Kathleen George in her studio

A highly successful and prolific designer, Kathleen George has empowered millions of children and adults through her art. "I consider myself the facilitator," explains Kathleen. "I let my students go wherever their art takes them. The power of creativity is that it takes you wherever you need to go and it makes you whole."

Through the years, Kathleen has found that STYROFOAM™ brand foam is the ideal blank canvas to enhance creativity, "You can do anything with STYROFOAM brand foam," says Kathleen. "Children love STYROFOAM brand foam. It's very forgiving, very easy, and can become almost anything." Kathleen has designed extensively with STYROFOAM brand foam since the early 1990s, and her work is a favorite of visitors to www.styrofoamcrafts.com.  

From the beautiful gardens that surround her home, to the art studio behind her house, Kathleen George has spent a lifetime inspiring others. Her career has brought her designs and philosophy to millions of crafters through the pages of leading craft and women's magazines, on television, and on www.styrofoamcrafts.com.

Those lucky enough to live in Amherst, Massachusetts, experienced her creativity firsthand in the workshops Kathleen developed and taught. Her favorite classes were those for children. "I learned to let kids take the lead, and motivated them with love and respect.

Her popular "slug making" class, in which children decorated a fabric tube filled with fiberfill, rice and more fiberfill, embodied this philosophy. Both girls and boys loved making the "slugs", and decorating them however they liked, proudly slinging their creations over their shoulders when finished.

Children and adults alike would lose themselves in Kathleen's "Make Your Own World" class, in which participants created their own fantasy worlds from natural materials.

Kathleen remembers her own childhood as a time filled with "making things". After receiving a Masters degree in elementary education, Kathleen taught second and fifth grade for several years, and then launched her design career as she raised her two daughters.

 "My mother was my biggest supporter, and she carried my work everywhere and would sell it right out of her purse," says Kathleen. "One day, she met the craft editor at Woman's World, and told her all about my work. That's how I began my career in publishing."

"I became known as the 'finisher'", explains Kathleen. "Editors frequently called me to clean up other peoples' designs – projects that were left incomplete or not designed as planned."

After building a studio behind her house, Kathleen began conducting her craft workshops. Today, Kathleen no longer teaches classes, and is devoted to volunteering in her community. "The small things we do for those in our community are a sure way to make a difference," says Kathleen. "Many of the strategies I learned in the classroom – appreciate others, be creative, let people follow their own paths, also work when volunteering," she explains. She devotes her time and creativity to her local library, Habitat for Humanity, Community Interested in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA), and the Emily Dickinson Museum.

And, she continues to pursue her creative interests. "I like to make just about anything there is," says Kathleen. Miniatures, blacksmithing, ceramics and gardening are her current creative passions, and one day she hopes to publish her own craft books. And of course, she continues to design for STYROFOAM brand foam.

Kathleen lives with her husband, a college professor, and enjoys watching the creative pursuits of her two grown daughters – one is a writer and playwright, and the other a poet and professional chef.

Wiggly Worm Marionette		Rusty Rooster Garden Ornament		Recycled Robot