About Us

     I have always been craft minded and I have all types of crafts at one time or another. This includes: canvas, tole and mural painting, wood carving, floral arranging, ceramics, costume design, quilting, doll making, cross-stitching, soap and candle making.  I’ve even taught painting, paper mache and ceramics in an after school program.

     Although, I don't consider myself to have been formally trained in art, I did go to Russell Sage College (RSC) for Fine Arts/Interior Design. I have also taken evening art classes at Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) as well as various craft classes.

     After finishing RSC, I worked at a major high-end retail store for seven years in merchandising, advertising design and product display. At 24, I decided it was time to go back to college. After two hard years of going to college full time, while working full time, I earned my AAS degree in Computer Science. I truly love my job.

     Time flew by, after I had my first and I was too busy to continue my part time art teaching while working a full time job. My arts and crafts home projects helped quench my creative side. Faux finishing my furniture, stenciling my walls, home decorating became an obsession.  After I had my second child, I ran out of unpainted surfaces and that feeling of being unfulfilled set in. At that time I began to search for my spiritual roots.  My quest took me to a local bookstore. I stood there in the New Age Section looking at the display of tarot cards totally mystified at the abundance of their offerings. Just then the most beautiful little girl walked up to me and asked if she could come over to my house and play on the toys in my back yard with my kids. She was no more then 4 years old with the face of an angel. She asked me questions about the toys in my playroom in my basement too.  How on earth does this child know what my house looks like?  Her mother and I started chatting about how shy her daughter was but her mother was not at all surprised that she knew all about my house.  They were both gifted.  

     Her mother and I became fast and best friends. Within days she taught me how to read the tarot cards I had just purchased. I practiced and practiced yet I still could not believe in my ability to read cards until we did a test. We actually mirrored each other sitting at my coffee table for over an hour. Every card she picked out of her deck, I found myself picking the same one. As I worked with my cards I found that my cards were actually popping out of my deck as I shuffled and were landing in patterns on the table in front of me. I instantly became entranced in learning everything I could about all things metaphysical!

     After searching the web and only finding local Metaphysical chat sites, I decided to start a local informational site.  I wanted to have a centrally located place for everyone to meet, greet and share. That's went I created “Albanys Mystic Circle .msn .group”. As my interest in spiritual and earth energy grew, I started to direct my art to making magick wands, gourd rattles, and magickal candles and soaps.

     Beading was one of the few crafts I hadn't tried my hand at until about a year ago. My interest was peaked enough to try it when my friend showed me her beading projects. I instantly fell in love with it, and my beading career began!

     I hope that one day I will truly be able to make a living with all my crafts and that Albany's Mystic Circle will be known for the beautiful handmade items I create!

     Thank you visiting my little piece of the World Wide Web. Pour yourself a cup of tea, pull up a chair and relax as you browse this site. Feel free to post on my guest book and let me know you stopped by. Visit often as I am always adding new pictures of my most recently finished crafts.

 ~ Darlene