Crafting for Relay (part 1: Jewelry)

My last few weeks have been busy with Relay For Life related stuff. The Relay itself is less than 2 weeks from now! I figured I would showcase some of the things I have been making lately. This blog entry, specifically, will be about the various jewelry I will be making to sell at the fundraising table for Freedom HS. I am donating my time and materials, and the ENTIRE price paid at Relay will go to the event! Last years stock was cheaply done to be made simply and in bulk. I wanted to step it up a bit from last year. I truly tried to make it so ANY budget could afford bracelets, and they are in a variety of materials and price ranges. And the main point of the booth is to show that there ARE other cancers besides breast cancer, and other ribbons besides pink!

The first few I will be showing are the most expensive out of the bunch. They are made using real Swarovski crystals! They are metal wired with clasps and ribbon charms. As they are made only using the stock I had on hand, these are in very limited quantities. (If you want one not listed here you will commit to purchase, I will buy the materials so I can put it aside for you.) The one’s below are: teal (ovarian cancer), pink (breast cancer, and lime green (Lymphoma).

The next ones are the special pink (breast cancer) ones. Since is the most common type of ribbon you will see, there is always a much higher demand (and availability of supplies to make them.) I made a chain/wired hybrid necklace with mixed media beads and a blown glass ribbon. The first bracelet uses most of the same type of mixed media with some hand painted ribbons on some beads. The other is a less expensive mixed media bracelet. All are wired with assorted clasp types.

The next bunch are all REAL crystal, but not Swarovski. As such they will be of a lesser price bracket than the Swarovski, but still more expensive than the typical bracelets. All are wired, with assorted clasps and metal ribbon charms. In order the colors are marigold/blue/purple (tri-colored for bladder cancer), lime green (Lymphoma), grey (brain cancer), teal/pink/blue (tri-colored for thyroid cancer), light blue (prostate cancer), and teal (ovarian cancer).

The next bunch are plastic, glass, or other mixed media beading. Clasps are assorted, and bracelets are metal wired with ribbon charms. Colors are as follows: black (melanoma), burgundy (multiple myeloma), burgundy/ivory (bi-colored for head and neck cancer), teal/white (bi-colored for cervical cancer), zebra (carcinoid cancer), and gold (childhood cancers).

The last bunch are plastic beads meant to imitate Swarovski crystals. They are metal wired with clasps, and metal ribbon charms. The first is purple, which would either represent the Relay/survivor color in general, but also represents pancreatic cancer. The light blue represents prostate cancer.

There are still some being made as we speak, and of course the cheaper stock which I will kinda market as kids’ bracelets. I hope to showcase the rest in another thread, or perhaps I will just update this one.

If you will be at Relay (or not) and have a specific cancer bracelet you see here that you want put aside, please email me at tlkfanatic@gmail.com Also, if you have a cancer type that is NOT represented that you’d like to see something for (I am still in the process of making more colors represented) please also email me so I can make something custom for you! My mom is also contributing to the mix, so there will be colors not listed here!

See you at Relay!