Beading to Beat Autism

So far the bead soup is still brewing.  I've finished one necklace that I'm very happy with and a few other pieces that needs more work. I think I'm going to need a few more pins but I'm doing pretty well using all the scrap wires.  I think my next piece, I'm going to add some pearls onto it. Just a touch of "me" in these pieces.

Report cards were sent home last week, so weekends are a bit more relaxing.  More time to make jewellery and work on my Bead Soup!

Two weeks ago, a couple of colleagues and I started a beading club at my school for Grades 3-5. It all started when I found out about "Beading to Beat Autism".  A 14 year old girl from Kentucky raised money for an Autism treatment for her little brother just by selling beaded bracelets that she made.  Now she has taken on the mission of raising money to build a foundation center for Autism research. You can read more about her story on the link below or watch the video to find out how you can get your own "Michala's Kit".

www.beadingtobeatautism.org/

So far, our beading club has 30 or so girls participating and making bracelets. They're even bringing in their own beads to donate to this great cause. Maybe a few more weeks from now, we'll be able to sell them to the rest of the school and community!  

Beautiful Butterflies....

Back in December, my hubby and I decided to take a weekend trip to Niagara Falls.  The trip was two-fold: See Etsy sellers in the Niagara Holiday Market and see butterflies at the Butterfly Conservatory.  The Holiday Market was smaller than we expected but it was kinda nice to experience a market since I want to be in a craft show sometime in the future.

The next day we went to visit the Butterfly Conservatory.  The place was swarming with butterflies, fluttering around your head. You had to be careful where you step or an unsuspecting flutterer would become a smushed bug.  There were a few of those on the floor.
Here's a few of my favourite pics I took with my DSLR. If you want to see more pictures of the butterflies, visit my Photobucket.

Bead Soup Blog Party: My beads have arrived!!!!

My partner Shanti Johnson and I shipped our beads at the same time, so, of course we got them at the same time. Except I "got" mine a few days later cause it was cold and snowy this week and no one wanted to walk/drive the "long" distance to the mailbox that was down the street. But, yesterday, I went to check the mailbox and was so excited to see the package that I literally danced/jumped all the way back home. 

Shanti sent me a beautiful bead soup mix. I love the colours and the toggles. Here's the soup of beads and some closer shots. 

The mixture had two orange butterfly focal beads which I can't wait to use.  I love butterflies and I'm always looking for more butterflies to make into jewellery. There's also a leaf toggle and a cute little elephant clasp. Another favourite are the orange rondelle beads. Love them! 

Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet but it is definitely going to take me out of my comfort zone of pearls and bridal jewellery making. Can't wait to get started!

Did you notice the editing done on the pictures? I just discovered an updated version of Picassa that integrated Picnik's editing tools.  Love it!

Remember the Bead Soup Blog Hop is on March 3rd! 
Also, visit Shanti's blog to see what I sent her!
And of course, go check out Lori Anderson's blog, the host of this party.

Packaging my Jewellery

I've gone through many changes when it comes to packaging my jewellery.  In the beginning, I used organza bags where the earrings would just hang from handmade cards.  But I thought it didn't look nice enough and also it could easily be damaged during shipping.

 

So, I switched to using kraft boxes.  These boxes worked very well, but I guess I was picky on how it should be presented. I went from ribbon to paper ribbon but was never satisfied with how it looked.

Now, I'm using these black boxes and I like them so much better.  It looks a lot more professional and classy. Just the way I like it. :) What do you think?