Bead For Life - Custom Made Bead Order Received!

Hand Rolled, Custom, Unique Beads

I was so excited to go to my mailbox and find the custom, hand made beads I had ordered from the Bead For Life website. If you aren't familiar with Bead for Life, please look at my older posts and watch the video or check out their website.  Bead for Life is an organization that gives women in Uganda the ability to learn a trade and earn money to sustain their families and in some cases, start their own businesses. 

I wanted to follow up with my first post and say that I am extremely satisfied with the beads that I received.  The shipping was quick and there were also tags included to send with my own custom made jewelry using the beads I bought from Bead for Life.  I took some pictures and wanted to include them with this post and I will be making jewelry soon with these great beads!!  I chose the multi-colored and the natural colored loose beads, but you can pick from many different styles and colors already made by the talented Ugandan women of  Bead for Life.  I hope you let me know if you have looked at the site and would love to hear your comments!!  Please check back for my custom made creations featuring Bead for Life beads and like always, thanks for reading!!

Beads come with tags for your own custom made creations

 Earth Tone Beads from Bead For Life

Getting Kids Involved in Custom Jewelry Making

Chloe holding her custom made
earrings!!

Getting your kids involved in custom jewelry making is easier than you may think.  Of course, your kids have got to be old enough to know not to put beads in their mouths, however, that should go without saying!  Custom jewelry can really be made by anyone from 4 to 94.  It just takes a little patience and guidance and your kids can produce pretty, unique, custom made jewelry.  Some easy starter jewelry projects for kids are bracelets or basic necklaces, ones that don't require a lot of effort or skill.  You want to keep it fun and simple, because all of you that have kids or grand kids know easily they can become bored and lose interest.

I usually pick some beads that I am not very attached to, because some may get lost or dumped by accident.  I have three kids that love to custom make their own jewelry, Jade, 9, Cody and Chloe, 4 (twins).  I get them a small bowl and place a variety of beads in to start them out with.  I then attach a clasp at one end of the wire and let their imagination and creativity take over!!  The results have been varied, but very unique and creative custom made jewelry.  They wear it for awhile, but then ask if they can take it apart and make it differently, so it works out very well for all involved!!  I've included a picture of my little beaders making their own custom made jewelry!!

Jade with a pair of custom made
earrings that she did all by herself!

Chloe and Jade picking through
my bead organizers for their custom
made jewelry.

Custom Hand Made Jewelry That Makes A Difference

www.beadforlife.org

 Custom hand made jewelry is making a difference for quite a few in Uganda.  Bead for Life is an organization that enables Ugandan women that have been affected by poverty, starvation, AIDS and civil wars to create an income and sustain their families and homes.  I was so touched by this video, so I really hope you take the time to watch it.

I also have placed an order for beads from Bead For Life, so I will be featuring unique, custom made designs of my own made with these great beads!!!  Stop back soon for an update!!  Pictures by  Charles Steinberg.

One of the creators of the beautiful

necklaces for Bead for Life.

Custom made necklaces hand made

by women workers for Bead for Life

BeadforLife Overview (2011) from BeadforLife on Vimeo.

Beads For Life helps women to

become self-sufficient providers.

Taking Quality Photos of Your Custom Made Jewelry

Detail of Jonquil Swarovski Crystal
Necklace - $30

Taking quality photos of your custom made jewelry can prove to be trying at times, especially if you don't have the right kind of camera.  The best details of beads and jewelry are captured in photos by high resolution settings, however, you may find that your pictures of your custom made jewelry load slower than they would if they were a lower resolution.

You may have to give up some picture quality to make the overall custom jewelry webpage load faster and smoother, because as anyone knows that surfs the internet "window shopping", you only have a few minutes before they switch to a different site.

Make sure that you take pictures on a neutral background and don't use anything in the background that has a pattern that will distract from your custom made jewelry.  You want your custom made jewelry to be the star of the photo, so make sure that it is not too dark or too over exposed either.  Just move around your space until you find a good mix of light and dark.

Avoid shadows also, which will give you uneven results, making your jewelry not as easily seen.  The best way to assure that you get good photos, of course, is to have a quality camera.  If you don't own one, then borrow one from someone that does have one.  It is key to have good pictures of your jewelry for internet exposure.  If I can help at all please contact me...my info is on the contact page.

Coral and Lampwork Glass
 Bead Necklace - $25 

Aqua Glass & Seahorse Custom
 Necklace - $30

Using Flea Markets and Events to Sell Your Custom Made Jewelry

   

A picture of the booth with my
jewelry set up at the Rodeo.

My custom made jewelry 

booth set up...check out
the car in the background.

My little candy grabbers.
(L-R Cody, Jade & Chloe)
 at the Bonifay Rodeo
Oct. 2010

You can use flea markets and other events to sell your custom made jewelry.  Like so many other artisans that are trying to make some money from their crafts, I have found that it is hard to find a venue to sell my custom made jewelry through, especially since I live in a rural area outside of a small town.

There is not a lot of room for exposure in a remote area, so you have to think about branching out in any available outlets.  If you have been in that area for awhile, then you probably already know of flea markets, thrift stores, and even some small locally owned businesses that may possibly market your custom made jewelry or other crafts.

 I talked to a kind local business owner and he let me set up a booth during the 2010 Bonifay Rodeo weekend and had mild success, but it was still good to get out there and have people stop by and look at my jewelry and get some good feedback.

If  you aren't from that area or are looking to go to a more populated area to try to sell, then talking to some locals, in a grocery store or gas station and asking them where things are is a great way to get information.  Usually, if you pipe up and ask a question in general to a room full of people you will get a lot of feedback...sometimes the information is not quite what you wanted to know, but that's the way it goes! Also, the other option is via the internet.  There are plenty of options that the internet has to offer, but also a lot of scams, so just be cautious!  If I can help at all with anything, just let me know!  My info is on my contact page!

We were giving a puppy away
and my son, Cody
was lending a hand!! 

Custom Jewelry Projects for Friends and Relatives

Custom Bracelet and Earrings to
Match Blue Glass Necklace

Custom Made Blue Glass Necklace

Turquoise & Silver Custom Made

Earrings

Some of the best custom made jewelry that I have produced has been for friends.  When I first started custom making jewelry, which has been about 2 years now, I had a neighbor that I had met when I first moved to Florida. She and her family kind of took us in and I became very close to her and if I needed to talk or needed her to help, she has done her best to be there. Her birthday was coming around and I decided to make her a special custom made jewelry set for her present from me. Her favorite color is blue, so of course, that's what color I decided to make her jewelry set.

As you can see, I made the set from blue and white glass beads. Once she received the necklace, bracelet and earrings, she had shown them to her step-daughter and she said she really liked my work. She then commissioned me to make another custom jewelry set for her step-daughter with the request that she loves turquoise. I have included some of the pictures from the turquoise set as well.

The main point to this story, is that revenue can come from a number of different sources, sometimes unexpectedly, so if you are trying to sell your jewelry, try to network with friends and family. Get them to wear your jewelry to different functions, events, etc. You may be surprised with the feedback!

 Also, as always, if you have a request for anything custom made, or you see something that I have already made that you like, contact me and let me know, I'd be happy to work with you! Good luck!

Custom Made Turquoise & Silver

Necklace, Earrings and Bracelet

Why I Decided To Do This

Being a lover of all things artistic, I am always looking for creative outlets to try.  As a little girl, my Gramma Jackson used to make jewelry...of course, it was the 70's, so there were plenty of glass and plastic brightly colored beads in her collection and I have been fascinated by jewelry ever since.  I decided to try my hand at jewelry making after having kids and being a stay at home mom.  All of my necklaces, earrings and bracelets are unique and hand crafted.  I hope you like the pieces that I have created!

Owl necklace inspired by Gramma Jackson who loved owls and jewelry.  Made

this custom made necklace for a friend who also likes owls.