Flourish jewelry artist Ellen Berry mixes beads, chain, wire and fabric to craft her one-of-a-kind designs.

Using glass, metal, porcelain, wood, semiprecious stone, resin, fabric and other materials, she has designed a varied array of necklaces, earrings, bracelets, key chains, scarves and other fashion accessories over the past 10 years.

She got started in beading in 2001 when she became ill with a disabling condition and needed an uplifting diversion. The wide variety of bead styles, materials, colors and combinations that can be used to make many different kinds of jewelry appealed to her.

"I found joy in making works of wearable art," she said, "and have been delighted to see how other people get excited about the results of my happy pastime." Her jewelry design style celebrates a childlike whimsy and a reverence for nature reflective of her background.

Ellen grew up in Fort Collins and Boulder, Colorado where she worked for ten years as a professional nanny. She could be found most weekends in mountain towns browsing through artist consignment shops or hiking and taking photographs. A desire to live by the beach inspired her to move to Clearwater, FL, where she lived for almost ten years. She moved to Winston-Salem in 2007 to enjoy the changing of the seasons and explore a different area of the country, and loves living in North Carolina. She is a professional writer, graphic designer and marketing consultant.

In 2010 Ellen accomplished a long-cherished goal to sell her crafts through artist consignment shops like r-d Innovations in Winston-Salem and ArtWalk in Boone, NC.