After 13 years of working full time as a marketing/advertising/PR consultant in both the corporate and agency settings, it was time to devote some quality time to my kids. The tear-laden "you never have any time for us" statement from my daughter was the icing on the cake. With the full support of my husband (a saint!), I quit my job to become a stay-at-home mom. That was in 2001, and I've never looked back. It was the best decision I ever made.

The second-best decision I ever made was to explore jewelry designing as a creative outlet after leaving my job. I first experimented with metalsmithing, but then discovered that my true passion -- and talent -- was for beads. This passion, combined with the experience gleaned from years of art classes throughout high school, college and beyond (not to mention lots of encouragement from family and friends), led me to go into business designing beaded jewelry. I have since expanded my horizons to include some varieties of metalwork, including freeform sterling wire rings and pendants, as well as etched and hand-stamped metal designs.

So where does "the loft" come in you ask? When my beads, supplies and tools began to overtake the house, I decided to turn the lovely little loft off my bedroom into a studio. Everyday when my kids came home from school, they'd yell out, "Mom, where are you?" My response: "I'm in the loft." Needless to say, it stuck!

I hope you enjoy my designs as much as I love creating them. There is nothing more satisfying as an artist than to see your visions come to fruition, and then to have others admire and covet them. Many of my designs are one-of-a-kind, as the joy for me is in creating something new and different, not in mass production. So, if you see something you like, don't hesitate -- it may never be available again.

Thanks for visiting, and please check back often. You never know what I may be up to next!

--Laura Dim, Owner/Designer