Category: charity

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December 13th shop update + year end SALE!

leather raven necklace with iridescent gemstones

New work just added ~

I’ve just posted a small shop update, which includes a small collection of necklaces, leather pendants, and hair accessories!

While I’d hoped to have more to share tonight, it just wasn’t in the cards. As is typical for the Pacific Northwest this time of year, it has been dark and gloomy and dumping rain all week. Not ideal weather for photography (in fact, I’ll likely go back and re-photograph many of these pieces the next time that the weather is favorable). Perhaps I’ll trickle in a few more pieces over the weekend if time and light allows.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy the pieces that I’ve shared tonight! Also, just a friendly reminder that my holiday ordering dates are coming up quickly. If you’re in the US, there’s still time to order for the holidays, though I’d urge you not to procrastinate too much!

Year end Sale  (*added 12/15) ~

Enjoy tiered discounts through the end of 2018:

* Orders of $50+ enjoy 10% off

* Orders of $100+ enjoy 15% off

* Orders of $200+ enjoy 25% off

Hopefully, this helps you with your holiday shopping, and it certainly helps me to clear the way for new work in the year ahead! Thank you for empowering me to do what I love for a living!

Sale runs from 12/15/18 – 12/31/18

Cali Love Fire Benefit Tattoo & Holiday Gift Bazaar on Sunday 12/16 ~

Last but not least, I mentioned in my last post that my November giveaway winner is choosing to donate her prize to the Cali Love Fire Benefit Tattoo & Holiday Gift Bazaar this Sunday 12/16 at Eye of the Tiger Tattoo in San Francisco. The proceeds from this event will go to benefit the families who are working to rebuild their lives after the #Campfire in Paradise, CA last month. Two of my friends’ families lost their home in that fire, so this event is near and dear to my heart. With that said, I am choosing to match Angel’s donation of my Sacred Heart sugar skull mask, by adding a second “Abuelita” sugar skull mask. If you’re in the Bay Area this weekend, please consider attending and supporting this special cause!

leather sugar skull masks

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Disaster Relief Offerings

 

leather rose hair stick barrettes

These leather rose barrettes , shawl pins, and monarch wing earrings were inspired by my desire to help those impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Before they were completed, disaster touched down in Florida and Puerto Rico as well. Thus, 50% of the proceeds from these pieces will be donated to the American Red Cross.

leather monarch butterfly wing earrings with glass flowers
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Water is Life

blue kyanite and sterling silver pendants
blue kyanite and sterling silver pendants

When I learned about the stand off over the proposed pipeline near the Standing Rock reservation, my heart went out to all of the good people fighting for clean water. I fantasized about going out there to help – and really tried to find a way to do so – but at the end of the day, that’s not really a viable option for me. Not only would that put a financial strain on my family, but even if I could figure out a way to get there, I’m not in good health. They need able bodied workers and warriors who can pull their own weight, anything less is a drain on much needed resources.

When I finally realized and accepted that fact,  I tried to think of something positive that I could contribute. I’d already donated what little money I could spare, so I decided to donate my time and creativity instead. I remembered that I had these beautiful kyanite beads that I’d been hoarding for several years, and that I bought them because they reminded me of sparkling water droplets. I spent an evening wrapping these stones with sterling silver wire, and praying for the people of Standing Rock – and for all beings who need clean water to live. I strung the pendants on some sterling chains that I’d been hoarding (yes, I’m a bit of a hoarder – this is the nature of beadworkers) and hoped that a few people might be willing to buy them for a good cause.

I listed the necklaces here on my website and then shared their story on social media… and I was completely blown away by the response! The pendants sold out within 3 hours, and I received several requests to make more. I made a second batch over the weekend, and those sold out in less than half an hour after being listed. That’s a sign of how much people want to be able to help. All told, we raised $400 to help support the folks at Standing Rock! In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a huge sum of money … but I’d like to believe that what we did together was about more than money. I mean, yes – money is important too. The people out there on the front lines need food, water, shelter and all that good stuff, and the funds that we raised will help them to keep doing their good work. But we also raised our prayers; I sincerely hope that every time you wear your necklaces, it reminds you that water is sacred and to live in a way that reflects that. I hope that these pieces will be beautiful and special enough to prompt questions, so that you get the chance to tell people why you wear them. In this way, our prayers and hope can ripple out and help to raise more awareness about what’s happening out there in North Dakota, and at similar waterways around the globe.

This effort is certainly not over, and the water protectors have a long cold winter ahead. They’ll need our support – our prayers, voices, and resources – if they’re to succeed. I vow to keep praying, to keep calling our elected officials, and to keep sharing information and raising awareness. I’ll also make another effort to raise funds, though it may not be as much as last time (sorry, I’m just not in a financial position to give as much as I’d like to!). I hope that you will join me in any way that you can.

love water not oilMost First People have chants or songs about the sacred nature of water. Water is even used for baptism in Christian religions. I hear that even the waters have their distinct songs as they journey toward the oceans.

We live on a single globe of water, all of it one entity. It is alive, this elemental force, this yearning sacred creation, longing to reach an ocean. This is our body, and perhaps we are a part of its soul. It is always moving away, traveling and then returning, in its glorious circle. And we know that when we sing for water, we sing for ourselves.

~ Linda Hogan

 

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Stories of the 9/11 Bead Quilt Squares

Last night I was flooded with memories of working on the 9/11 Bead Quilt Project, and the many beautiful stories behind the squares. This project touched my life in a profound way; while it demanded an incredible amount of time, energy and commitment, I can honestly say that what I gave is a fraction of what I got back.  With that said, I wanted to share some of the beautiful, loving efforts that the beading community created during a difficult time <3

I’d like to share this first image in acknowledgement of one of our most dedicated coordinators, Rosa meyer. The bright blue squares (“our beads help…”) were her brain child, and this theme is repeated at the center of each of the 3 quilts. The one for DC has a series of red squares that read “Our beads help to remember the fathers, the mothers”. The one for PA has white squares that say “Our beads help to comfort the sons, the daughters”, and the one for NY (shown here) has blue squares with the words “Our beads help to honor the heroes, the victims”.

Thank you Rosa for your enduring passion and commitment to this project, and for keeping it visible in the (many) years that we searched for permanent placement!

9/11 bead quilt block
“Our beads help to honor the heroes and victims”

The 4 squares shown in this image were created by Julia Pretl, who was not only our coordinator for the MD area, but our (extremely talented) web designer. She helped to problem solve for the BQ project starting from day one, and on up to nearly 10 years later, when we finally secured permanent placement for the quilts.

Thank you so much Julia, for all your help and for putting up with so much of my crazy over these past 15 years!
dc3_a2

This block includes squares by our NM coordinator, Nikia Angel (thank you Nikia!) as well as Rita Sova (angel) , Lisabeth Tafoya (in high resolution microbeads!) and the ever awesome Mary Tafoya. Her square commemorates the life of a NM man, Al Marchand, who was a flight attendant on flight 175.

ny3_a3

Notice how several of the squares in this block are from Japan? There are many others throughout the quilt, most with the same red/yellow/green pattern as the one in the lower left corner. These came from a group of Japanese artists who worked on their squares together … many of them learned how to bead in order to participate in this project!

dc1_a1
This block represents some of the MANY beaded squares collected by our AK coordinator, Jeanette Shanigan (I don’t remember exactly how many AK contributed, but it was a lot! Jeanette will tell you the exact #).

The one in the lower right (by Karen Palmer) showcases one of the most popular designs used in the quilt, a rose/flag motif, designed by my sweet friend Charlene Hughes, who was our CA coordinator.

Next to that (lower left) is a square by Kate Boyan, which especially touched my heart. She has been – and still is – one of my favorite bead artists, so it was a wonderful surprise to me when her square came in! There were many “famous” bead artists who contributed to this project, but to me they were all just good people coming together for a special cause … in her case, I have to admit to feeling a bit star struck!

dc1_a2

These two squares by Anne Brazeale of AK are just a small sample of the many squares that we received from Native American beadworkers. I think she is Tlingit, but perhaps one of the beaders from the Mat Su Valley Bead Society will see this and let me know for sure.

dc3_b4

There are so many special stories that I could share about these squares, and about our travels with the quilts as we worked to find permanent placement for them! I need to get on with my day today, but I will try to remember to share more of these as time allows. Many thanks to all of the wonderful people who helped with this project – artists, coordinators, supporters, viewers, and more. I appreciate you all, more than I can say.

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Wednesday Inspiration – Raffle for Cecil

Amanda Edwards Mosaics' Raffle for Cecil
Amanda Edwards Mosaics’ Raffle for Cecil

I’m sharing the information about this raffle in part because I love this artist’s work, and partially because I admire her spirit. When she learned about the recent killing of a lion named Cecil, Amanda Edwards decided to raffle off a piece of her art and to donate the proceeds to the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit of Oxford University. This organization studies lions in hopes of aiding in their conservation.

It struck me as such a loving and hopeful response to a terrible situation, and it reminded me of the many ways that art can heal. I donated for a chance to win, and I’d like to encourage you to do the same: just click on this link and donate to get a ticket(s). Doing so offers the opportunity to win a beautiful work of art, and the ability to participate in a very kind response to a tragic situation.

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A Good Karma section for my shop?

 a portion of each peacock sale goes to charity
I’m thinking of adding a new section to my Etsy shop, called “Good Karma” or something along those lines. This section would feature products whose sales help to support different charities, as well as highly discounted items (such as older works that are a little shopworn, or items that just don’t fit well with my current style) and maybe even a few “Pay it Forward” listings for destash supplies. My intentions are good, but I find myself second guessing a few points and I’d appreciate a little input. Please feel free to skip to the “abridged version” below 😉
My hope is that the charity listings will highlight some of the causes that I believe in, which could raise awareness (and of course, money) for those issues. It also might give buyers a sense of who I am and what inspires me. For example, for every one of my peacock products that I sell (barrettes, pins, necklaces and cuffs) a portion is donated to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance in memory of my friend who inspired that series. I also donate to several environmental groups, the Xerces society, a local Domestic Abuse shelter, Native American charities and disaster relief efforts for events like Hurricane Sandy. Still, I question if this is information that customers want to know, or will sharing this in the context of my business come off poorly?
As far as the discounted items, it’s a way to clear out my studio and offer some really sweet deals at the same time. I have quite a few earrings, barrettes and buckskin pouches left over from when I was doing more southwest inspired work; they’re quality pieces, but they’re rather incongruent with what I’m doing now. Items like these might be nice stocking stuffers, or inexpensive options for group gifting. Similarly, I have a few pieces that are a bit shopworn from being handled too much at show. They’re clean, well crafted pieces… but they do have imperfections so I don’t feel right about selling them at full price. This subsection would offer some serious bargains, but could it make my shop look discordant or sloppy?
The abridged version –
Pro’s: A section like this might enable me to better connect with buyers, highlight causes that I love, offer great bargains AND clear out my studio.
Cons: The charity stuff might seem preachy or just be TMI, and the scratch and dent stuff could make the shop look sloppy, haphazard or just cluttered.
What do you think?
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Beading for a Cure Auctions are up!

I’ve been remiss in my blogging again. Guess I decided that spring break meant a break from everything. At any rate, I’m back now and I wanted to let you know that the Beading for a Cure auctions are listed now!

BFAC is a very special charity that was created in memory of bead artist Layne Shilling, who lost her battle with colorectal cancer in 2002. Each year, the proceeds from this challenge are donated to help fund cancer research. You can read more about it on their website.

I have participated for the past two years, and I am signed up for next year too. My entry for this year’s challenge is the cuff above. It is included in this week’s auctions, which end Saturday April 7th. I strongly encourage you to bid — not just on my piece, but on all of the beautiful entries. And if you’re not able to bid this week, don’t worry — there will be more listings every week through April 28th. You can view some of the other entries, along with the auction listing schedule, on the BFAC auctions page. There are some spectacular contributions this year. Please check them out, and consider supporting this special charity.

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The Circus Project

photo © Michelle Bates

Last year, one of my friends posted on facebook about The Circus Project , encouraging folks to contribute to the group’s Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for their annual show. When I read about their mission to help homeless kids through circus arts, I was blown away! What a creative and beautiful way to empower young people to change their lives. I decided to donate a few bucks, and also volunteered to create some headpieces for their December 2011 production.

We’d really hoped to drive down and see the show, but the timing just didn’t work out for us. Still, I’ve been keeping up with the project via their facebook fan page, and I was excited when they announced that their org has been featured in an episode of the TV documentary series “Turning Point”. This is a 24 minute segment about how the project started, and what it does to help homeless youth get off the ground. It’s an absolutely inspiring story – please consider taking the time to watch it!

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10th Anniversary

This picture shows 4 of the 576 beaded squares that comprise the 9/11 Bead Quilt Project that I was so blessed to be a part of. The square in the lower right corner was my (then 8 year old) daughter’s first piece of bead embroidery. Her square, like all of the others, measures 3 inches high by 3 inches wide. By itself, it’s a small token — but collectively, these quilts measure approximately 9 ft by 9 ft. That’s 81 square feet of tiny little beads, woven by people from around the world; woven by people who felt compelled to share their grief, love and hope in response to those tragic events.

The quilts are now in the collection of the National September 11th Museum and Memorial at the World Trade Center site in Manhattan. A few people have asked me if the quilts will be displayed publicly today. Unfortunately, they will not. I misunderstood and thought that the museum would have its grand opening today, but in actuality, the memorial is the only portion that will open this year. The museum will open next year (2012). Until then, you can enjoy these beautiful and healing works in our online gallery. I encourage you to take a moment to view the project today. Remember what happened, pray for the families and survivors, and hope for healing.

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Finished my BFAC project!

This is my second year participating in the Beading for a Cure project. I had all sorts of elaborate ideas, such as a beaded leather purse, an ornate headdress, or possibly another mask; but when it came down to it, I was in too much of a time crunch to be able to do any of those ideas justice. In the end, I decided to keep it simple.

The end result is the 5th bead embroidered filigree cuff in what will be a series of 6 (cause I only have one more of these filigrees left ;). I will probably continue to play with this style, since I really enjoy it … but as the components change, so will the overall look.

I really like this year’s colors — they’re sort of a mix of earthy and watery tones. To me, this blend feels playful, yet grounded. Interestingly enough, I use a lot of these colors in my work — but not typically together in the same project. I was pleasantly surprised by how well they work together

As to the shapes, I really loved the matte metallic swirly bugles — which is saying a lot, since I’m not much of a fan of bugle beads. I also really liked the Swarovski “lochrosen” (sequins, basically) that were included, but I was not as fond of the cubes or long magatamas. They were maybe just a bit too angular/odd shaped for my style of bead embroidery. Then again, I bet the geometric mathy types just ate them up! 😉


It was fun to play with colors and shapes that I might not have chosen on my own. I do wish that I’d used them in a way that pushed my limits a bit more, but again, there was that whole time crunch issue. As it stands, I’m satisfied that I was able to complete something for this special charity. I do hope it helps to generate a bit of attention and funding for this worthwhile cause!