Sara: Please tell me a bit about you and your background?
Karla: I often refer to myself as a Daughter of the Southwind, which is my way of embracing the fact that I was born and raised in the heartland of the USA, Kansas. (People of the Southwind is the Native American meaning of the word Kansas). I spent much of my childhood wishing myself to far away places- real and imagined-and most of my heroes were fanciful characters from books like Lord of the Rings, Peter Pan, and The Chronicles of Narnia.
My husband Ian hails from Edinburgh Scotland and has recently joined me in my artistic ventures- he is the official Circlet Wizard at Thyme2dream. Ian and I also have a Celtic Folk-Rock band that plays local pubs and coffee houses.
S: How did you get into arts and crafts?
K: I have always been surrounded by creative people, but until recently I was mostly just an onlooker. My mum was a fiber artist, and when I was a teenager I spent summers traveling with her to craft and music festivals selling her work. My first husband was an illustrator, and I often worked for an artisan t-shirt company selling his and other artists’ shirts at fairs and festivals. When my three sons were small, most of my creativity was focused on being the best mother I could be.
I believe that the root of my artistic career really came about as a result of a restless need to do something with all the creative energy I was no longer using as my kids became more independent. I just suddenly had this consuming passion to make things…I played with polymer clay for awhile, got into beading, and then I discovered wire working and was totally hooked! I first started making sun catchers and trying my hand at wind chimes, etc but then one day 89 year old gran asked me if I could make a pair of ear cuffs for her. This appealed to me as well, I had never had pierced ears and loved dangly earrings. Basically, I started making the sort of jewelry that I loved, but could never find anywhere else and the results of that effort have evolved into a full time jewelry business.
S: Did you train at college?
K: Other than a class or two here and there, I am a completely self taught artist.
S: Do you sell your work?
K: yes
S: Oh, wow… where can I find you?
K:…en.dawanda.com/shop/Thyme2dream and thyme2dream.etsy.com
I also sell at several local shops and boutiques in Kansas & Missouri, craft fairs, art shows and our local farmer’s market.
My blog is thyme2dream.blogspot.com and I also have a website (basically just a portal to all my different sales venues and blogs, but I will be expanding it within the next 6 months) thyme2dream.com
S: Where do you find your inspiration?
K: I love growing things but am a terrible gardener- I created my ‘crystal leaf jewelry gardens’ because they are much easier to keep alive. I delight in fanciful stories from literature, theater, music and I am fascinated by the process of trying to convey the enchantment from one genre to another.
I am also fascinated by the ‘personalities’ that different cultures and traditions have given gemstones through the ages. In my more earthy pieces, I often create by combining crystals with specific meanings in mind. Sort of a blessing recipe for the person who will eventually wear them.
Artists who inspire me: Alphonse Mucha~ his artistic love affair with the actress Sarah Bernhardt, the jewelry he adorned his portrait models with, as well as the designs he actually had made into jewelry pieces in collaboration with French jeweler Georges Fouquet. I like to think I might be related to him somewhere back there- my maternal grandparents are from the same region of the Czech Republic where he was born. I also love the work of Arthur Rackham, Maxfield Parrish, Rick Griffin and N C Wyeth.
S: Tell me a bit about your latest collection of works
K: My main focus lately is creating “unusual jewelry for discerning fae and elven folk” . I am expanding my Elven Forest collection to include different themes and colours and have been focusing on adding more hair and headdress pieces to the groupings. Ear cuffs, ear vines and ear wraps continue to be a mainstay of my work, and I plan to continue adding new designs in those categories as well.
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This review can also be found at as part of my contributions on DIY City Magazine
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This review can also be found at as part of my contributions on DIY City Magazine
