Jennifer Tough — beadFX's Founder

As the uber-busy mom of two young girls — Jen's time in her own studio is short. When she does get in some time to create, she likes to make items just for fun, to experiment with new techniques, and to just play with new ideas.

In the late 90s, Jen started beadFX by selling on eBay while working as a Sysadmin (computer geek) for a securities firm. Around the same time, she also discovered lampwork beads. She got her hands on Cindy Jenkins "Making Glass Beads," and was completely enthralled. She ordered a torch online and went at it! She claims her first beads were pathetic - but she didn't care - she was hooked! Six months later, after a class with Lezlie Winemaker, everything started to click, and her beads actually looked like beads. She knew she'd finally found an art form that she was truly passionate about.

beadFX soon out-grew the second bedroom setup and Jen moved it into new facilty - with room for multiple torches. The beadFX Lampwork Studio and Bead Store was born. Selling and making beads, teaching and renting torch time, building a web site to sell beads all around the world, beadFX continued to grow and expand! Jen continued exploring and creating and obsessing over beads. beadFX has come a long way from selling a few beads on eBay!

By 2009, not just the store - but Jen's family had grown - with the addition of two bonny and blythe girls. Worried that she was not devoting enough attention to her family - she sold the business to Marg Y. - the store buyer. Jen is still very much active in the creative end of the store, teaching Metal Clay classes and creating online projects, but has handed off the day to day managment of the store. Jen is still part of the team of bead-addicted, -obsessed, and -obsessive folks that make up the beadFX gestalt.

She currently sells the occasional handmade bead, metal clay creations and one of a kind jewellery. These are listed separately from the beadFX regular inventory as they are one-of-a-kind items, but they can be shipped free with your beadFX order! (Just let her know when you order them that you have a beadFX order in as well, and the two orders will be combined.)