Jewelry designer and instructor Albina Manning was born in Yoshkar-Ola, Russia, a small town not far from Volga River. Ever since she was a child, Albina has loved doing anything by hand, especially knitting and sewing. She graduated from Mari State Pedagogical Institute and then worked for 9 years as a certificated elementary and physical education teacher in her 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.”

Albina then discovered The Bead Museum in Glendale, AZ where displays include the incredible beadwork of Lana May from Phoenix. Just ‘down-the-road’, Albina contacted Lana who inspired Albina’s jewelry making hobby (which was a perfect fit for the stay-home-mom). The two are now close friends.

Albina now enjoys teaching at The Bead Museum, The Beaderie, and at the J.O.G.S Gem & Jewelry Show, (where she and Dale ‘Cougar’ Armstrong became friends). Her work Bonsai Shakkan has been used by Fire Mountain Gems both as a back cover advertisement and inside their catalog. In 2009 Albina won the 1st Place Gold Medal award with her piece titled ‘Inca’s Gold Necklace’ in FMG’s wirework category. She has been published in ‘Art Bead Circle Magazine’ as well as in an upcoming book ‘Mixed Media Jewelry Techniques’, (available at the JOGS show February 2010). Learn more about Albina on her website: http://www.around-beads.info

While attending a St Jude’s benefit show, Charley was blown away by the jewelry creations of Dale ‘Cougar’ Armstrong and asked to take classes.  That was three years ago and now, to relax during “downtime” from her real job of making parts for American army tanks, Charley enjoys making wire jewelry.  Her favorite projects are earrings because they can be easily made in an evening.  Charley’s previous way to unwind included all types of small needlework.  She is proud of her Cherokee heritage and often it influences her personal jewelry designs.  A native of southeast Tennessee, Charley lives with her two furry companions, T-Bone and Maryjane

While on a business trip with her husband, Sonja discovered an article written by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong in Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry Magazine. The article intrigued her so much that she contacted Dale and began taking classes at ‘Cougars Creations’ studio.

Sonja has a Master’s Degree in Studio Art and presently teaches art at the middle school level.  She has previously exhibited and worked in a variety of art media including watercolor, pencil, and photography.  Before venturing into the world of wire, she had previously exhibited and sold jewelry made from wood and oven baked clay. Sonja now admits that making and creating her own wire jewelry designs is her favorite artistic endeavor, as she loves taking an idea or inspiration and forming it into a piece of wearable art.  She credits her love of creating wire jewelry to the teaching and encouragement from Dale.

Sonja has recently published her first wire jewelry pattern in Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry, and also has a design featured in Dale’s new Book “Wirework.”  Sonja resides in eastern Kentucky with her husband and their son.

Thirty years ago Lindi received a Stained Glass Lamp Kit as a Christmas gift from her brother. Little did she conceive that she would one day start a stained glass business as a result, not to mention branching into making jewelry!

For relaxation from the tedious glass work Lindi has been creating for nineteen years, she started ‘playing’ with glass fusing. Her husband, Larry Haefner, insisted that she find something to do with the numerous nuggets and glass pieces that were accumulating all over her shop. The answer came three years ago, when Lindi took a wire wrapping class with Dale ‘Cougar’ Armstrong and learned how to incorporate all of those glass pieces into beautiful, wire jewelry designs.

Lindi displays her work in local gift shops and boutiques, as well as in juried art shows and at bridal fairs. Her favorite jewelry venue is her own ‘Stained Glass by Lindi’ studio, located in Williamsport, PA.  Lindi is an awesome, stained-glass artist who also enjoys being one of ‘Cougar’s’ teaching assistants at various jewelry-making events.

At an early age, Suzanne was always busy in her dad’s shop, taking things apart just to see how they worked. The desire to work with tools has never left her. She blames Dale Armstrong for starting her down the seductively twisty wire path, and she hasn’t looked back since! Suzanne is a proud “Cougar Cub”.  She works with her husband in their family business in Gallatin, Tennessee and finds stress relief in beading and wire working. When Suzanne is not rescuing a stranded possum or bottle-feeding a calf, she also teaches classes at Beadin’ At The Barn.

She can be contacted via her website: http://www.suzannesjewelry.com/