Etsy Favorite: Sweet Charity Designs - Art Helping to Educate -

Sweet Charity Designs

Handmade jewelry from freshwater pearls and genuine stone



This Etsy shop is close to my heart because it is MINE!  Since I became pregnant with my son close to seven years ago I have been making and selling jewelry, donating 100% of the proceeds to causes close to my heart.  By working with Sister Mary Clement of the Sisters of Saint Casimir I have raised close to $10,000 for the scholarship fund at Maria High School on the South Side of Chicago where I formally taught. I always thought of Maria High School as an oasis in the inner city because it was a safe please for girls to go to school and reach their full potential.  Sister Clement and I make quite a team!  I purchase the materials and create the jewelry, and she attends craft shows all over the Chicago area selling it.



Although I am still raising money for the scholarship fund Sister Clement campaigns for, the items currently in my Etsy Shop were made to raise money in support of my son's former preschool teacher's mission trip to Haiti.  She will be working with the Brad Reddick School in Savanette, Haiti. As soon as I found out she was going I volunteered to raise funds. It means a ton to me to be able to support such an amazing woman and I am so happy that the many students at the Brad Reddick School will have the priceless opportunity to learn from her.


Please spread the word about what I am trying to accomplish.  My jewelry is made from quality genuine stone, glass and freshwater pearls and each piece is created by me by hand.  A piece of jewelry from Sweet Charity Designs makes the perfect "gift that gives back" so please think of us when you are looking for a special gift for someone!  I have also been commissioned to do jewelry for weddings, proms and other special occasions.



Making jewelry is one of my favorite stress relievers and I love that I can use my talent to help others.  If you have an idea for how to help me promote my cause, please email me at kerry (at) bellflowerbooks (dot) com.

Great Quote to add to a Wedding Themed book!

We have many customers who create a Bellflower Book as an exceptionally meaningful wedding gift for someone special in their lives.  I saw this quote on Pinterest and thought it would make a great page in a wedding or engagement themed book!

Guest Post Series - My Birth Story

My Birth Story

by,

Barbara Clemont - Ferrand of the blog Footprints in the Sand 

 The Survival of an American Wife and Mother in France

When my first son was born I took the time to write down all of those details that I didn’t want to forget – time we arrived at the hospital, time of birth, length, weight – all those things that seem important at the time.  I never took the time, however, to write down the emotion of the day. 

In a way it all still seems like a blur, even two year later.  My son decided to make his arrival a month before his due date.   I had no idea I was in labor and thankfully my husband urged us to rush to the hospital or I might have given birth at home.

The moment the midwife informed me that the baby would be arriving that day, fear kicked in.  Not the fear of having a baby, but the fear about having a healthy baby. All around us the nurses were preparing for the worst – incubators and the like.  They were very honest that the baby was premature and he might be born with complications.  This was certainly not what an emotional woman in labor needed to hear.

After the epidural calmed my physical pain, everyone in the room disappeared to let my husband and I get some rest.  In those moments of calm my husband sat next to me holding my hand.  This was definitely not how either of us had expected this experience to happen.

In those moments I realized that it would be the last time that it would ever be just the two of us.  As I closed my eyes I could hear the machine slowly humming the baby’s heart rate.  The sound was so rhythmic and warm, bringing us reassurance that we would be able to get through it.

After a few hours the doctors and nurses were back in the room guiding me through the birthing process.  Through it all, my husband’s hand never left mine.  And in a matter of minutes our son, Nathan, was born. 

Before I could lay eyes on our son, I turned to my husband who had tears in his eyes.  The love for his son was instantaneous and I suddenly began to cry.  I had so much love for the moment; so much love for my husband, for my son.

After a few moments they placed my son on my chest, and I was flooded.  In one instant I had become a mother; we had become a family.

Looking back now, I wouldn’t change a thing; the magical moment of being just two people and suddenly becoming three.  The notion of family suddenly changed and we had all of the family we could have ever needed in that room.

To hear more from Barbara check out her blog Footprints in the Sand, Facebook Page, and follow her on Pinterest  and Twitter

If you are interested in sharing a birth or wedding story with us, please contact kerry (at) Bellflowerbooks (dot) com

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