Margret's Crafty Mama - Earrings

My sister in law taught me to turn a loop in the end of a wire headpin, and so started me on my nefarious career of making earrings and suchlike from beads of various persuasions.

I have taught a number of other people how to turn the loops to make earrings and bracelets and whatnot, and had a request that I make a video showing how I do it.

Here, courtesy of daughter C loaning me her video camera, is me demonstrating how to turn that simple loop.



OK, moving right along, I have two more videos for you, if you have the interest, and the patience to watch them. This next one is me making the dangles for a pair of earrings.



and then me making a second pair of earrings all the way through.



So sorry about the telephone ringing. I'll have to try doing it over again.

Darling New Baby Girl and Mom Need Some Help

I made an Edit to remove links because the post about baby Claire is gone from the other end of the link. I don't know how baby Claire is today because I didn't keep checking the links over the years.  It made me to emotional to go back and read again...   But my point that sending cards can put a little extra "bright" in someone's day when they are most in need of it is still valid.  If you know someone who needs a card, send one, or someone who needs a phone call, pick up the phone and dial. The amount of effort you are giving is worth ten times that (at least) to the person on the other end.

Please go here and read about baby Claire, who was born with an extremely rare heart condition (same link as on Crystal's page, if you want to see what the problem is while you are still here), and her mom Jen. There's even a photo of darling little Claire.

Crystal (I'm sending you to her blog) has a Donate button at the top left if you wish to help with finances, and has posted an address so you can send a postcard with good wishes.

When Margret was in the hospital this summer, the cards she received brightened her day. Jen can certainly use a little extra "bright" in her days.

Yes, and read the comments there, too. Don't feel a need to apologize if all you can offer are prayers. good wishes, good vibrations or the like. It all helps.

What? Why are you still here? Go on, Claire's picture is waiting for you there!

Fixing smiles

Today was a very weepy day.

Here's why: Several things came in the mail addressed to Margret, some advertisements, some asking for donations. I got them (and the ones from the last several weeks, too) all together and called to request each organization take her name off their mailing list.

Happier thoughts:

Margret loved to get stuff in the mail with her name on it, even advertisements. (Car insurance anyone?) She had a little money she could spend any way she wanted. Over and above the little goodies she wanted for herself, she wanted to make a difference in the life of someone else, so she made small donations to charity. She had me write checks for her donations to the Cystic Fibrosis foundation, and more recently she donated to Smile Train.

Margret was born with a cleft palate, but it wasn't a complete cleft, only in the roof of her mouth; a 'submucosal cleft' meaning the place where the hard parts of the roof of her mouth didn't quite meet was covered over by the lining of her mouth. The submucosal cleft made it more difficult for her to eat well at first, but she managed. When we took her to the local cleft palate clinic, the surgeon in charge said she was doing well. She didn't need surgery, he said, because in her case, the scarring from an operation might give her more problems than she had. So Margret knew about cleft lips and cleft palates, and knew the severe ones definitely needed to be fixed.

Here's why Smile Train: Smile Train provides free surgeries to babies and children of less developed countries to repair cleft lips and cleft palates. Even better, the Smile Train surgeons teach local doctors how to do the repairs themselves. Smile Train has a small staff, and makes very efficient use of their donations.

Want to see how efficient for yourself?

Go to the Smile Train website: http://www.smiletrain.org/
and click on financials.