Thursday, March 17, 2011

WHO IS THIS LADY???


Who is SHE?
A question many of you are probably asking!!!
With making a major move as I am doing with The Garden Gallery,  questions are probably being asked!  Who is Michele?  Where did she come from?  Why does she do this?  Does she know what she is doing?????
For starters, yep....my name is Michele.   I have been married to my best friend, Dick for 27 years!  

We met growing up in Hastings NE.  He commutes to Lincoln where he works for a great company, Assurity Life.

We have two wonderful kids!  

Anna, is a sophomore attending UNL where she is running with the women’s track team!  Go Huskers!  She is majoring in art/education minoring in dance and will have a coaching endorsement.  She is also a member of the Delta Gamma sorority.
Ben, is a junior at Burke and has been a huge help getting things in gear at the greenhouse!!!  You’ll see Ben a lot this summer!  Ben’s passion is track and it looks like he is on his way to running in college....hopefully with his sister!!!
We love dogs and have three rescue dogs....Summit, Coco and Lulu!  

As a family, we love to spend a lot of time in the mountains...hiking, skiing...we love the outdoors!
I majored in textiles, clothing and design at UNL.  During high school and college, modeling was my “side job”!  Even made a short stint in New York.  I also worked approximately 10 years as a buyer/merchandiser for a woman’s specialty store. 
From the time I was little, I have always been creating with either my dad or my mom....painting, woodworking, gardening....after kids, I decided to turn my passion into my livelihood.  I started my first company, “If The Shoe Fits”...hand-painted shoes and clothing, 21 years ago.  Thus began my art career.
For 13 years, I taught faux finish painting at Metro Community College for non-credit classes.
Our home has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine as an honorable mention recipient for remodeling.  
Our personal gardens were part of the reputable Munroe Myer Garden Walk last year and the Garden Gallery has been asked to continue as a vendor.  Wonderful organization and wonderful honor!
I began G.R.O.W. in 2001 at Columbian Elementary School.  (Growing Roots of Wisdom)  I created gardens for each grade that met the standards required at that level.  I believe the program is still in place after 10 years!!!  Because of this, I have met with various schools and programs to help them develop similar outdoor classrooms.
I have received my certification as a Master Gardener.  
I have worked in the greenhouse business for 8 years and have been the owner of The Garden Gallery for 5 years.  
The Garden Gallery specializes in unique annuals, perennials, garden art and more.  At times, there can be up to 12 artists showing their work thru the gallery!  Unusual container ideas and creative plantings tend to be my niche!  
I have made the move to the Elkhorn community because I feel we will compliment each other nicely!  A HUGE thank you to all my loyal “Garden Gallery Groupies” and I look forward to growing in Elkhorn!
Sooo....this is me, Michele, in a nutshell.  Hope you make a little time to come and introduce yourself and get to know The Garden Gallery!  It really is a “happy spot”!

2 comments:

chick-er-doodles said...

Are you open??

The Garden Gallery said...

Not quite!!!! You can stop out to say hello and see what's up, but greenhouses coming this week and artists start this next week or so!!!!