Maple Grove resident, Denise Klosterman is part office assistant, part bead designer. She has been crafting jewelry, rosaries, ornaments and wine-glass charms since 2007, but a Christmas gift from her sister sparked an internal passion for giving.
The gift was paper beads made by Rwandan women, from a place where her sister had been living. Klosterman later had the opportunity to visit Rwanda and meet the women whose beads she had used, and teaching them how to create jewelry from their beads. “It was really, actually, very incredible,” she says.
Part of Klosterman’s sales goes back to the Rwandan women who make the beads. She also provides supplies they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. While she enjoys helping the Rwandan women, Klosterman is also curious to learn what people can be helped in Senegal, her sister’s next living destination.
&
Klosterman’s pieces can be found at deederthebeader.etsy.com and at local craft shows.
