On a recent trip to my local bead store, I found this lovely rectangle shaped piece of African Turquoise. The soft muted turquoise green colors of this stone are just gorgeous, and it has a wonderful matte finish too! There is a curved vein of a deeper shade of the same color on the right side of the stone; it draws your eye from the side of the pendant to the fancy handmade bale.

I made the bale with sterling silver wire, and wove into a basket weave effect. To finish the piece, I put three beautiful swirls in the front for even more drama! This necklace comes on a double cord of black leather with handmade sterling silver findings! The pendant is 2 inches long and 1-3/16 inches wide, and the leather necklace is 17-1/2 inches long. It is a bold piece of jewelry; it will make a statement when you wear it!

To view the African Princess necklace and much more handmade jewelry, click on the link to my Etsy shop on the right side of this blog! Thank you for looking!

It's fall and you can hear the sound of acorns regularly dropping from the many oak trees around the house. Blue Jays battle for their share of the crop, bringing back memories of the sounds of my childhood and my grandparent's home. Oh how I love the wonderful sights, sounds, and scents of this season!

These lovely little agate earrings reminded me so much of acorns, they were begging to be called that! With their rich brown color, round shape with a swirl on the bottom, and especially that fancy bead cap, what could be a more fitting name! The agate beads are 8mm, topped with a Celtic copper bead cap all on a copper swirl headpin. The Acorn earrings are 1-1/2" in length, the 3/4" dangle hangs from a handmade round earwire.

The focal point of this necklace is a beautiful 15mm round agate bead in a deep, rich red-brown that also reminds me of acorns! There are also touches of mauve, and cream it's gorgeous stone! Add in a fancy filigree bead cap, and a sweet little swirl on the bottom, to complete the look! The agate pendant is 1-1/4" in length and is suspended on a double chocolate brown leather necklace with coordinating copper findings! Total length of the necklace is 16-1/2 inches. Click on my Etsy shop link on the right side of the blog to see these earrings and the matching necklace! Thank you for looking!

Hearts Desire Beading Company 2008 © - All Rights Reserved

Beads On A Mission

In just a few weeks several people from White Stone Church will be traveling to the island Haiti to join with Poor Children’s Assistance Project (PCAP) to minister to the thousands of orphaned children in that country. This year our church will be sending their third team of their members to help in completing construction on an orphanage and school in the rural mountain area of Kamtin. I want to help with this ministry, so I will give all of the money from your “Beads On A Mission” purchase to the Poor Children’s Assistance Project. You can find out more about White Stone Church at their website http://www.whitestonechurch.org/

What Does PCAP DO?

PCAP was started over thirty years ago by pastor, Nicolas Louis Juste, and he operates this ministry in a country full of unimaginable poverty and disease, helping orphans and elderly people. PCAP provides the basics for life: food, shelter, clothing and medical care, as well as clean drinking water for the community.

Pastor Nicolas and PCAP have started:

Twenty-seven churches, serving over 6000 people,
Twenty-three schools, educating over 5000 children
Five orphanages housing over 300 children

A Fitting Purpose

Last summer my friend Jessica went on a mission trip to Uganda, there she purchased several necklaces for me from the local women. These necklaces were handmade by Ugandan women in the sowetto village in Kampala, Uganda. The women make these colorful Kakwanzi beads (Kakwanzi means precious beads) from paper cut into strips, which is rolled into tight beads and glued. They are finished with a sealant and are hung in the sun to dry! Then the beads are strung together with tiny seed beads to make lovely necklaces and bracelets! I thought it would be fitting to take the proceeds from these Kakwanzi necklaces, made by wonderful Christian women, to help poor and starving orphaned children in Haiti!

You will find these necklaces and many more listed in my Etsy store, just click on my link on the right side of this blog! Once you've made it to the shop, you can click on the "Beads On A Mission" section on the top right of my shop!

Thank you for looking!

I love the beading groups I belong to, they inspire and encourage me in so many ways! This hot little suede number is my answer to the current Tranquil Beading Oasis challenge! Chilies! Natures little fire crackers, and our favorite way to set our mouths on fire! The suede is a perfect chili powder color, and coordinates with the focal bead that has a copper foil center. This bead is 7/8" round and is flanked by two peachy triangle shaped beads. The copper beads and wire accents match the center of the focal bead and the hand forged hook holds the bracelet securely on your wrist! This bracelet is 8 inches long, perfect for wrists sizes 7" to 7-3/4". This hot little number will be sent to you enclosed in an organza drawstring bag, suitable for storage or gift giving! Thank you for looking!

Love gold and smokey topaz, they pair together so well! As promised, I am making more things with gold-filled wire these days. This lovely ring was a special order, but if you would like one, please contact me! I'll be happy to make one especially for you too!

I've been given a new title by my friend Sue at SignatureSterling on Etsy! She called me "Wire Working Queen" (or WWQ for short) after she saw this bracelet listed in the promos! I'll take that as a great compliment, because I really love working with wire! Thank you Sue! :)

A curving trail of wrapped copper wire travels across the substantial topaz colored glass focal bead, much like a walking trail. This copper trail draws your eye across the focal bead to the two leaf shaped foil lined beads on either side. For a change of color, I added oval amber glass beads wrapped in more copper wire. This bangle bracelet is 8-1/4" and should be comfortable on wrists ranging from 6 1/2 inches to 7 1/2 inches around. There is a sturdy hook that holds the bracelet securely on your wrist, and it is easy to open with just one hand. You will find this bracelet listed in my Etsy shop, just click on my shop link on the right side of the blog to see this and much more!

Thank you for looking!

Hearts Desire Beading Company 2008 © - All Rights Reserved

I seem to be in a copper frame of mind these days, and this is my latest listing in that metal. These copper earwires remind me of fiddlehead ferns as they push a frond up from the ground all in a tight little ball. The great thing about these earwires, they are interchangeable, so you can change your style as you like! I lightly hammered the swirl flat for extra strength. Thanks to JavaBead from the Bead Hive for the idea for these earwires!The dangles are hand forged from heavy copper wire and hang gracefully from the earwires. The bronze saucer shaped glass beads and the copper tube beads slide slightly on the forged wire like beads on an abacus. Thank you for looking!