Thank you for visiting Angel Hound Designs. This page is just to give you a little more information about me, the designer, and why I do what I do.
My love affair with art and design started when I was a child, by the age of 2 (basically as soon as I could hold a pencil) I was drawing. By the time I hit grade school I was already considered a "talent" by my teachers & peers. I was driven by art, I ate . . slept . . breathed it. In any form or medium I loved it. Some of you may have been in the band, or on the football team well I was the kid you could find in the art classroom - all the time.... to the exclusion of every other elective it was the number one priority in my life at that time.
As my career continued I found that I could excel in many different mediums, and earned awards in various catagories and diciplines throughout my student career. I was married and raising two young children while going to school and working more or less full time when I found myself a single parent and was forced to put my art career on hold to enter a more lucrative job market (one that would pay the bills NOW <smile>).
I spent the next 10 years as a computer application specialist and web designer, working for various companies and contract houses until my son became ill with a brain tumor in 1999. Once we realized that his condition was not going to improve and that he would require 24 hour supervision and care I began researching other avenues of income in order be able to work from the home and take care of him. My jewelry designs, and the other items offered here on this site afford me the ability to do that. I hope that you find many items of interest, and visit often, I'm always adding new pieces.
I have designed my own jewelry pieces since I was in school, and in fact won many Scholastic Art Awards including 2 gold medals, 12 gold keys and numerous Blue Ribbons and Certificates of Merit. Jewelry is a very personal medium and one I have always enjoyed working in. Although I was not making jewelry full time all these years I never stopped doing it and have always made pieces for myself, friends and family just for the sheer joy of design. Now that I have come full circle and found my way back to my first love, I am proud to offer my designs to you here on my site, and also on eBay where I usually run several weekly auctions. Please check my auctions out by looking under the seller ID: Tappix.
Why "Angel Hound Designs"? Well, there are two things that I have always been very fond of my dogs, and angels. I strongly believe that we all have a guardian angel(s) watching over us (some of us may need more than others <G>). I am certain that without the steady and unconditional love that our dogs have provided my family would not have been able to cope with a lot of the things we have had to deal with during the course of my son's illness. Animals are truly a healing force in our lives, and a constant reminder of the good in all of us if we only choose to see it. Thus the name "Angel Hound Designs" was born. A little more about my greyhounds below...
I am the proud parent of two adopted retired racing greyhounds, named Tappix and Zane, who are the inspiration for the formation of the adoption group who's site was my first site on the web, GreytHounds of Eastern MI (or GEM). I no longer do the day to day work on the site and now act more as a consultant.It's been turned over to several capable volunteers for the group who keep up with updates. It was a very fun, time consuming project that I sometimes miss but am happy to see live on through the hard work and devotion of many other volunteers in this great organization. I hope you find time to check it out and enjoy exploring as much as I enjoyed developing it and the folks there now enjoy it's upkeep.
- Kristen