There’s only a limited number of ways for accountants to balance the books, but there are countless ways beads can be arranged to create beautiful jewelry.

Beth Brosnahan, the assistant controller for Des Moines University, spends most of her day working with numbers. But she found out a couple of years ago that she also has a talent for creating bracelets, necklaces, earrings and other items. Now, Brosnahan sells her handiwork through her small business called BB’s Baubles.

“During the day, I work so much with the left side of my brain,” Brosnahan said. “This allows me to work with the other side of my brain. I had never felt that I had that much artistic ability or creativity until I starting doing this. I surprised myself that I had that creativity that was finally coming out.”

Brosnahan started by making jewelry for herself and soon expanded to crafting pieces for family members. Realizing “there’s only so much they need,” and that she “had more beads than (she) knew what to do with,” she decided to offer her jewelry to a larger clientele. She found an artist’s resource, www.wetpalette.com, on the Internet to put together her pricing guide, played around with making her own Web site, home.earthlink.net/~workerbead, to showcase her creations and went from there.

“The activity that I have seen on my Web site has been positive reinforcement that what people are seeing, they enjoy too,” she said.

One item that has attracted particular attention from people all across the country – from Washington state to Washington, D.C. – is her bracelet that promotes awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is a terminal disease Brosnahan’s father was diagnosed with in 1998. She donates a portion of the proceeds from each bracelet sold to the national ALS Association for research.

“I made a breast cancer bracelet for my mom, who is a breast cancer survivor, but I got to thinking that there are a lot of people out there who make bracelets for breast cancer awareness, but I didn’t know of anything being done for ALS,” Brosnahan said. “I felt that there also needed to be something for my dad’s disease, so I put together a bracelet for people affected by it.”

Brosnahan, who volunteers with the Iowa chapter of the ALS Association, has had a number of requests for her bracelet from her connections within the group. Last summer, she made nine bracelets for a bride whose father had passed away from ALS. Brosnahan’s father, who is in his eighth year of living with the disease, also tells others in the ALS community about the bracelets.

“He was very proud when I showed him what I had done, and he tells people in his Internet support groups about what I do,” Brosnahan said.

BB’s Baubles also sells more traditional jewelry, such as name bracelets, birthstone bracelets and original earrings. Brosnahan has formed a relationship with an East Coast glass artist who makes Lampwork beads, allowing her to incorporate sets of the artisan-crafted glass in her jewelry.

“The Lampwork pieces are probably my favorite, just because they are extremely unique,” she said. “There are no two that are exactly alike, and I know the amount of time that goes into it.”

Brosnahan’s jewelry had been featured at an Ankeny store called Paisley Palettes. Now that the store is closed, she and the former store owner, Sue Banker, plan to host occasional “Paisley Parties.” Brosnahan and Banker, a painter, held a holiday party that attracted more than 200 guests to see their work. They are planning their next event for mid-March. Brosnahan also sells her pieces at some area shows. So far, she has been able to maintain a good balance between her job, her jewelry making and her free time, which is important to her.

“I will do it as long as I have free time,” she said. “I enjoy doing it, and I don’t want it to become a chore or a job. What’s nice is that I’m not forced to devote a specific amount of time to it. If I’m busy at work, I don’t have to devote the time to do it. Or, if I’m stressed out from work, it can be a great way to de-stress.”