I have always loved clothes...it started when I was a girl, drawing pictures of princesses in ballgowns on my paper plate after lunch. I started sewing by hand, my mother teaching me simple stitches, and then I got my first sewing machine at age 9. It was just a little toy, but I made a lot of Barbie clothes with it. My first real sewing job came after high school, in a local bridal shop. There, I altered gowns and learned so much! While my children were very young, I had an in-home bridal business, which died down in the late 90's. I met my husband in 2003, and was introduced to the world of hockey. The rink where he and his oldest son played was bone-chillingly cold. I had wanted to make mittens for our 7 children (blended family), and fell upon a clever pattern. I tweaked it a bit, made a pair, wore them to the next hockey game, and before I knew it, HandCandy Mittens was born! Since then, I, with the help of my hubby and a crew of talented home-sewing gals, we have made and sold over 20,000 pairs of mittens! Now, HandCandy is more than just mittens, for I've added hats, scarves, skirts, dresses, coats and more to my wonderful world of upcycled goodness!

It's important to take care of our environment. There is a glut of clothing out there--I seem to have little problem finding great pieces to dissect and re-create at my local thrift stores. Be choosy when you buy. Think twice, and don't settle for cookie-cutter clothing. Express your individuality!