conference in Ann Arbor

So Thursday I had another FAS conference, but this one was in Ann Arbor Mi.  I was invited to speak, along with 2 other individuals with FAS. We talked about what our lives are like living with FAS.
We left for Ann Arbor  very early in the morning to be there by 7.  Thou our we did present till the end of the conference. My mom and I went to some break out sessions. We had a lot of  doctors and other professionals speak.  and I enjoy them. 
I also brought my cards and my photo album of pictures of my jewelry, I didn't have had time to sell my jewelry, so that's why I just brought pictures. 

Well on another note. I started back to work at the greenhouse beginning of this week. and I have had a pretty busy week.   We are now into fall, though sometimes the weather doesn't feel like it.

Pictures coming soon.

back from camp

So this weekend I was in Ohio at an FAS camp/conference.  I had a great time. and met a lot of new people.  I learned a lot. we had some professionals come and talk to us about, our brain, and how it works. some one came and talked about how to manage anger/anxiety before it controls us.  the managing anxiety was very helpful for me. 
 we had a time during Friday and Saturday to do crafts. I did my beading, and another lady did painting t-shirts.  Also I sold several of my bracelets.  I am pretty happy about that. 

I have another conference coming up next week, that I was invited to speak at.  so I am looking forward to that. 

lot's of events coming up

Its been a while, but I am starting to get busy again. 
   Yesterday, I was at the market selling my jewelry again. and sold a few bracelets.

In  about a week I am going to another Fetal Alcohol Syndrome camp. But this time its in Ohio.  A weekend fun and learning camp. and I am going to bring my jewelry to sell there. and during a free time, there will be a craft time. and I am bring my bead and supplies. so I can teach others how to do beadwork.

Then in September, I was invited to speak at a FAS task force conference in Ann Arbor MI.  so that is a honor and privilege. and I am also bring my jewelry to possibly sell there.   Oh and September 9 is national Fetal Alcohol Syndrome awareness day. 

I have been working on my paper bead bracelets and some seed bead bracelets.  and here are a few pics of what I have made.

                                                                     I bought a beading book.
                                                                        and this I saw this weave in there
                                                          and wanted to try it.  its pretty cool
                                                                  

                                                                 2 of the news paper bead bracelets I have made

Girls Gather at the Greenhouse

Last night was Koetsier's greenhouse(where I work) there annual spring event.  we have vendors, food sampling, and crafters selling there stuff.   I worked during the day and then I sold my jewelry at the event at night.  It was great. I saw a lot of people I know and sold a lot of bracelets. and gave out a lot of my cards to spread the word about FAS.   here are some pictures of bracelets and a pic of me at my table.

                                                                      a bracelet I made my mom

                                                               Bunny rings

                                                                            theres a lot of purple in this pic.

sent out more bracelets.

Just last week I sent out 60 paper bead bracelets to San Diego, CA. for the A.R.T.S (A Reason To Survive) organization. for there art fair coming up this month.  
I have been busy making beads and the bracelets all winter.  So I was able to divide up the bracelets I made and half went and half stayed and I am continuing to make more.  I am hoping to sell some of both my paper bead bracelets and my seed bead  woven bracelets, rings, necklaces this summer at a farmers. market.   If you remember in one of my posts from last year, I was selling my jewelry at a farmers market and it didn't go to well for doing the first time. but as other vendors there have told me is.  I am know and people don't know what I have to sell. and if they see you there over and over they will be expecting me to be there and wanting me to be there.  So in a way it was comforting to hear that.  So with that said I am going to try again this summer.  and I hope I can do better then last year.  We will have to see.
I haven't been called back to work yet.  though in the years past I have started the first day of spring break. which today is that day.  So I am hoping soon I will be back working. 

                                                A bracelet I made for a friend in the Philippines

                                                       a bracelet I made for my friend Kara

snow and cold

This weather we are having has kept me inside where its warm.  I have been busy working on bracelets.  I got all the ones done that I am sending to ARTS in San Diego.  though I won't be sending them out for a while. 
I have some new ideas i thought I would share with you.. First,  seedbead bookmarks.(though I am not a big reader. maybe others are.) with the wrong colored in them as well.   Second,  Just recently my nieghbor died from a long battle with Breast Cancer. I want to honor her by in some of my bracelets I will put a pink wrong colored bead. and if someone buys a bracelets or necklace or ring with that pink bead. I will have some on the money go to the breast cancer foundation.  My nieghbor was such a sweet lady, and i will miss her alot.

here are some pics of bracelets i have recently done.

Speaking of FAS...

Last week Sunday me and Rob and Tony(who have Fetal Alcohol syndrome too) spoke to a group at Rob's church about our lives with FAS.  It was educational, and informative.  And we all did well.
Last week was such a busy week for me. I didn't have much time to make many bracelets. lets alone more paper beads.  I am hoping that this week is less busy and I can get more made.  Here is to hoping.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year 2013.   Yes it has been awhile since my last blog post. but not to much has been going on.  But I did have a good Christmas and New year.   Also the best news of all is I became an aunt for the 10th time on Christmas Eve.  My sister had a beautiful baby boy. 
Lately I have been busy working on paper bead bracelets.  Getting ready for another ARTS an organization in California) art fair in April.  I am also hoping to sell my jewelry at a farmers market here in town.   So this year is looking pretty good so far.   I will have pictures up soon.

fall activities are done and so am I.

Yes I am done working. I have been for about 3 weeks now.  Lately I have been making paper beads and bracelets. And just yesterday I got a "bunch" of magazines from my aunt.  I use all sorts of paper from regular computer paper to magazines and newspaper to fun scrapbook paper. I have been asked to make more bracelets for another art fair that ARTS( in San Diego California) is having in April.
So here are some of the bracelets I have made.

from these to...

this. isn't it awesome

I thought this up all on my own.

Fall

Well I have been working now for about 3 weeks. and all is well.  Having fun with the kids and carrying out mums and pumpkins galore.
But in other news.  I just got an email today saying that all my paper bead bracelets that I sent to California
 sold. And the ARTS organization was very pleased.  and they want me to continue to make paper bead bracelet for them to sell.   I am more then willing to make more.  I enjoy doing it.

Back to work, fall activities

Yes I have started back to work Friday. And so far the two days that I have worked have gone by fast.  its good to be back.
In other news, last week Wednesday I sent out my paper bead bracelets to California.  and got an email saying they got there safely.  Now we want them to sell like hot cakes.
I am still working on bracelets and rings. but mostly the seed bead ones. Now that I am working I don't have  much time to make jewelry. Though I have finished a few bracelets that I started awhile ago including one I way making for my mom for her birthday.
Here are some pics of  what I have made lately

                                                                at the Fulton Street Market

                                                                only did the market for 3 weeks. not much luck the for my first time.

                                                                     a new kind of stitch learn online

to market to market..

To market, to market, to sell some jewelry, home again home again. with some money!:-)  well the first time selling at the market was ok. I only sold 2 paper bead bracelets. but on the up side i did hand out alot of my cards. and i met a few people who knew someone who had FAS and thought it was a great thing I was doing.
I will be at the market again this coming week Tuesday. from 8am to?
I have been making a few more rings using different bead weaving stitches.I have also been making paper bead rings. to match some of the bracelets.
 I will have pics up soon.  other then that. the time to send my other paper beads bracelets to Cal. is coming soon. I got an email as a reminder today.

Selling in Town

My friend Rob and i went to the Fulton Farmers market to see if I could get a booth so i could sell my jewelry there.  I talked someone there and before I knew it. i was approved.  So I am able to sell my jewelry at the market. I am pretty excited.  I will be down there this week Tuesday.

                                          Paper bead bracelet I made for my sister, who is a senior this year.

                                                       Can you guess what these are?

A bracelet I finally finished. 

Right Angle Weave.

 

I have been working on finishing a lot of bracelets that i have started along time ago. and making new.   

lazy summer

Well I haven't been working all July and I won't be working in August either. but will be back at the greenhouse in September.

With this time off it gives me plenty of time to: make, glaze, and create. beads and bracelets.  I just got word that the Art fair in San diago isn't till October so I have alot of time to make more.  though I have made alot already.  I will be sending 30 of the bracelets to sell.  I am still excited and happy for this opportunity.  
And as you can see I have found creative ways to display my jewelry.

Email titled "bracelets"

The other day I recieved an email from a well known doctor in the FAS world.  He knows alot about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. He was at the conference in Washington D.C. And bought some of my bracelets. some with just seed beads and some with paper beads and seed beads.
he had given one of the paper bead bracelets to a friend who works for an organization called ARTS.(A  Reason  To Survive.)  and she is interested in selling my paper bead bracelets at there artfest coming up.  and this organization is in San Diago CA.  so I am going to send  them my paper bead bracelets
for them to sell.   I am pretty excited  about this opportunity, but alittle afraid to be sending my  bracelets by themselves.  I will keep you posted.

Washington D.C. Conference

Sorry this is late, but better late then never.
So a few weeks ago my mom and I were invited to a FAS conference in Washington D.C.  We met alot of people, the Adult with FAS and the support people.  For three days we had different sessions, both together with the support people and by ourselves as the FAS Advocates.  We got to Washington D.C. a day early( monday). But the first actual day(tuesday) of the conference after a few group sesions. we all(FAS adults and the support people) took the subway to the National Mall.(where all the monuments are and the Smithsonian museum is. some people in the group wanted to go to the museum, and some wanted to see the monuments. Thats what my mom, and I, Rob and his sister did.  I saw the washington Monument, and the white house.  It was my first time in Washington D.C. so it was really cool.  I hope to go back someday to see the other monuments and the museum. 
That night  we had a poster session. and some people sold things they had made. Like me. I sold my Jewelry and made over $100. I had also brought a check for $150 from the money I made from what jewelry I had sold before the conference to give to a lady who works for NOFAS. and she also knows my friend Rob.
the other days we had sessions all day. in one of the sessions with just the Self Advocates we talked about how to get a Job.  It didn't really help me because I have a job. 
so that was pretty much it. and then we came back home on thursday night and I went to work Friday. and I have been working ever since.  My birthday was on Mother's day.
Here are some pics from the trip. and some of my paper bead bracelets

Spring has sprung?

That is a good question. one day its sunny and warm and the next its cloudy and cold, even with a little snow.  Would the weather just make up its mind. 
Well last week was Spring break for some of you.  It was for my younger siblings. So we went to Colorado to visit my brother and his family for a few days. on the way back we did some sit-seeing. and saw alot of cool things.  We even went on a tour of a cave.(one of the best things of the trip) it was a great time.

But now its back to reality oh and work. Lucky for me I don't go back til Friday.  so i am taking advantage of this time to make more paper beads.  I have made a couple bracelets with the paper beads.

In month my mom and I get the privailage to to a  National FAS conference in Washington D.C. I guess I am now part of a Self-advocate group for FAS.  Which that is what I am doing with my jewelry and my story.  We would like to prevent more babies being born with FAS.   I will also be selling my jewelry at the conference..     ( new camera takes great pics)

I am in the NOFAS newsletter

I am very privaliged to be in featured in this news letter and get the word out about FAS.
http://www.nofas.org/living/ErinD.aspx
check it out.

NOFAS interview

A few weeks ago I was previlaged to have a phone interview with a lady from NOFAS(National Organization for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome)  this interview, or should I say my story of what its like living with FAS. Is going to be on there electronic newsletter.  Yesterday the lady that interviewed me sent me the completed interview so I see if everything I said was right.  my interview is going to be in there news letter next week monday. and I think it will be up there for the month of March.  So this is another way of spreading the word about FAS.  I will have a link to it soon.  I am so excited, because I am going to be known nationally. Not just statewide.  
What I have been doing lately, well mostly making paper beads and crocheting. I have been getting some colored ones too from a lady at church. 
Oh and did I mention that in May my mom and I will be going to a FAS conference in Washington D.C.
for three days. I am excited about that too. because I might be selling my jewelry there. 

I wish I had pics to post, but have a broken camera. Hopefully I will get a new one soon. 

branching out.

My blog was mainly for the beadwoven jewelry I made. and for FAS awareness. though that is still the case. and the title was merely a pun. but now its not.  I am doing more craft things other then beaded jewelry.  I am crocheting with plastic bags, making small bags, purses, placemats, door mats.  and i might sell those too.  but just this week I have been interested in making paper beads.  and make jewelry with those.  I have been making them out of the scrapbook paper I have. I really don't scrapbook much anymore.(though I have TONS of pictures yet to get in a book.)  I think the designs on the paper is fun. I have made alot of paper beads in the last couple of days. I have some that have bugs on them, music notes, and stripes.  I will have pictures up soon.  Tomorrow is the phone conference for NOFAS I am looking forward to it.