St. Patrick's Day

My dad loved St. Patrick’s Day- “Kiss me I am Irish” pins, green t-shirts with witty sayings, top hats and shamrock glasses would proudly be displayed.

Dad would come marching down the hall and start singing and dancing. The smile on his face and ornery look in his eyes was priceless. My mom would laugh and call him her “Old hard headed Irishman” (endearingly of course) as he danced and sang his Irish jig.

What is it about St. Patrick’s Day that people enjoy so much? I am pretty sure it isn’t the historical or religious facts. When push comes to shove I believe most people are just looking for a reason to have fun.

As my dad would say, “Cut loose and have fun, it doesn’t matter who is watching. People will either like you or not, so you may as well be yourself.”

My father has been gone for almost 2 years now, but his orneriness lives on in each of his children and grandchildren. To represent him in “my story”, I have chosen the Reflection Beads Celtic Knot. Although the true meaning of the Celtic Knot is not clear, I am going with the belief that it stands for the “timeless nature of our spirit”.

On St. Patrick’s Day cut loose and have fun - Wear green to avoid being pinched, and give a big green beer cheer to the “Old Hard Headed Irishman”, in the sky.


Ann with Reflections

Bead Types and Tips

Silver and Gold Beads
Spacers, Themed Beads and Bali Beads

-Use these to create a unique touch to the bracelet. They can be as versatile as you would like for them to be.

-Use as few or as many of these as you desire.

Bead Types/Sizes and Tips

Swavorski Crystal Beads - 4 rows of crystals, approximately 8.5mm hole to hole, x 12mm

Hand-Blown Glass Beads - 8mm hole to hole x 13mm. These are smaller than the Italian Murano Beads,but do look nice when combined together.

Dichroic Glass Beads - multiple sizes multicolor metallic looking glass beads. These look great when placed with silver space and themed beads.

Murano Glass Beads- 11mm hole to hole x 13.5mm. These are a little larger than the Hand-Blown Glass Beads.



More Tips
Each person has their own "Flair" - I have listed a few suggestions below on my own personal experience and opinion:

-If you are going to keep with a color theme, be creative with the colors you choose.

-Each bead is unique and there may be variations in color. Choose colors that "Go" together.

-Different size beads create character and look fabulous when placed together.

-Can be separated with a Spacer, Themed or Bali Beads

-Create balance by alternating larger and smaller beads

-Placing a Clip or Gripper at both ends will keep the beads from sliding



Do you have tips and trick that work for you? Please feel free to share with us what works for you.


Ann with Reflection Beads

Love for Basketball

It starts with the National Anthem, the feeling that you may be sick, the butterflies in your stomach, the inability to stand still, warming up and stretching out. You know you are going to win, you can feel it in your bones. You look up into the crowd; all you can see is a wave of fans going wild in your school colors. The whistle blows and the tip-off starts the game. This match is going to be tougher than you thought. Trading basket for basket, you are almost out of breath and breaking a sweat. And then…a commercial… Phew….You can finally go in the kitchen and get a drink of water. March Madness has begun…

Sports bars are packed, brackets are filled out, televisions are taken over, and the smash mouthing begins, all in the name of friendly college basketball competition. Sports have always been a part of my life. Being the youngest of five children, it seemed forever before I was finally old enough to start playing on a team and not just sitting with my mom, watching as my siblings played. Once I started playing there was no going back - I fell in love with each sport I played. I remember playing in a basketball game with only a few seconds left on the clock. The ball was passed to me and I heaved the ball in the air from half court in a last second effort to tie the game. It seemed as if everything went quiet. Then, as the ball went swooshing through the net, everyone went crazy, jumping and screaming as if I had won the NCAA tournament. I do not remember who won that game, but I do remember making that shot. For a brief second it seems as if time stood still. I was 10 years old at the time and that day couldn’t have been better….. and so my love for basketball began.

For all of my fellow sports fans, keep an eye on the Reflection Beads website because

---The Reflection Beads Licensed Collegiate Series is coming soon.

Ann with Reflection Beads