Flashback Monday(1/21)

Originally posted on May 20th, 2009 entitled 'The Making of a Good Cause-Beadware IL' 

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Happy Wednesday everyone and here is the other installment of my The Making of a Good Cause series!

When making a bracelet, the beads are the soul of the piece, but the findings are the heart and body. So you couldn't have a beautiful piece of jewelry without the clasps, crimp beads, or jump rings as its structure.

Which brings me to introduce you to the wonderful company I bought my 13mm Bali Sterling Silver Double Strand Toggle Clasp(pictured to the right below) from, Beadware IL on Ebay! If your not familiar with their store name, you might know them by their Ebay username wooden_flower.

Some information on Beadware IL right from their website:

Beautiful beads from around the world - Swarovski crystals in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, Bali silver beads and findings, Czech glass, Venetian glass, Grade A fiber optic cats eye beads in 30 colors,

vintage lucite, and more!

Free US shipping on purchases of $50 or more

If you want to know more about the technical stuff such as shipping, returns, and whatever else you may question, check their FAQ page here.
When I went in search of the perfect clasp, I knew I had requirements; One, for it to be double stranded and two, it be sterling silver because I wanted this to be a high quality bracelet with nothing but the best materials. Then I wandered upon this toggle clasp and it was beautiful!

Looking through Beadware IL, I can see their description is right on the money! They have a wide variety of stunning

and very affordable beads and findings. I found what I paid for the sterling silver toggle clasp(after shipping) was extremly reasonable. I am very satisfied at how perfectly it went with my bracelet and how easy working with the company was.

With reasonable prices, fast shipping, and 100% positive feedback, you have another place to indulge your jewelry fetish! Lol

Tomorrow we will be featuring an Etsy seller(finally)! And this one is where I got my amazing elephang charm. Don't miss it!

Flashback Monday(1/14)

Originally posted on May 19th, 2009 entitled 'The Making of a Good Cause-24hourgems' 

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I thought I would start out with the beads that I chose for the auction bracelet. The first thing you should know about me is that I love symbolism. It means more to me if I buy something that has meaning to it over something that's just an object-Kind of like buying handmade or vintage as opposed to factory made. Handmade is just more personal and has more of a story then some mass produced cheapy piece of crap you buy from a chain store.

So of course I'm going to put symbolism into my bracelet! And because this is going to the Elephants, I figured I would look up the Elephant totem online and see what some of it's attributes were.

Here is what I found from Lins Domain:

An Elephant totem gives you

ancient wisdom and power to draw upon.

It embodies strength and power.
 

It's very important that I add those qualities to my bracelet because that's who I am. I want to make this bracelet personal and meaningful for the person who buys it.

I did some research and found all of those qualities in one beautiful stone: Lapis Lazuli. I found the perfect Lapis beads at 24hourbeads on Ebay!

A little about the company from their site:

We specialize in beads: Freshwater Pearl, Millefiori Glass, Lampwork Glass, Gemstones, Kyanite, Ruby, Pink Opal, Lava, Turquoise, Bracelet, Pearl Necklace, Biwa Pearl, Tourmaline and much more.
 

I have to say I am extremely satisfied with this company! The beads where beyond stunning(I am debating on making myself something from whats left over), the shipping was fast and easy, and very pleasant to work with in general.

If you take a look at their site, you can find anything in any price range. Speaking of prices, WOW. They are extremely reasonable even before shipping.

All in all, I am very satisfied on my purchase from 24hourbeads and I'm eyeballin a few other lovelies for my collection! Lol

Come back tomorrow for more on The Making of a Good Cause.

Flashback Monday(1/7)

Originally posted on May 16th, 2009 and titled 'The Making of a Good Cause' 

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This is a more detailed explanation of the Mailbox Monday post and my venture to help the Elephants!

First off, I wanted to say a big thank you to my friend Suzy who has humored me with all of her wonderful and adventurous stories on her trips to Africa and her love of all the animals she has encountered! I am truly honored to be apart of this experience!

I suppose it all started when Suzy emailed me with some of her stories. I love hearing all of them! In some later emails she told me about some of the organizations she works with and the fact that the Elephant organization she belongs to is having a banquet within the next few weeks. She told me of last year's banquet and what went on and I wanted to do something to help out the cause.

Thats when she told me of the auction and I had the idea to make something jewelry related that can be auctioned off. I was so excited, I immediately asked if I would be able to do that and when she said of course, I launched into finding the perfect pieces for the bracelet that was forming in my mind's eye.

Here is a little about EARS(Elephant of Africa Rescue Society) from their website Elephant Ears:

Elephants of Africa Rescue Society is dedicated to supporting projects aimed at securing a safe habitat for wild, African animals and dedicated to providing a sanctuary for their captive cousins with a special focus on elephants. We believe that by educating the public about the problems facing both captive and wild animals we can increase public awareness and support.

Elephants of Africa Rescue Society is a 501(c)(3) California non-profit organization. We have a board of directors consisting of seven people who have a love of African Elephants. Some with exotic animal experience, others with just the desire to help. We have pulled our resources together to form E.A.R.S.

This year's fundraiser was a western theme! I can't wait to see the pictures :D Anywho, the next few parts in this series are dedicated to the companies in which I bought my supplies and the making of the actual bracelet!

There will be a special suprise at the end of the series too...Shall I say in two words: Give Away.

Keep checking back for more on The Making of A Good Cause Series.