Sheila Carbon

Sheila is an avid hiker, rock hound, gardener, and birder. In her earlier life, she did some stained glass windows and figurines. She started collecting gemstones when she quit working in 1989. Having always wanted a birdbath that would blend into her garden and be bird friendly, she decided to make her own with hypertufa, which is durable and has a rough surface, which the birds like. With her lapidary, and stained glass skills she patterned a bird, slabbed and ground the gemstones into the pattern shapes and inlayed the bird into the bottom of the bath. She made her first bath in 1992 and that original birdbath is still out in her yard. Friends encouraged her to sell the baths at craft sales and her new hobby began.