DuhBe

profile last updated: November 2021

My previous jobs and hobbies are a colorful quilt that is so strange most people think I'm making it up. My life started in science and engineering, with the corporate tech industry. But I left that in 2009 to pursue creative endeavors where I've been flitting from one interest to the next for over a decade. The one thing that sticks to me like tacky glue is sewing and machine embroidery. I always come back to that so now I'm running Ballyhoo Creations where I create designs and patterns for machine embroidery and doll making. I like making things that have faces on them.

My husband and I live in Oklahoma City with 3 cats and some backyard chickenss. I'm from Oklahoma and feel at home here but I often visit the Chicago area (lived there 20 years) and my adult daughter lives in Northern CA.

My gurus are Mr. Spock, John Lennon and Captain Jean Luc Picard.

I prefer non-fiction when I read. But I also like a well-written novel in fantasy, magical realism or even a good mystery from time to time.

I love falling asleep to sit-coms like Big Bang Theory, Friends, The Office, Parks & Rec, Arrested Development or Bob's Burgers.

Give me a quality Sci-Fi or Fantasy movie with deep themes!
Some favorite movies are: Arrival, Fantastic Beasts (but NOT Crimes of Grindlewald!), Pan's Labyrinth, Forrest Gump, ET, Cloud Atlas, The Silence of the Lambs, or V for Vendetta

I've stopped calling myself a dollmaker because it didn't feel right. I make characters out of cloth and thread. It's like drawing a cartoon, but then turning that into something 2D or 3D with fabric and stuffing.

I'm into thrifting and upcycling. You can get the best quality fabrics that way.

Paper crafts and rubber stamps and die cuts used to be a favorite craft but I've gotten away from it. Now I mainly stitch dolls or draw using Procreate on my iPAd. In the past I was a soapmaker but I don't do that anymore.

I like shades of pink all the way to red, shades of grey (my favorite neutral) or black & white, shades of blue-green from mint to teal. I also like muted purples but I've gotten away from them lately. I've never been a fan of yellow or orange and I use green very little unless it's a nature based theme.