Paper Bead Crochet at King's Guild Christmas Gift Sale

Ugandan paper beads - beautiful jewelry made from scraps of paper and bits of glue, handcrafted by people living in a world which contrasts starkly against the reality of our own. Every market day, every necklace sold means another opportunity to provide for a family. To eat. To live.

Multi -tasking: laundry day and market day!

My niece and nephew were born in Uganda and joined our family through adoption. They lived in an orphanage for a period of time under the watchful eyes of the "Mommies", women responsible for the care and wellbeing of the children. These women supplement their income by making jewelry, handbags, aprons and other goods. 

Esther in her shop

My sister and a handful of women in our church have been supporting them since 2009 by selling their craft items here in Canada. All of the profits from the craft sales here are sent back to the women who made the jewelry. 

My task the last couple of weeks was to come up with some new ways to use these beads. My sister made some gorgeous stitch markers, and I decided to try to incorporate the beads into a swatch of crochet. After attempting a few different methods (and hunting down bandaids for numerous bleeding fingers) I settled on a system for getting the beads onto the yarn and moved on to dressing up a few wallets and handbags.

Need stocking stuffers? Here is a sneak peak of what I've been working on! 

Paper beads crocheted into seam of zippered Sunburst Wristlet

In-progress, basketweave handbag

Lining... zipper...back pocket...everything you need!

Needs a bead fastener perhaps? 

crayon/notebook purse

Stop by the King's Guild gift sale on November 23rd, 2013 from 10-3pm in the gym of King's University College, 9125 50th Street. Check out the necklaces and other ways we are using the Ugandan Paper Beads. If I incorporate even one bead in one of my bags, a portion of the proceeds will go to a baby home in Uganda that will forever hold a special place in our lives.