On & Off

Traveling gal Kim Miles is back home again- well almost. And yesterday when picking up a pair of earrings in her shop, I noticed these two darling buttons. Oh those two short words can refer to soooooo many things.

Ethiopia, Lampwork Glass Beads & HOPE Bracelets

Each year, the non profit organization, HOPE Bracelet Project asks beadmakers from around the world to donate beads which help residents of Yetebon, Ethiopia.

Bracelets are made and sold in the USA from these beads and funds are raised to make an annual trip to Ethiopia to teach students at the Medhame-Alem School. The school teaches vocational and skills to adult men and women which in turn raises the quality of life for their entire community.

This year, beadmaker extroadinaire, Kim Miles and her husband are raising funds to go to Yetebon and teach beadmaking. It's an expensive trek.

Kim is known for generously working with publicizing and donating to this organization. It is through her website (www.kimmiles.com), that we annually sign up to donate 100 bracelet sized beads for this group. Kim's beads are always in demand, and she donates some of her work as prizes for a drawing for people who participate. I was lucky enough to win one a few years ago. Along with many others, I support this annually.

Kim needs help reaching her fundraising goal to get to Africa. I'm hoping that some of my readers will consider donating to her travel fund. She has some lovely jewelry that you can possibly win, if you help out. Here is her donation page, and more explanation. http://cunninghamfoundation.org/kim-miles-fundraiser

And here is the bead donation page, if you would like to help out. You don't need to donate 100 beads, but I'd love it if you joined our group who does. You can find the donation information here.
http://www.kimmiles.com/HOPEBraceletProject.php

Not a beadmaker, but want to donate? There are links for that too. They need other bracelet making supplies & cash as well as Kim's blog (http://greetingsfromtaos.blogspot.com/) has a wishlist from the organizer, The Cunningham Foundation, for the school including items that are specific for classes in biology, math, chemistry, languages and general items like tape recorders, pens, pencils, sports balls and flash drives.

I hope you take a minute to check out some of the links I've provided. There is more information through http://cindybeads.com/projectmercy.htm and http://www.projectmercy.org/

Adding "Bling" To Your Beads

Once in a while you think your bead would be enhanced with a bit of sparkle. There are quite a few options, silver, gold or palladium leaf or foil, dichro, fine silver wire, aventurine copper flakes or perhaps you're ready to try Cubic Zirconium which are also known as CZs.

This Christmas Tree (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7806618) has 5 CZs that are 2mm. The tree is about 1.2" tall with a 1/16th vertical hole. I skipped putting CZs on the back side, because it seemed like they would be wasted in that location.

There are all kinds of methods for placing CZs in your beads, but this is what I did.

1. Get out your CZs and put a few extra on your graphite pad, or where ever you're placing them.
(They are slippery!)
2. Warm your bead in the spot where you are going to put them.
3. Pick up your CZ with needlenose tweezers. Look carefully, because there is a top and bottom to them.
4. Warm your CZ slightly in the outer part of your flame.
5. Place it onto the warm spot of your bead and press in gently so it is sunk into the glass up to the top edge of it.
6. It is optional whether you add a bit of clear glass to case it. I have used CZs both ways, (with and without the extra clear glass and both ways work fine for me.
7. CZs can be purchased through http://www.pehnec.com/ Keep your choices small, and feel free to vary the colors of them.
8. To see a slightly different way to set CZs, visit www.KimMiles.com She not only makes beautiful beads, but she incorporates CZs and makes them even more lovely.