The Tribune

By Teri M. Bethel Couture designer Dianne Edwards of Milwaukee, USA, has taken a texture painting and handbag course to add new skills to her creative arsenal. As a fashion designer from her youth, Mrs Edwards has always had a passion for all things imaginative. Her primary skill is in garment design and construction, as well as jewelry design. Dianne's passion for sewing came as a result of spending time around her grandmother, her mom and aunts who were all very fond of sewing. Although her studies were in professional communications, Mrs Edwards has gone full fledge into design using her communication skills to market her business. Dia Designs is the company to watch for it specializes in couture designs, embroidered wear and now custom painted garments, shoes and structured handbags. When she happened upon the Teri Monique line of handbags on the Internet, Mrs Edwards simply could not get them out of her mind. "I couldn't sleep that night", she told us in a recent interview. Ideas and concepts buzzed through her imagination the entire night. After sharing with her husband what she had seen he told her confidently that she could also do the same thing. Mrs Edwards was convinced that this one was out of her league; she could not imagine painting such elaborate designs. Despite her inhibitions, Mrs Edwards registered for the texture painting course. Within minutes she was on the website enjoying the seemingly endless supply of videos and tutorials. Within a short time of watching the videos Mrs Edwards was sending messages: "I can do this! If you can only see me now, I'm grinning from ear to ear," she wrote. When contacted to see if assistance was needed with any of the techniques Mrs Edwards wrote: "It's as though you are right here with me. You seem to be answering my questions before I even have a chance to ask them." Mrs Edwards loves the video classes. Although some folks may be drawn to the live classes she is happy to have the video classes as she has her tutor with her for a much longer period. Dianne likes knowing that she can go back to the videos as often as she likes to watch the techniques; she also like being able to communicate with her instructor whenever she needs to. Dianne believes the teaching style is fantastic and her instructor's voice is clear and calming. Rather than having a structured format, Dianne selects which techniques she wishes to learn, practices them and then moves to creating her designs on a larger scale. The courses have expanded her abilities to create more products for her clients. When asked what she found most rewarding about creating her products she said: "I smile each time I complete a project. I was elated when I realized that I could paint. That it looked good was an added bonus. I was also very happy to make my first structured purse and see how well it looked. I can't wait to finish my first line of purses and bags, inspired by Teri Monique." Teri M. Bethel is a texture painting and handbag instructor. She is the designer of Teri Monique Handbags, a line of custom made art purses for ladies. For more information on making a designer purse visit: http://www.paintwithtexture.com.