Hello fellow convention attendees! This is my very first AVSA Convention and I‘m so excited to be here! I’ve been an avid collector of African violets for many years and I‘ve entered plants in African violet shows in Florida and Texas. I’m always so inspired by the beautiful plants that all of you dedicated growers bring to shows - the foliage and blossoms so vibrant, varied and magnificent.

It was your winsome plants that inspired me to design and handcraft gifts to capture the beauty and novelty of African violets. I opened my shop (briefly) for the October 2023 Lone Star African Violet Council Show and Sale but it would be nearly a year later that I would open my online shop, Viola’s Violets & Gifts.

I‘ve created several new gifts just for convention and I’m excited to introduce my ‘Original 10’ t-shirt, a design suggested by LSAVC member Erin Charles. I’m constantly looking for new gift ideas that will please and delight my fellow African violet growers.

A little about me...
The first AV club I joined was Heart of Jacksonville AVS in 2017. I learned so much about violets from that awesome group of folks and was sad to leave them when we moved to Texas. I‘ve been a member of the Magic Knight AVS and I recently joined the Tampa AVS. I’m so glad to have found another great AV club in Florida.

I grow more than 100 varieties of African violets, many of them vintage, and they are all my favorites, especially when they bloom! Stop by my table and see if I have any of your old favorites or perhaps a new addition for your collection.

I’m semi-retired and have pursued a variety of interesting careers ranging from massage therapist to personal trainer to database developer to human resource specialist.

An avid scuba diver, I met my husband of 20 years on a scuba diving trip, and I’ve recently returned from a dive trip to Belize, where I was inspired to create a chocolate/coffee scented cocoa butter soap after visiting a cocoa plantation and learning how to make chocolate.

I love to dabble in crafts, arts and music and I’m currently obsessed with pottery and creating pieces inspired by the corals and sponges I see on my dives.

I’m super excited to be here and I look forward to seeing some old friends and making some new ones!