Get to Know Us

The Beginning

I was brought up by parents who loved nature and the outdoors. My mother was a master gardener and flower arranger. My father was an avid hiker and birder. All of my life, we recycled, even though our city did not have a recycling system in place. We saved tin and aluminum cans, cardboard boxes and newspapers, toilet paper rolls, and egg cartons. Recycling is deeply ingrained in my being.

Holidays were always steeped in beautifully hand-crafted gifts and decor--and so much of it was made from recycled materials.

I was blessed to be given support and encouragement, lessons and guidance from my mother to explore my creativity and art. As a Camp Fire Girl, I explored many different crafts and projects--and almost all of them included the use of recyclable materials. So I come by this path naturally. I am passionate about reusing and upcycling materials.

What started as a personal practice of seeing value in what others throw away has grown into a larger vision: building a space where creativity is accessible, sustainability is tangible, and people can come together to make something beautiful, useful and meaningful.

I am the founder of Second Make, a creative reuse initiative focused on turning discarded materials into opportunity, connection, and community. Second Make started with a simple but powerful realization:

So much gets thrown away that still has value—and so many people are looking for a place to create, connect, and belong.

I’ve spent years as an artist, constantly working with materials, experimenting, and seeing potential where others might see waste. Over time, it became clear that this wasn’t just about making art—it was about rethinking how we use what we already have. I knew that others might be wanting to create but might have limitations--what's affordable and how to reuse materials.

This is the first step in a larger vision for a center that will provide many options for artists and the community. There are several additional phases yet to come.