Beaded Buffalo

All of my bags are handmade, and the designs are one-of-a-kind. I promise you that no one else will carry a bag that resembles the one you own. 

The designs are inspired by nature, wild lands I’ve visited and events in my life. Each bag comes with a creation story because I think it’s important that you know how it came about.

If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. There are areas all over the site where you can leave your thoughts, or use the contact information link to the left.

 The name “beaded buffalo” comes from the fact that most of the bags have real buffalo fur backs. No bison are killed solely for these bags. I look for leather that’s left over from other uses, so you might say I’m recycling it.

“… the only people who interest me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars, and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes ‘Awww!’ “     — Jack Kerouac, from On the Road

 

The wall hanging shown above gave rise to my bag making.  While on a trip to South Dakota, I had seen the design painted on a buffalo robe. When I returned home, I went to Tandy Leather, bought a piece of deer hide and made a much smaller version. I deeply enjoyed the feel of leather, so I bought more pieces and started crafting small bags. I don’t remember what triggered the transition from wall art to bags, but this piece still hangs in my den.