Hi Im Colleen,  Im a Yoga teacher and have been teaching since 1998.   In about 1999 I was initiated into Mantra by Swami Veda Bharati while he was visiting Johannesburg, South Africa, where Im originally from. I now live in Switzerland and have for the last 14 years.  Thus began my true love of Mantra and chanting of Sacred names...  

My first Mala I recieved from the Hari Krishna's and still have it in its original bag hanging behind my bedroom door :)  

Around about the same time as I was intitiated into Mantra, I travelled around India and aquired a number of Malas of different woods, seeds  etc... and I have been using them ever since.   And its from them wearing out and me being upset about having to retire them, that I got into creating Malas... I would take them  apart and completely restring them with new thread and knots.  So in this way I was able to keep using  the beads which contained  the magic of every sacred intonement :)

 From here it was natural that my creativity would lead me to wanting to make newMalas from gemstones and woods that I chose for myself... add this and that crystal, and tassle .. and just imbue them with the love I really have for each one I make...  hence the name :)   I do intone over them as I add a bead.. usually  my Divine Mothers bija mantra .. "Om aim saraswatyai namaha" but it really depends which aspect of the Divine Mother Im drawn to in the moment...  Please check out my Malas and feel free to contact me with any questions or ideas    Love Love Love  Namaste