I have loved pretty things all my life.

My love for jewelry started an early age. I remember sitting on the curb of our house as a 9 year old, and picking up pieces of broken glass. I loved the way they sparkled in the sun and wished there was some way to turn them into jewelry.

As an adult, my love for jewelry grew and the desire to design and put pieces together began to evolve. I bought many pieces of jewelry over the years, only to find myself taking them apart and remaking them; mixing pieces with other pieces and creating my own “look”. It wasn’t until friends and strangers began to ask about my jewelry did I realize how much I truly enjoyed the creative process.

I am always thrilled to see a piece or several pieces that I have created on someone else and know they are as happy to be wearing them as I was creating them.

After going on a recent mission trip in 2007 to Africa with my church, creating my unique jewelry pieces has taken on a whole new meaning. I was touched by the young, innocent faces that we met at the Makindye Orphanage in Kampala, Uganda. Our church took new clothes for each child in the orphanage, and each child received a Bible. This trip is now a yearly mission trip for myself and my church.

As a way I can continue to help these children, a portion of the proceeds from my jewelry goes to the orphanage. I thank God for the privilege to make this jewelry for others, and the blessings that come from it.

Kathleen is a wife, mother of 6 (blended family) and grandmother of 5. She lives on a ranch in Archer County with her husband and son. She was raised in a military family, which meant she traveled while growing up. Her lifetime goal was to become a nun and work as a missionary nurse but, alas, boys came into the picture and the nun part went out the window!

Kathleen graduated from Midwestern State University with an associate’s degree in Nursing in 1983 and worked as a nurse until her last son was born in 1992. Since then, she has stayed home raising her children and helping her husband with his business.

Kathleen enjoys photography as a hobby and enjoyed the opportunity to photograph journalistically on her African mission trip. She spent time in the bush as well as helping out at an orphanage where she left a piece of her heart!

PO Box 1163 • Archer City, Tx. 76351 • 940-423-6969 • 940-733-7121 • kathleen(at)ponderosaranchdesigns.com