Rockin' for Rescue...

Recently there was a local fundraiser - Rockin' For Rescue - it is an annual benefit/fund raiser to to benefit animal shelters and rescue/adoption facilities. I was so pleased to see a local fund raiser for animals in need. I would have loved to attend, however the event took place when I was out of town.

I did manage to get a couple of pieces beaded up before I left and donated them for the silent auction.



A pendant/brooch that started with a beautiful Lisa Peters Stoneware shank button. Embellished with brown charlottes, light sapphire Czech pressed glass leaves and brown Swarovski crystals. Makes me think of chocolate and blueberries.



It is backed with chocolate Ultrasuede.

The other item donated - a pair of earrings that started with vintage deep blue faceted flat backs.



Anchored and bezeled with silver colored delica beads, size 11/0 blue seeds beads and 13/0 sliver colored Charlottes. LOTS of sparkle!



Love the faceted blue glass - the cabs are also foil backed.



They are backed with blue Ultrasuede and the ear wires are sterling silver and further embellished with Swarovski crystals to add even more sparkle.



*Note All photos are clickable for a larger view.

United Way Fundraiser...

We had an auction fundraiser at work recently. I dug through my stash to see what I might whip up - not having a lot of time before the auctions started, I decided to go with a few brooches/pins.

This was through the United Way and while I'm not a huge fan of the United Way, I am a fan of giving back and we are offered the opportunity to designate the charity(s) that will benefit from the money raised by our auction items. That option is what compelled me to participate.

My chosen charities this year - StandUp for Kids out of Oceanside, CA and Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust out of Newport, KY.

I asked for suggestions from a couple of sources, then started checking those suggestions on Charity Navigator -a helpful website when you are looking to evaluate charities - it provides information on the financial health as well how responsibly the organizations function day to day.

I knew I wanted to help American Vets and found a great organization through the Charity Navigator site. I found StandUp for Kids through a friend of mine in Southern California (thanks Pam!).



This little heart started with a beautiful Lisa Peters Art Stoneware button. It is anchored to stiffened felt with a topaz Swarovski margarita crystal and a tiny bead. It is accented with copper colored fire polished beads and bronze colored seeds with hints of blue in the 15/0 seed bead accents.



It is backed with chocolate Ultrasuede.



This next one was very hard to photograph, the glass is deep blue with hints of green - those can't be seen in these photos and I'm not sure why. The dichroic glass cab was created by Deb DiSalvo of artisticflair.



It is accented with royal blue seed beads and vintage deep blue sequins that are secured with lots of sparkly black Swarovski bicones.



Then backed with royal blue Ultrasuede.

I auctioned off 3 other items that have already been shown on this blog, so I won't repeat the photos. I will link them though... this witch brooch, a pair of earrings (the gold pair in the second photo) and a Christmas ornament that was originally a blog giveaway item which was lost, then found after a replacement ornament was sent out.

Layne's Legacy - Beading for A Cure...

Mark your calendars! It is almost time for the annual "Beading for A Cure" auctions. They will begin on March 7 and run through the end of April. That means each week there will be all new, beautiful creations for you to bid on, I highly recommend you take some time now to figure out which are your favorites.

I just spent some time gazing at the brand new gallery of pieces for this year and they are absolutely spectacular! If you would rather see them as a slide show you can do that here.

Please consider printing out a flyer and sharing with friends, business', etc. You can find the flyer when you CLICK HERE

The beauty of it - so many stunning entries every year up for auction at very reasonable prices, all the while raising money for a wonderful charity.

This is my third year to participate and my little bag ended up being one of my favorite pieces ever. It was really hard to let this one go.

You will want to bookmark the auction site, so do yourself a favor and go there now in order to have plenty of time be ready to bid on your favorite piece(s) when the auctions start.

If you would like further details on the organization click here.

For a gallery of all pieces that will be auctioned this year, click here.

If you would like to read the blog post about the piece I created for this auction and see more photos of it, click here.



Note - for quick access to the auction site, I have added a photo of my project which provide a direct link to the auctions.

Check back often and bid HIGH!