finally!

a month ago i wrote about wanting to run a fundraiser to help people in the gulf affected by the bp oil spill and hurricane katrina, people who are struggling to keep their pets.

to me, this is a devastating thought, having to relinquish your pet because you can no longer afford to care for them….and this is happening to so many people in the gulf.

unfortunately, spay and neuter programs are scarce as they are lacking the funds and “no kill” shelters are few and far between in the gulf right now. too many mouths to house…so to speak and so many people out of work are struggling to keep their four legged children.

thanks to all who responded when i asked for advice on this. i had been researching organizations, but not really getting the “feel” for any of them.
(thanks also to those who raised my awareness about the mis-allocation of funds by some larger orgs– i didn’t know!)

one of the kind people who responded to my post had just seen a segment on the Saint Bernard Parish SPCA, a shelter doing amazing work in really challenging times, and after checking them out online, i am really moved by their passion and mission. Please check out

Friends of the Animal Shelter of St. Bernard Parish!

not only are they actively working with their community to help people care for their pets in a time of crisis, they are also ardently working to achieve  another ideal of mine when it comes to animal rescue, a “no kill” status in their shelter.

“We will not give up until our shelter achieves a ZERO euthanasia rate for every healthy, adoptable dog and cat in their care. Warehousing animals will not work; less pets born and more adoptions will! You can be a part of the solution, too!”

as a former non profiteer (the jarvis reilly foundation, san diego 2000-2007), i think this shelter  is really making a difference, so

30% of all  jewellery purchased from heather-reilly.com/shop will be sent directly to the Friends of the Animal Shelter of St. Bernard !!

all custom commissions (wedding rings, too!), all ready to wear wishbones, om pendants, runes and peace sign jewellery, from now until i don’t know when– 30% of the sale will go to animals in the gulf through the Friends of the Animal Shelter of St. Bernard.

(i just cleaned the studio before diving back in (took the kids east for a grandparent holiday!) and have a few “sample sale” items appearing here over the next week that will be fair game, too)

for lots of us right now, life isn’t leaving much extra to help out the people, animals and organizations who need it in the wake of the gulf oil spill.  i would send millions if i had it already, but as a jeweller who is also a full-time mom right now, i need your help to send anything.

need a unique gift? time to spoil someone you love? early holiday shopping?

include yourself here :) and help me make a difference!

be beautiful and be so well,

heather

PS the direct link to my online store is heather-reilly.com/shop !

i make peace signs every week. next to my custom designed jewelry, peace sign jewelry is my most popular request.
 

so what makes this particular peace sign so special?
 
the man who it was made for.
 
one morning a couple of weeks ago, i received a call from a gentleman looking for peace sign jewelry. he had a 60 s peace sign back in the day, is well versed in the history of peace sign, and has a deep respect for custom made jewelry. what makes him so special to me? the grace and eloquence with which he conversed and the profound message he shared.
 
nine years ago my new friend went into the hospital for routine surgery. a grave error occurred and he was given a large dose of a medication, not meant for his condition. the medication went to his brain and emergency brain surgery was performed.
 
his speech is slow and labored, he has difficultly giving simple information such as his address and phone number. and yet, he is so kind and forgiving. his message to me was simple. never, ever, underestimate the power of the brain. in the initial stages of recovery, he could not communicate at all, yet he could understand everything. (bear this in mind if you ever are visiting someone in a coma!).
 
be so gentle with those who seem less intelligent, for inside there may be someone who understands and feels so much more than they are able to express. the brain is so complicated…
 
so when i forged my new friend his 60’s peace sign, i wanted to add something special, to let him know that his message touched me in a special way. i am a cancer survivor, as they say, and i am one of the “lucky ones”, so i wanted to thank him for sharing with me.
 
i forged a handmade “s” clasp and welded it onto the chain. it is a little expression (and we didn’t even photograph it), but he should receive it on monday.
i so hope that his new custom handmade jewelry, forged by fire brings him as much peace as the information he shared with me.
 
peace, love and compassion to all,
 
heather
 

i almost forgot about making these entirely, since I don’t wear many earrings myself and I hadn’t had an order for them since we switched over the site from the old marketplace one to the new blog set-up, and the old earring listings came down off the net.

anyway, shortly after we got the peace sign jewelry page of the new shoppping cart set up here with Wordpress, I was very happy to hear from a repeat client saying how much she wanted another pair of these! (she had been unable to find my old listings on Google this year and had lost email info, but came across the new site- finally. John assures me this will never happen again…)

so now i like these better than i remember liking them before, so up they go.

peace sign earrings

my original small peace sign earrings in sterling, with a simple sterling wire, now available exclusively online at heather-reilly.com!

testing jewelry photo slideshow display and organization feature with my hand forged peace sign pendants. check it out:

[album: http://www.heather-reilly.com/sdmetalsmith/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/peace-sign-jewelry/]

after a lot of experimentation and research into what works best for publishing pictures and information about my custom jewelry work, and what has worked best for my followers and readers, John and I have decided on WordPress as the best foundation for a complete and easy to use online portfolio of past work, from engagement and wedding ring commissions to my ready to wear peace sign, wishbone, and om pendants, soon to be available online here in clean, easy to use online shopping interface.