Always artistic even as a child, she began decorative painting in 1987. In 1990, the Crawfords retired and moved to Hot Springs, AR, where she tried unsuccessfully to find advanced instruction for her painting. People who saw her work finally convinced her to teach. She taught at Hobby Lobby for some time, then moved her classroom to her home on Lake Hamilton. She taught there until 1997.
Sammie began entering the county and state fairs once she moved to Arkansas and consistently took blue ribbons and Best of Show awards, sometimes up to four at a time, every year for her painting.
After having several designs published by national craft magazines, she was contacted by Delta Technical Coats, the paint manufacturer, and asked if she would like to design for them. She became a DAD, Delta Associate Designer, in 1997.
Because of those same published designs, she was contacted by the producers of Willard Scott’s Almanac on Home & Garden TV and has appeared on his show three times. She has also appeared on other local and national network shows.
She had gourd ornaments on the White House Christmas tree in 1993 and 1998. These are now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute.
One day in 1993, one of the members of Sammie’s painting club, Designing Women, suggested they paint a gourd. That was the beginning of a love affair between Sammie and her gourds, but it wasn’t love at first sight. Her first reaction was "Why would anyone want to paint a gourd?!?" Now the gourds tell her who they are and give inspiration by their shape and size. She is so involved with gourds that she had her painting name, The Fairy Gourdmother, registered as a trademark. Her first book, " Gourd Fun for Everyone " by North Light Books, came out August 15, 2000. Be sure to look for it at the finer book stores.
