I've been wearing earrings every day for, well, decades -- ever since I was a flat-chested, short-Afro wearing, young girl of about 12 years old back in the '60s. I was constantly being mistaken for a boy so I went out and bought the biggest hoops I could find and wore them nearly every day.  Since then, my hair has grown quite a bit, as well as my figure -- a bit too much! -- but I still love earrings and never leave the house with naked ears.

I started making them nearly two years ago and it wasn't long before I was completely hooked.  I can't resist a bead shop, on or offline, and have even taken a crack at making my own earwires.   My favorite materials are sterling silver, semiprecious gemstones, glass beads, and lately, antiqued brass.

Just in case you've been wondering about the name of this outfit, "Abelee" refers to the following:  my name is Lee; my guy's name is Abel and he's my personal cheering section, not-so-silent-partner, and craft-show-mate (who else is gonna carry the heavy stuff?); hence the name "Abelee".

"Fivetonine Design" refers to a personal philosophy.  In order to pay the bills, I've been a wage slave in the 9-5 world for many years, like most people.  All that stuff about "do what you love and the money will follow"... well, I'm here to tell ya, it ain't necessarily so...  We've all heard about aspiring actors and dancers starting out as waiters or temps.    In any case, since  my 9-5 office life has never really fed me spiritually, artistically, emotionally, I've tried to pursue my passions in my 5 to 9 life.

For a sneak peek at new stuff with some general musings thrown in, visit the blog at: http://fivetoninedesign.blogspot.com