A big THANK YOU to Jan Onipenco of Molten Mayhem and another GIVEAWAY!

WARNING - This is a long post - but there is a giveaway at the end!!

I have been having a fundraiser, donating all proceeds from my Etsy shop to Miracle Horse Rescue through October 31, 2013  To date, I have donated $2,278.  There is still  about 2 weeks left, and I have a 20% sale going on in my shop through October 31.  Please stop by if you can!

I received a message on Facebook from Jan Onipenco of Molten Mayhem last week.  She wanted to know if I would accept a donation of some of her lovely lampwork beads and if I could "make something with them", with all proceeds donated to Miracle Horse Rescue.  First of all - I was flabbergasted at her generosity....but then Friday, the mail carrier brought me these:

(Click on the picture for a larger view of these gorgeous beads)!

There are 10 sets of beads here!!! Do you see the fish beads?  They are two sides of absolute awesomeness with incredible details!  Also - that large focal bead - upper right corner....I immediately self-titled that baby "Bubblicious" because, well, it is!  The use of all the wonderful colors in these beads immediately had mind racing!  I could not wait to get started...so I did!

Lately, I have been obsessed with Cindy Wimmer's new book - The Missing Link.  I have been photo-bombing Facebook with my new creations made with these fabulous links.  Since my mind is still in this book (which is where it will be for quite some time), I made these earrings with one set Jan's beads:

These colors are so intense and jewel toned!  The link design is Cindy's, which combines two hoops into one design, which in my eyes screams "Earrings!"  So, after seeing Kerry Bogert's design with these links in Cindy's book, I was convinced that these beautiful lampwork beads had to be on these double hoops! (Side note: Cindy and Kerry have been my two wire -idols for ages now - it is no wonder they are such good friends)! 

These earrings are what I would call "shoulder-dusters" (just showed MY age)!  They are 3 1/4" long and have the most fabulous dangle!  But they are incredibly lightweight!  Love them!!

Next up, I used this beautiful bead set of Jan's:

There is sparkle within those incredibly blue streaks of glass! And the base color is a deep burgundy - so pretty!

I used three of these links from Cindy's book - probably one of the most intriguing designs!  I first saw this link in person at ArtBliss (it was made in silver) and I was awestruck at the complex look of this link. (This bracelet has since SOLD - Thank you!!)

I patterned this bracelet off of Cindy's design in her book, which is my favorite.  

The earrings and the bracelet above will be listed in my shop later tonight.

I will continue to post my designs made with Jan's beautiful beads (her Etsy shop can be found here).   They will be available in my shop and all proceeds - whenever they sell - will be donated to Miracle Horse Rescue!  THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, JAN!

Jan is a fellow-animal lover, too.  I knew this from "talking" with her on Facebook.  I cried when she lost Angus, her best friend Rottie.  And I was overjoyed when she rescued Bubba.  But, I did not know she was a horse lover.  Below is a picture of Jan and her furbaby, Maximum Override (an awesome name!).  Jan had Max for 18 years...isn't this picture priceless?

Miracle Horse Rescue (MHR)

MHR is a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and welfare of abused, neglected, and unwanted domesticated horses of all types and conditions.  MHR is a very small organization - run by only 2 people who have dedicated their lives to helping these horses in need.  I want to continue to help as much as I can.  For more information, please visit and "Like" their Face book page.  

If you have a few minutes to spare, please take the time to watch this video of the horses at MHR.  They are thriving here!  I hope to see these furbabies in person again soon!

The Giveaway
Yes - a Cindy Wimmer link has been included in this bracelet giveaway!  Gorgeous organic turquoise glass beads by LyndasLampwork.  I have made this link a few times now - this time I made the Stitched Infinity Link with sterling silver with sterling silver "stitches", because, one can never have too much silver!!  This is an ADJUSTABLE bracelet, too!  Fits a wrist diameter of 6 1/2" all the way to 8" if necessary!  I added a sterling silver heart charm to the handmade chain section - and placed some "love knot" links made of jump rings in between the beads.  It seems fitting that I call this bracelet Love Until Infinity.

How to Enter

1.  Leave a comment on this blog post - Equals 1 entry

2.  Post a link to this blogpost on Facebook - Equals 1 entry

3.  Go to my shop on Etsy (link here) and PIN an item to your Pinterest Board - Equals 1 entry

For each task above, you must leave a separate comment on my blog!!  I will choose a winner via Random Organizer by next Thursday.   Lastly, make sure your contact email is "turned on" or leave me your email address so that I can contact the winner!!

Thank you for stopping by - and thank you for helping me to spread the word!

xo

Patti