Me, with my wonderful husband, while  sailing as a teacher  on a Quiltin’ Cruise  organized through Quilter’s Emporium.  (Photo by Tay Satterfield)  Hi, I'm Shelli. I have been creating art  since the day I was born. I recall a rather  unfortunate incident when, as a very  young girl, I needed whiskers for my  Santa and promptly cut off the powder  puff tail (fur only) of my aunts perfectly  coiffed poodle. In spite of that rough  creative start I pressed on and continued  to make what can best be described as:  "things"... I've tried LOTS of things:  beading, knitting, crochet, embroidery,  stamping and painting. I thought it was  my destiny to float aimlessly from craft to  craft until the year 2000, when I  discovered QUILTING! I have been totally  obsessed, and covered with little shards  of thread, ever since.  I believe that life is too short to be serious  all of the time, and my whimsical art   reflects this attitude. As evidence of this,  my art quilts are always loaded with  humor and embellished with lots and  lots and lots and lots of beads. My background is in music education.  and I have always enjoyed teaching.  After earning awards at numerous quilt  shows, I felt my confidence grow, and  people began ask me things like, “How  did you do that technique? Can you  show me how?” And thus two passions  were combined - my love of teaching  and my love of art quilting. I now teach  regularly at my local quilt shop, Quilter’s  Haven, and continue to teach on quilting  cruises and quilt guilds. My art caught the eye of businesses and private individuals, which led to  opportunities to create commissioned  works. I find it so fun to take a request,  add my creative spin and produce a  custom work of art destined to crack a  smile. “I believe that life is too short to be serious all of the time”