Crafts Schmafts

So I will openly admit i'm not crafty. It's not that I don't have the talent or a good eye for design, it's just that I don't have the patience for it. I hate scrapbooking and the thought of sitting around doing "crafts" just sounds so boring to me.

Well yesterday my mom asked if I would go to my Aunts house with her to help make jewelry. "mmm maybe" I said. I really didn't want to so when she asked me again later that night, I told her I would go only if my sister came too. What I didn't know is that my sister was all about that and was excited and wanted to go. BLASTED!

We get to my aunts house and she has trays and trays of laid out designs ready to be strung. Immediately I scanned for the tray that had the least amout of bracelets to be made on it.



We had to be really careful to not bump the trays because then the beads would roll around and fall out of place for the laid out design.

Apparently my mom didn't get the memo and right as she sat down she bumped her tray.

Being so upset, she slammed her hands down on the table which only created an aftershock to the first tremor.






My sister and I sat down and began making the strings and I was surprised at how fast I was going.

We were out of control!

"Sweet, I can leave when I'm done with my tray."



My Aunt began telling us what the beads were and why we were making them and at that moment I felt like a BIG FAT JERK.

The beads are from cut up comics or recycled paper and are made by the women in Uganda for means of providing for their families. It's called Bead For Life and is such an amazing program.

The reason we were making these bracelets was for a banquet my Aunt was having for the Salt Lake Chapter of Mothers Without Borders where they are raising money for items to be sent to the women in Africa such as sewing machines where they will teach them how to make their own clothes. It is such a great program.

Some other ladies from the chapter came over to help make these bracelets and the stories from when they went over to Africa and met these women, orphanages, children, and communities was amazing.

It was so nice to be a part of something like this and really help out. In the end I went through about 3 trays of bracelets, I was on a roll! I spend 3 hours hunched over, with my eyes drying out while trying to fish a wire through a hole the size of a mustard seed but in the end, it was well worth it!