Jewelry Design Intern Opportunity with iSanctuary

We all know about the healing properties of beads, and the amazing way that jewelry design can change the world. Organizations like Soul of Somanya and The Andean Collection are just two examples of the way that beads and jewelry can help women and young people around the globe. Purchasing their products and talking to others about the cause is a great way to help, but for great change to occur, more hands are always needed.

If you’ve ever wanted to join in a great cause full tilt and feet first, but weren’t sure how to begin, this may be the perfect opportunity for you! iSanctuary - a non-profit that teaches jewelry making skills to survivors of human trafficking - is looking for talented designers with big hearts to help their outreach efforts in India.

iSanctuary Purchase with Purpose

iSanctuary is looking for: “candidates that are not only talented designers but can create within our branding and for our target market, and are culturally and emotionally sensitive. And last but certainly not least, candidates should be multi-talented because as in most non-profits everyone wears many different hats.”

Bravery, generosity, and determination are just a few key ingredients for the perfect volunteer. Flying across the world to begin such a quest can be a huge leap, and interns must provide for themselves during their 12 month stay - the internship is a volunteer position. I asked the iSanctuary founder, Stephanie Pollaro, to tell us a bit more about the organization, and the work that they do.

Inspirational Beading: How did you first get involved with the issue of human trafficking?

Stephanie: About 9 years ago I picked up a magazine (something I rarely do) and in it was a story of Anuradha Koirala (who later became a CNN Hero in 2010). I was blown away by several things: the amazing work Anuradha was doing and even more overwhelmingly was the eye-opening realization of learning about the existence of human trafficking for the first time. I immediately went to my computer and started doing research to validate the unbelievable facts I had just learned. As the truth began to grow more evident and more dark I knew in an instance I couldn’t go back to living life the same way… Life as I had known it had been flipped upside down and now I had to respond.

It took several years of planning and talking with professionals in the field to develop an NGO that would best meet the needs of the anti-trafficking community and the survivors themselves. In 2007, with the help of my co-founder Wendy Dailey we started International Sanctuary (iSanctuary). Fun fact: Also in 2007 I got to personally meet Anuradha and thank her for opening my eyes.

In our search to see where we were needed in the anti-trafficking community we heard from many social workers and victims’ rights advocates in India and the US. They all shared the same understanding—trafficking survivors need job skills and economic opportunities. In the USA, Health and Human Services (HHS) often run out of funds to assist survivors waiting for their cases to come to trial (TIP 2012). Internationally, the lack of economic opportunities can be detrimental to a survivors reintegration. According to a study conducted by USAID (2007) the lack of economic opportunities and the skills to earn an adequate income places survivors in vulnerable situations that can lead to retrafficking. It was this realization of the great need for economic opportunities both here in the US and abroad that served as the impetus for the formation of iSanctuary and the iSanctuary POST program.

Inspirational Beading: When did jewelry design and beading become a part of your mission?

Stephanie: It was there from the beginning, as it was the only thing that I had in common with many of the girls in the aftercare homes. To fill the days, the girls are given classes in many different handicrafts: candle making, silk flower making, painting, and jewelry making. However, the jewelry they were making was very Indian and mostly just beads strung on thread. When I introduced the girls to western fashion jewelry and wire wrapping they instantly loved it.

Inspirational Beading: For you, what’s the most difficult part of working with these young women and girls?

Stephanie: The most difficult thing is getting these girls to see themselves the way I see them: talented, smart, beautiful and worthy of great things. Many time the damage from the years of trauma wins- they give into the lies they had been forced to believe, and they settle for much less than they deserve.

Inspirational Beading: What is your favorite, or most rewarding part of the cause?

Seeing change!

Once in our workshop in India, I overheard one of the young ladies complaining about how difficult something was and how she didn’t think she could do it. Then all of a sudden I heard one of our other young ladies tell that girl, “ We aren’t weak, we are iSanctuary girls. You can do it!” It still gives me chills.

Inspirational Beading: You’re currently looking for designer/interns to help out. Tell us a little about the position.

Stephanie: iSanctuary is currently seeking an adventurous woman looking to have her life shook up. She must be flexible yet structured, patient yet persistent, and a go-getter. The one year volunteer position IN INDIA is for a multi-talented Jewelry Designer/ Maker that can help us create pieces that fit our brands' strategic and financial objectives.

Inspirational Beading: In addition to using their jewelry making skills, what should hopefuls be ready to face?

Stephanie: India is a land of contradictions. Poverty is everywhere but so is wealth. It is a filthy place but they are trying to fix that. The people are lovely especially the iSanctuary people.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have any advice for women working in relief services in unfamiliar countries?

Stephanie: Take care of yourself…. Make time for exercise and rest. You are no good to anyone else if you are burnt out!

The International Sanctuary Story

If you’d like to learn more about the opportunity of a lifetime, please visit the iSanctuary field interns page. You can also find additional information about the organization, and all of their efforts in India, the Philippines, and the US, as well as human trafficking issues and what you can do to help. iSanctuary also supports local chapters for promoting awareness, and accepts applications for new advocates. If you’re moved by these issues, but aren’t able to work in the field, starting or joining an iSanctuary chapter is a great opportunity to support an important cause.

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading and iSanctuary
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More Beaded Body Parts

Warning: This post features (im)mature content.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to say this, but…The April’s Army shop is now open! This month, Regretsy readers and fans are raising funds to purchase the very best in service dog equipment, to help a young woman live life to the fullest. You can learn more about the fundraiser on Regretsy. But first, let’s have a look at some of the amazing handmade items that are up for grabs! (Don't linger too long though, as items tend to move fast!)

Before I show you the piece that I created, I want to say that it’s designed after something that I normally wouldn’t consider for jewelry inspiration. It’s actually kind of awful. In fact, if you don’t recognize it, I don’t recommend trying to figure out what it is. Seriously, do not Google it. My consolation is that when you laugh at something, you take it’s power away. And this particular topic has been turned into a huge source of laughter on Regretsy, and in turn helped to raise a lot of money for very worthy causes.

To create my donation, I used matte black seed beads, and a beautiful mixture of blue Miyuki seed beads that I purchased with some rewards points at Auntie’s Beads. As soon as I saw them, I knew they were destined for something great! It took some time to decide on a method for the necklace chain. I ended up modifying the round right angle weave a little to get a nice, sturdy chain.

You can see this “Blue Moon” necklace, and other amazing creations in the April’s Army WePay shop. This is a new selling platform who’s main appeal is complete freedom from PayPal. Anyone can shop in the store, but seller accounts are currently limited to US residents. If that’s you, I highly recommend checking them out!

Without any further ado, here are some of my favorite jewelry designs from this month’s fundraiser:

Caged Pearl Bracelet
by Slipstream Blue





Hellephant Pendant
by Quiddity Designs





Circuit Board Bracelet
by The Blue Kraken





Winds of the Orient Collar
by MBush Digital Art





Red Beads Bracelet
by Sew Goth

Here’s to crafting for a cause!

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Inspired Beader: Strings for Hope

Have you ever stopped before tossing something in the trash or recycling, and wished that you knew of a way to reuse it instead? We all know that recycling is the last option of the Three R’s, and if there’s a way to keep items from ending up in a bin, we should take it. Many artists, beaders and jewelry designers use this approach in their work by saving, salvaging and repurposing objects that others view as trash, and turning it into treasure.

Laura Wilson of Nashville Restrung keeps used guitar strings out of the landfill by using them to create beautiful upcycled jewelry. In addition to reducing a little bit of waste and making a great statement, she also uses her creativity to help support causes locally, and around the world, that aim to alleviate and eliminate poverty.

Inspirational Beading: How did you first get into combining guitar strings with beads?

Laura: I started working with guitar strings 2009; at that point I had been a beader for 10 years. My husband is a guitar builder and I kept watching him throw used strings in the trash. That perfectly beautiful wire was headed to the landfill! I learned that strings from musical instruments are made from mixed metals and therefore not recyclable. I thought the wire itself had far too much character to be wasted, and figured I should be able to do something with it. The first bracelet I made used an interesting triangle bead.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite material or color to work with?

Laura: Strings come in such a variety of textures and weights there is always something new to work with. I particularly enjoy when I get a set of violin or cello strings. They are so fluid and flexible they make very delicate, feminine pieces. When it comes to beads, I love stalking thrift shops and estate sales for pieces I can disassemble to reuse. I recently found a bracelet at a thrift shop that was commercially made from wonderfully carved Tibetan silver and accented with huge blue plastic pony beads. It could not have been more hideous! I redesigned the silver pieces and it’s one of my top favorites now.

Inspirational Beading: Where do you find inspiration for new pieces?

Laura: Each brand of guitar string has different characteristics. The ferrule ball end – the piece that holds the string to the bottom of the instrument, at the saddle -- can be round, bullet shaped, or even a loop. They can be stainless, brass or a variety of colors. I let the strings' unique character take me down a path to beauty.

Inspirational Beading: If you could master any new technique, what would it be?

Laura: I made some trial and error stabs at soldering and it hasn’t been pretty. I think soldering would allow me to add so much more dimension to the items I make.

Inspirational Beading: Do you remember your first jewelry project? Where is it today?

Laura: I was so blissfully unaware! I thought, How hard can it be to throw some beads together? I learned a lot of lessons from that piece. I still wear it often – a multistrand necklace of black glass and crystal beads.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite organization to donate to?

Laura: In the summer of 2011 I listened to a message based on Matthew 25 and the parable of the 10 talents. Before going away on a trip the master gave his servants his wealth to care for. To one he gave five talents, another two and the final one. When he returned they came back and presented his wealth and what they had done with it in his absence. At the end of the story the master states, “For whoever has, will be given more, and they will have an abundance.”

I looked around my life and was overwhelmed with how blessed I am with a great family and friends, a home, a job I love. It opened my heart to really see how many people in our own communities are struggling to feed their families. I had this great little hobby making jewelry, so why not use it to do something meaningful?

I’d had some success in selling my pieces but it wasn’t until we opened ourselves up to really giving back to our community that it took off. We’ve made a commitment to work equally with local and global agencies. In our community we support the Backpack Ministry that sends food home with students who otherwise would not have meals available on weekends, and we also support our local food bank. Globally, we’re currently working with two fabulous organizations – Jacaranda Kids in Kenya, and Mission Lazarus in Honduras.

You can see more of Laura’s creations, and learn about her commitments to creating change through jewelry at Strings for Hope, and browse designs in her shop Nashville Restrung.

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Laura Wilson
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The Healing Power of Beads

Today is giveaway day! Congratulations to Carla and Sally, who were both drawn for a copy of my new beaded buttons and toggles tutorial. Thank you so much to everyone who entered!

For this giveaway, I asked what aspect of beading you are most grateful for. The responses were overwhelming and often moving. Many of you agree that beading has a special power to heal, whether it’s relaxation at the end of a stressful day, or providing hope and joy during a difficult time or illness.

The conversation reminded me of all the wonderful organizations and movements that use beading and jewelry to change the world, one person at a time. Today I want to give a little tribute to some of these special people and causes. Many of them will be familiar, but they deserve recognition as often as we can give it!

Soul of Somanya




Beading to Bead Autism




Bead for Life




The Andean Collection

Also check out:

The Global Genes Project 7000 Bracelet for Hope Campaign and Beads of Courage.

How have beads influenced your view of your community, and your planet? If you know of another great cause, organization or movement that is making a difference with beads or jewelry, leave us a link or story in the comments!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Tutorials for Christmas Cheer

Can you believe that September is nearly over already? This month went by so fast, and was filled with lots of new designs, inspirations and videos. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to create the totally outrageous necklace that I want to donate to the April’s Army fundraising shop. It's still on the drawing board, and I hope it will be ready in time for the next campaign. In the meantime, I thought I’d inspire some beaders to get a head start on their Christmas crafting.

There are six copies of my Beaded Poinsettia tutorial available from April’s Army. The PDF instructions explain how to make cute little Christmas beaded beads, plus variations for four additional flower designs. All proceeds from this month’s shop will help an artist during her battle with cancer. You can learn more about the fundraiser on Regretsy and Facebook.

As always, here are my favorite jewelry and accessory designs, donated by members of the April’s Army Etsy team.

Click on the images to see these great designs, and learn more about the artists behind them.

There are always some fun and fantastic designs to see in the shop, including clothing, home decor items, handmade soap and art prints. I hope you’ll stop by and see them all!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Beaded Eye Rings

I’ve grown incredibly fond of making herringbone rings, and I find that other styles just don’t appeal to me as much. Not only are they really simple and fast to make, but they are just so cute and wearable. I’m always looking for new ways to incorporate different patterns and shapes into the design to make each one unique.

Way back during my Ring a Day challenge, I made a herringbone ring with a shell coin as the focal. It turned out so nice, that I’ve made quite a few since, but none of them were quite like the original. The combination of shape and color made it look just like a misty, mysterious eye. Over the past year, I’ve pondered other ways to incorporate an eye design into a herringbone ring.

While experimenting with different Egyptian inspired designs, I came up with the idea of using a tortoiseshell bead and a white herringbone increase to make a more realistic, if not a bit feline, eye ring. And since the theme of this month’s April’s Army fundraiser is ‘beauty’, it seemed like the perfect fit.

I used some eye-shadowy colors for the base of each ring, and created an eye shape with a black lining. I carefully selected tortoiseshell beads that had a central black accent for the iris and pupil, and made some pretty interesting, wearable eyes.

These two rings are available as a set from the April’s Army shop, which opens today. All proceeds from the shop will benefit an artist who needs a hand up.

Here are some of my favorite jewelry designs from the shop:

Click on the images to learn more about the designs and the artists behind them.

And I have to give a shout-out to one of my all-time favorite Etsy sellers, UglyBaby, who is donating for the first time this month.

There are lots of beautiful, weird, and wonderful products on sale until the end of this week. This month, the team is raising money to help an artist go to school and get her dream job! You can learn more about the shop and this month’s recipient on the April's Army Facebook page.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Jewelry to the Rescue

We all know how therapeutic beading can be. Creating things, working with color, and even the act of stringing or weaving itself can have great benefits for our mood and even physical health. Sometimes, being able to turn beads into wearable art can also give us the opportunity to help others in need, or just bring a smile to someone’s face. Projects like 7000 Bracelets for Hope, Caring House, Beads of Courage and Soul of Somanya are just a few examples.

But jewelry making can help on a small scale, too. Tara of Waterwaif on Etsy is currently using her handmade jewelry to raise funds for an injured cat that she recently adopted. He is affectionately called Gimpy, because he was found with a piece of rope tied so tightly around his leg, that it had to be removed by a veterinarian. Despite continued treatment to restore health to his injured leg, Gimpy is now facing amputation.

Fortunately, Tara has a lot of experience caring for animals, and a well stocked jewelry shop, which can hopefully raise the funds needed to cover Gimpy’s treatments and surgery. I asked Tara to share a little about her designs, and her new friend.

Inspirational Beading: How did you first get into jewelry making?

Tara: I've been a jewelry lover and wearer for a long, long time but I could never find exactly what I wanted anywhere. I'd see a piece that was pretty cool but man, I wish it had...

I am self-taught and I started by taking pieces in my own jewelry collection and modifying them to make me happier with them.

Inspirational Beading: What is your all time favorite material to create with?

Tara: Anything teal, to tell the truth. But specifically, probably teal quartz. As for metals, I love them all. I love the simplicity of sterling silver, the organic feel of copper, and the vintage look to antiqued copper.

Inspirational Beading: Tell us a little about Gimpy. What’s he like?

Tara: Gimpy is totally awesome. He's got more heart and courage in his little foot than a lot of us ever have in our whole bodies. He's got tons of spunk for such a little guy, too, and you'd never know he was in pain and danger of losing his leg once you sit down and play with him.

Inspirational Beading: Do you find that animal friends have an influence on your work and inspiration?

Tara: For sure, mother nature is my biggest inspiration. For the longest time it was the ocean and its inhabitants that I worked with the most, but I've been branching out lately to include a lot more of nature and the animal kingdom.

Inspirational Beading: What is your favorite design in your shop right now.

Tara: My favorite right now, I think, are these peacock hoops earrings. My favorite color, of course, is the deep teal, but with the sparkling silver crystals and set on hoops like they are, they really pop. I had to make myself a pair of them I loved them so much!

All proceeds from Waterwaif jewelry are going to Gimpy’s vet bills. You can learn more about Gimpy and get updates about his brave battle on Facebook and Twitter, and on Tara’s blog, Waterwaif. You can also show your support on Gimpy’s Facebook page!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Waterwaif
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Beaded Body Parts

Disclaimer: This post contains mature subject matter.

The only thing better than using your talents to help someone else, is doing it with a sense of humor. I often get a burst of enthusiasm every time I come up with a new beading challenge for this blog, but none of them top the excitement of creating cheeky designs for April’s Army.

I actually have a few different designs lined up to donate, but they keep getting shuffled around. The piece I wanted to make for this month’s charity shop got pushed back yet again, because some of the supplies I needed were held up in the mail. So I moved on to my next, but no less outrageous idea - a beaded nipple.

The concept for this unusual design occurred to me awhile ago. Whenever I make something with circular brick stitch - especially if the first few rows match the base bead - I noticed there was something odd about the look of the beadwork. When I realized what it was, I knew I had the makings of a great Regretsy-worthy design.

To make this necklace, I combined a pink cat’s eye with seed beads in pink and pale beige. The domed shape of the circular brick stitch really adds to the overall effect, don’t you think? The pendant is suspended from an optional reverse-daisy chain, with a few different styles of beads in pink, white and cream.

The April’s Army charity shop opens today, and is stuffed full of handmade and vintage goodness. Not all of the designs are wild, and there’s something for just about every taste and budget. You can learn more about the shop’s mission, and the recipient of this month’s fundraiser on Facebook and Regretsy.

Here are a few of my favorite jewelry designs from the shop:

















Click images to see the listing and learn more about the artist behind each design.

Have you ever made a totally outrageous jewelry design? What’s your favorite ‘against the grain’ theme?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and April's Army
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