
Hello! And welcome to my site!
My name is Albina Manning. I was born in Yoshkar-Ola, Russia, a small town not far from Volga River. Ever since I was a child, I have loved doing anything by hand, especially knitting and sewing. I graduated from Mari State Pedagogical Institute and then worked for 9 years as a certificated elementary and physical education teacher in my hometown.
Although I really loved my work as a teacher of young children, in 2003 my life changed a lot! I met my soul mate Peter and moved to Arizona where we were married, and a year later our beautiful daughter Anya was born. Then a Russian friend living in Japan sent me a beautiful, red beaded rose as a Christmas gift. I thought, 'is it possible to make something as lovely as Mother Nature creates? Probably not, but sometimes copies can be worth that of the original.' That is when I fell in love with beads and wire. My first experience was to make a beaded Money Tree. In spite of the fact that it looks like an old untrimmed tree and has a lot of 'technical' mistakes, I still love it.
I then discovered The Bead Museum in Glendale, AZ where displays include the incredible beadwork of Lana May from Phoenix. Just 'down-the-road', I contacted Lana who inspired my jewelry making hobby (which was a perfect fit for the stay-home-mom).
Now I enjoy teaching at The Bead Museum, The Beaderie, and at the J.O.G.S Gem & Jewelry Show. My work Bonsai Shakkan has been used by Fire Mountain Gems both as a back cover advertisement and inside their catalog. In 2009 I won the 1st Place Gold Medal award with 'Inca's Gold Necklace' in FMG's wirework category. I have been published in 'Art Bead Circle Magazine' as well as in a book 'Mixed Media Jewelry Techniques', (click the last green banner).
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If you want to order something or have any questions - feel free to contact me.
Last updated: August 10, 2010 |
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