Bead Blessing Ceremonies
Wisdom, Wishes, and Love . . . One Bead at a Time
About Lisa O’Brien, S&A Sales Associate
A bead blessing ceremony can add heart-felt and enduring significance to your event. Traditionally this type of “ceremony” is conducted for expectant mothers, but it can be used at any gathering intended to honor any one . . . or any thing.
I incorporated a bead blessing ceremony into a baby shower for my daughter -in-law, Kelly. Typically, guests are asked to bring a bead to the event. However, in this case, I took advantage of my employment with S&A Beads and borrowed a large plastic container filled with beads. As the guests arrived, I gave them the container and asked them to make their selection.
When it was time for the ceremony, the guests took turns presenting their beads to Kelly with some words of encouragement or advice. It was wonderful how the beads “spoke” to many guests, helping them formulate their words of wisdom.
After the shower, I asked Cheryl Moody, S&A’s senior designer, to string the beads. Because they were irregular in shape and hole size, she strung the beads with knotting cord and then connected the knotting cord to a piece of soft suede. Cheryl took care to ensure the final strand was as tactile as possible.
I don’t expect that Kelly will wear these beads as a necklace. I do hope that she will keep them close as a remembrance of the wisdom, wishes, and love of her family and friends. Want to host a bead blessing ceremony? Contact S&A Beads. We can help you plan the ceremony, and, after the event, string your beads for an enduring keepsake.
Three-year-old Rowan was thrilled to have the job of collecting the beads in a brass bowl.
The bowl emanated a cheerful ker-plunk each time a bead was added.
Two guests selecting their special bead.
The final result!
We're in the Post!
Photo by Sarah Voisin/The Washington Post
We're in the Post!
Check out this week's Local Living section written by post writer Jura Koncius (March 27, 2014). There's also an awesome Takoma Park shops slideshow on their page. Check it out here!
Trade Beads at the Victoria & Albert Museum
Kathleen Fern, my bride of two years, shared this link to the website of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, one of the world's great museums."Look," she said, "they have your beads." And indeed, while S & A Beads doesn't have all the beads shown on the V & A trade bead site, we have a lot of them. And many more like them. Collectors of trade beads and other antiques will be delighted with the photos and history the V & A offers.
Compare our trade bead collection here, to theirs here.
Read their article online here.
Photos from Victoria & Albert Museum article. March 2014.
Republic Beaded Lamps by S&A Beads
The big news in Takoma Park, MD these days is the opening of the Republic Restaurant, a place for fine dining and lovely décor, just a few doors down from our shop.
S & A Beads is proud to have had a hand in enhancing the décor, in particular the distinctive lamps that hang above the bar. The metal base of the lamp shades pictured here were found by one of the restaurant’s owners in an antique store some years ago. They evidently were parts of World War II airplane fuselages. These found objects found a new purpose as lamp shades when the restaurant opened. To balance the distinctly masculine character of the metal pieces, restaurant interior designer Molly Allen decided to add short strings of glass beads with a deep red and crystal theme. And she called upon S & A Beads to help her realize her vision.
Our Senior Artist, Cheryl Moody, fabricated 250 small strands, no two of which are the same, with each strand length varying, giving an overall wave effect. She was ably assisted by S & A Beads’ Emily Silverman and Carlista Martin. The beads add sparkle and femininity to the lamps, reflect the brilliant color palette of the entire restaurant, and echo the unique Takoma Park vibe.
Beaded lamps feature colors of deep red, clear crystal, blush pink, iridescent lavender, enameled cloisonné beads, brass and silver wire wrapping, and Austrian and Chinese leaded glass crystals, in pear shapes, tear drops and faceted spheres.
We are grateful to the Republic for giving us the chance to help solve their design and ornamentation challenges.
| Some other unique restaurants within a short walk from our shop are: |
| Mark's Kitchen |
| Takoma Bistro |
| Capital City Cheesecake |
|
Middle East Cuisine & Olive Lounge |
| Roscoe's Neapolitan Pizzeria |
So when you visit us at S & A Beads in Takoma Park, MD, whether to browse our fabulous collection or to solve your own design challenges, why not make a day of it with a fine meal!
Happy 2014 everybody!
6929 Laurel Ave. Takoma Park, M.D.