Hearts Of Hope For Becky

Oh my poor neglected blog. Among the other resolutions: get back to the gym, eat healthier, get more sleep (hah!) I have this plan to get back on the blogging bandwagon. This is a perfect opportunity to post because I am helping out a friend with fundraising. You see my friend Becky is battling breast cancer. She's an amazing beautiful and vibrant woman. If you met her you would feel as though you had known her your whole life. She's a loving wife and mother to 4 beautiful and equally loving kids. Her daughter Alyssa watched my kids this summer for me while I worked my "day job". Through our friend Doreen we have come to call this family our friends. Right now, with Becky out of work undergoing chemo, 4 kids from first grade through college, and health coverage that doesn't quite cover; her friends have banded together to try and alleviate some of their financial worries. We want Becky to focus on her courageous fight and not worry about how they are going to pay for her treatment.
Hearts of Hope was born out our love for Becky and all proceeds will benefit her family in her fight against this terrible disease.
Handmade of borosilicate glass in a vibrant bubblegum pink these heart pendants are just in time for Valentine's Day! They come on a Hearts of Hope card ready for giving.
Wear a heart of hope as a visible statement of concern and caring for Becky and for all women that have been personally touched by breast cancer.

Boro Glass Heart Pendant

It has been a few months since I made a video. Come watch me make a little blue heart pendant.

Covergirl

I had one of my key necklaces featured on the cover of Stringing magazine in the 2008 Fall issue! A dear customer of mine Heather of Humble Beads used one of my boro beaded skeleton keys in a necklace that she submitted to a design contest for one of Stringing Magazine’s sister publications Bead Star. This caught the attention of Stringing Magazine’s editor Danielle Fox who contacted Heather to find out where she got the key. Danielle then contacted me and asked if I would submit one of my beaded keys for the next issue. In the Beads to Buy section of the magazine they were doing a feature on key beads, pendants and charms. I happily agreed. Then Danielle noticed that in my Etsy shop, my necklaces featuring the beaded keys used alot of vintage components and lockets. On one week’s notice she asked me if I would consider submitting a project featuring a key necklace that used a vintage locket. She said they would pay me $85 and I would get my necklace back after they photographed it. I needed to write up very specific directions for making the necklace complete with sources. I’ll admit at first I panicked. I had to weigh the incredible exposure I would receive against the risk of revealing my sources and basically inviting other designers to copy my design. Then I thought of a way everyone could win. I quickly ordered some vintage components from some favorite suppliers on ETSY, Tulle and Gems Jems and even a few lampwork boro beads from my friend Kim of Kim V Glass . I put together a beautiful necklace using as many Etsy sources as possible and I listed my shop as the source for the key and the chain figuring that even designers need to come to me for the beaded key. I already sell to a lot of designers why not more? In the end, the realization that being published in a magazine as fine as Stringing far outweighed any worry about the copiers and I submitted “I Love You More” as a locket project as well as a single beaded key for the beads to buy section. I remember sitting at one of my daughter’s softball practices writing out the project directions trying to figure out: “ Now is that a 6 mm bead cap I used? A 1 ½ or 2 inch head pin?” It had to be so detailed! That was in late June. Stringing sent me a contract and the editorial copy for me to approve and then I had to wait until the Fall to see the magazine. I received my copy when the subscriber’s copies went out at the end of September. I knew I would be featured in two spots in the magazine but I nearly died when I spotted my necklace on the cover. I started squealing and jumping up and down in front of Chris my mailman. Even he was happy for me. Danielle was cute and included a little note telling me I was a “covergirl”. What a wonderful surprise! It was probably the biggest highlight of my bead-making career short of setting up my own home studio of course. The magazine came out on newsstands on October 8th and it has been a big kick to see the magazine in Border’s Books and Walmart with my husband and kids. My husband was skeptical that it was a publication sold in those mainstream locations. I think he thinks there are like 5 other people out there making glass beads. LOL. He’s impressed as are my family and friends. It has been very rewarding getting convos from customers and potential customers who have seen the magazine and are excited for me or complimentary of my work. My sales have definitely improved because of the exposure and like anything else that produces an adrenaline rush, I think I might be addicted. I have already contacted Danielle about working with them again and she is thrilled. So, you might not have seen the last of me on newsstands near you….

Collaboration Challenge

Kristy Kempinger of Chickadeebeads and I have challenged our fellow EGA members to collaborate with one another to create a joint glass project. I have been using Kristy's gorgeous vessels in my skeleton key necklaces. It's hard to believe soft glass and borosilicate glass can look so great together! This is the second Titanic themed necklace I have created that encorporates her vessles and my keys. This one is just in time for Mother's Day. You can find it here