Beading: How to Make Earrings

An inexpensive and fun craft is creating hand-made earrings and necklaces using pretty findings and glass Swarovski beads. The glass beads are my favorite because they reflect light and have a nice sparkle.

To the right are about a dozen pairs of earrings that I made and wear often.

It is easy to make earrings, necklaces and bracelets with just a few tools and different colored beads and silver accessories that are found in abundance on the beading aisles at your local craft store. The internet is a great source for finding beads, too, and if your order includes the T-pins and earring hangers, it usually pays to purchase from an outlet.

While traveling, it is fun to scope out bead stores in other areas. Bringing back beads from a different locale and using them in making jewelry reminds me of the place where the beads were found.

Here is a quick tutorial on making some crystal earrings that explains how easy it is to make earrings, step-by-step from Karla Schafer, Auntie's Beads Designer, on YouTube.



Give it a try, and you will probably end up with a huge stash of pretty beads. And your local craft store will love you for your shopping!

National Teacher Day Appreciation

National Teacher Day
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Great Teachers Make Great Public Schools

The National Education Association (NEA):

On National Teacher Day, thousands of communities will take time out to honor their local educators and acknowledge the contributions they make to our lives. Our Teacher Day annual theme has been replaced with a standing tagline, "Great Teachers Make Great Public Schools," and draws attention to the crucial role teachers play in making sure every child receives a quality public education and conveys the hard work they do each day to make public schools great for every child.

Together with the Parent Teacher Association, NEA is collecting thousands of teacher thank you cards and combining them into a larger-than-life mural. Be a part of this one-of-a-kind project! Visit Thank You and add your card.

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."--Henry Brooks Adams

"Teachers, I believe, are the most responsible and important members of society because their professional efforts affect the fate of the earth."--Helen Caldicott, author and peace activist

More quotes can be found at Teacher Quotes. You might want to slip a thank you note into your child's notebook today just to tell them you appreciate their teaching abilities.

Visit NEA to learn more about the issues educators are facing as they do their work and meet the requirements of many laws and regulations.

You rock, teachers! Thank you!

Here is a great video: "Shift Happens - Globalization; Information Age"

Cancer Support, Knit Dolls

These little knitted dolls are uplifting give-aways for women who are undergoing treatment for cancer. Cleverly hidden inside their tube legs are pipe cleaners which give them flexibility to sit on their own. Notice that the arms can be crossed in the manner of the ribbon associated with fighting for a specific cause.

Actually, I have knitted these up in several colors for patients undergoing treatment for various types of cancer.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) has linked 22 different colors to different cancers. For instance, bladder cancer is associated with the color of yellow, while pancreatic cancer is associated with the color light purple. For more information, see ACS Colors.

The pattern for these dolls is given in an excellent book entitled The Natural Knitter. Barbara Albright is the author (2007), and I purchased the book from Amazon.

These little dolls are fun to make, and the women who receive them seem to be genuinely delighted when given one. If you would like directions for these knitted dolls, leave me a comment and I will furnish step-by-step directions for making them.