My name is Kim Starbard and I operate as Cove Beads.

My work is mainly in off-loom beadweaving Using a needle and thread, I stitch tiny beads together in various shapes and designs. The earrings pictured are made using tiny, gold-plated glass beads woven together in a beaded leaf fringe with quartz drops. The work itself is very tedious and can only be done under a powerful magnifier. Though difficult, it is also very relaxing and almost meditative. I have been beading for about six years and recently have decided to expand my skills and attempt to form what I can learn into an ongoing career. I have begun to teach locally in Guilford, Connecticut and am marketing myself through galleries and art/craft shows in the Northeastern United States.

Though the work I do is painstaking, I enjoy it greatly. The pieces speak very much of my own personal style, which is organic and "earthy". I love that the pieces are different each time and are so unique. They are a wonderful way for me to express how I feel and who I am. I hope to always be able to create on some level. It is an outlet that I don't really think I can do without. Thank you for stopping to look at my work.