Bead for Life

Today I bought a few bracelets and a necklace that were on sale by a few student groups in our cafeteria. They are sold as a part of Bead for Life, and are made by women in Uganda. The proceeds are sent back to these women to help them receive education, health treatments, vocational training, etc. It helps them create a sustainable way to overcome poverty by providing a form of income instead of just sporadic aid.

On top of this, the jewelry is quite well-made and gorgeous! I've made jewelry before, and this is better than anything I could ever hope to do.

The beads are actually made out of rolled strips of newspapers and magazines, and there is a spot on their website where you can see how they are made. The video is really cool and very inspiring. It's convinced me to go and get another bracelet for my mom. I hope she doesn't read this post before I give it to her!

Dancing Flower

My mom sent me a package, and I finally remembered to go to the campus post office today and pick it up. When I opened it I was very excited because it turned out to be another dancing flower. This is a plastic flower whose dancing is powered by solar energy, as you can tell by the mini solar panel on the front of the base. It is made by Flip Flap, but the only places to buy these flowers in the United States are on websites like ebay and Amazon, or perhaps random little stores around the country.

I love these flowers because I have a complete lack of skills for gardening. In case you don't believe me, last year I killed my bamboo. When I finally threw it out it was crispy. I didn't forget to water it, I think I actually over-watered it. I've heard you're only supposed to water them once a month, but my flower pot wasn't clear, so I couldn't see when it ran out of water, so I had to make a few educated guesses. In any case, it's very dead now. So that's why I love this little guy. I can't kill it! Also I think it looks exactly like the marigolds in the fabulously addicting computer game, Plants vs. Zombies.

New Earrings

These earrings were a thank-you gift from my fabulous honorary Aunt Mary. Aren't they beautiful? Just thought I'd say thank you and show them off :]. Thanks again Aunt Mary!