I love to read and bead, so I thought it would be a good opportunity for my bead group to get together and give back to our local community. One year we got together each month to make ornaments for our four foot high tree. And, boy, did we make some ornaments: Brick Tree Ornaments, Curly Crystal Ornament, Beaded Ornament Cover, and Flower Petal Ornaments are just a few of the ornaments my talented bead buddies made. We made enough to drench our tree in beads.
Our project was a lot of work for everyone, but now I’m glad that we did it. Not only did we help others, but as the years have gone by, many of us have moved away or left the group for other obligations. This experience is one we can all be proud of and remember. If you like to help others and have some beady friends of your own, then you might want consider donating your bead and jewelry time too. Here are some other ideas for using your jewelry skills to help charitable organizations: offer to teach a basic jewelry class for your local Boys & Girls Club, senior center, or women's shelter; donate a finished piece of jewelry for a local silent auction; consider donating leftover supplies to women's groups such as the Emily Griffith Opportunity School.
