching for something to embellish a purse I had made, I was astonished at this big new world of color and shape. That may have been one of the last purses I made. I took a few beadweaving classes and fell completely in love. That was over three years ago, and it hasn't waned since.

Some days it's color that inspires me, other days it's shape. I have the good luck to be around a lot of talented beaders/artists. It's a big creative whirlpool that keeps me craving more. I'm also fortunate enough to be able to teach my designs. I am always inspired by students who come up with unusual color combinations I never would have imagined. They push me out of my box every time. Teaching also pushes me to write the patterns I design in a way that people can understand.

Most of my ideas come to me as I am just waking up in the morning. That's when bead structures "appear" and that's what usually gets me out of bed. It's taken me a few years to settle into beading as play, rather than something I have to accomplish or finish. Most of the time, the best designs happen when I don't care what the outcome is, or how many times I have to do it over to get it right. So there really are no disappointments, mostly just paths to unexpected fun.

And my sister and I are still creating things together. We love beading art dolls and each of us always has a baby in progress.

Sampling of Carole's Designs:
Click on an image to view the pattern information.
 
               

I've never been much for goals, but I am a big believer in following your heart. My heart has taken me into the beading world, and I love designing and writing patterns. So for now, that's what I do. I still have my graphics, which fits in just perfectly when producing patterns to share.

I live in Dayton, Ohio with my husband who is a graphic teacher. We also share the house with two other graphic designers. I have two wonderful grown sons who are also artistic. So my life is filled with creative people. My friend and fellow beader, Jann Christiansen, told me about bead-patterns.com. She encouraged me to put up my designs/instructions to share with others. I am happy to have found a home on this site.