From the Huntsville, AL times…
Debbie Baughn’s children help with Bears and Beads
The bears around Debbie Baughn’s home in Madison aren’t the least bit threatening. In fact, her daughters hate to see them leave the house.
Bears are a major component of Baughn’s home-based business, Baughn’s Bears and Beads. She has applied more than 20 years’ experience in making stuffed animals with the latest trend of using beads in crafts projects.
Baughn’s interest in the craft dates back about 25 years to high school when she started making stuffed animals. After college, her craft continued to progress when her “evenings were sometimes spent making bears” for friends and her mother’s friends. Eventually, she was creating the keepsakes for the public.
“My bead work started about five years ago with making stretchy bracelets for fun and progressed to using more expensive glass, sterling silver and semiprecious stones,” she said. Then, she added, “one-of-a-kind” bookmarks and key chains, similar to ones she had seen in a local bookstore.
“I could work on these items while my children were practicing soccer,” Baughn said. An old injury has sidelined her from coaching, but she “finds having something to do while I watch helps out.”
The time spent with crafts isn’t necessarily commensurate with a final sale. “Not always worthwhile to make them. People are used to Chinese-made items and many don’t appreciate handmade work.”
Her recent bear designs are mostly the nonjointed variety and the faces are all embroidered by hand. “This makes them a fairly safe baby gift since a baby can’t pull much off the bear,” she said.
No comments yet.