Recycled Glass and Plastic Beaded Pendant Necklace in Blue, "Grateful"

"Favour Uche is my name. I was born in Nigeria in the summer of 1976. My friends say I am kind, friendly and peaceful.

"Life hasn't always been easy. Some time ago, I was in an automobile accident. I stayed three years without walking and I thank God that, by His grace, I am well today.

"One day, I was watching TV and saw people exhibiting their handicrafts. I liked the idea and thought about the things I'd like to make. Naturally, my mind turned to fashion.

"The idea of crafting jewelry, handbags and accessories was really attractive. I was taught for several months by a woman named Millicent, and then I put all my efforts into practicing.

"I use materials like eco-friendly beads of recycled glass. My favorite part of the creative process is seeing the colors of the beads and letting my imagination fly.

"When I decided to work independently, it was a big decision. But it has been so wonderful! After arranging the beads as jewelry, it looks so nice and people also admire it. It's a satisfying feeling and I love it. It can be challenging to sell my designs in a timely way and I wish my sales happened faster.

"When watching TV, I look for the latest fashion trends and think about how I can interpret them in my own designs. So you could say I get a lot of my inspiration there.

So far, I have taught this art to one person who came to my home to see how I work.

"My dream is to start bead making on my own and earn enough from this to set up my own shop where I could sell beads and other materials for jewelry crafting."