Helping the Gulf Coast and Ring Twenty-two

Last week, Help the Gulf Coast announced that they have received approval from the National Wildlife Federation to raise funds on their behalf. Just yesterday, they made their first donation, and matched the $2000 already raised for Oxfam America. Not bad for less than two weeks of fundraising!

The collective is still going strong, with over 400 amazing handmade donations still available, and counting. Every dollar raised will go towards efforts to halt and repair the damage done by the enormous oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

Once I had sent in Ring # 17 as my donation, I couldn’t wait to get started on another piece for the cause. After hearing the great news about NWF, I thought I would celebrate with one more starfish ring. The first ring, Baby Fish Blues, had a cheerful color palette, with not-so-cheerful inspiration. This time, I thought I would use some more somber colors, to reflect how we all feel about this disaster.

Ring # 22 - Heartbreaker

I started with the starfish, and used a jet black druk with transparent smoky gray seed beads. I knew that I wanted to use a black and red palette, so all that was left was to choose the band color. When I mentally went over my red bead stash, I thought the best choice would be lustered cranberry. Imagine my delight when I opened the bead box and found a little packet of black-lined garnet 3-cuts tucked away in the corner. It was as if fate had kept me from using them up all this time. The garnet contrasts with the starfish perfectly!

You can learn more about the Help the Gulf Coast collective, and their fundraising efforts, by visiting the Help the Gulf Coast blog, or following them on Twitter. If you still haven’t shopped or donated your own handmade treasure to the cause, here are a few sites to get you motivated:

National Geographic - A photo gallery of the oil spill.
Louisiana Oil Spill 2010 Photos - Over 300 photographs with informative captions.
If it Was My Home - Type in any location to see an up-to-date size reference of the BP oil "spill".

As a tribute to Help the Gulf Coast, and all of the animals that they are helping to save, I created this Etsy treasury with my favorite sea life designs from the shop.

One Creature at a Time includes creations from these wonderful artists:

amyperrotti.etsy.com
CirclesRoundtheSun.etsy.com
iktomi.etsy.com
seabelly.etsy.com
FolkArtFromFlorida.etsy.com
HollyEdwards.etsy.com
LiaLane.etsy.com
SeaDayDesigns.etsy.com
leefee.etsy.com
arttales.etsy.com
handknitbycara.etsy.com
AjBCreations.etsy.com

I would like to send out a huge Thank You to the wonderful sellers who keep Help the Gulf Coast going, and to everyone who has donated or purchased an item for the cause. Every dollar is a drop in the bucket!

Copyright 2010
Inspirational Beading and The Sage's Cupboard
Etsy.com and IfItWasMyHome.com

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Title: Help the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Cleanup

The wildlife affected by the Gulf Coast oil spill disaster are in dire need. An estimated 47 million gallons of oil has spewed into the Gulf of Mexico from a British Petroleum oil well damaged during a platform explosion on April 20. The oil has spread across the ocean and onto shorelines along the U.S. where it's wreaking havoc with marine and wildlife populations. Pelicans struggle to free themselves from oil that's thick as tar. Dead birds, sea turtles and dolphins wash ashore. The number of dead and injured birds and marine wildlife continues to climb. The oil spill will have both short- and long-term consequences. Families, fisherman, communities, and the fragile ecosystem need as much help as possible. Through a partnership with HopeVote and Amazon, you can help provide relief from this environmental disaster, and it won't cost you a cent. Now through July 31, 2010, your purchases at Amazon made through the HopeVote website will benefit the National Wildlife Federation and the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund. For every purchase made, 1.5 to 3 percent of your total will be donated to help people and wildlife affected by the Gulf oil spill. To participate in HopeVote, shoppers simply navigate to www.hopevote.com, where a special link takes them to the familiar Amazon storefront. Any purchases they make after following this link will count towards the fundraiser benefiting the Gulf Coast. The disaster continues to escalate, but by shopping at HopeVote, you can help the restoration and rehabilitation efforts put forth by these two organizations. Gulf Coast Oil Spill Cleanup The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has organized and deployed a volunteer network to monitor the Gulf Coast for the wildlife impacted by the oil spill. NWF is also leading the effort to restore delicate breeding and nesting grounds along the coast, in addition to educating the public about the oil spill's repercussions. The Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund is fighting the short-term effects by giving emergency grants to non-profit organizations dedicated to helping victims of the Gulf oil spill. The fund will also fight the long-term effects by addressing environmental, economic, cultural issues of the disaster, and strengthening communities across the coast against future disasters by investing in solutions. Clayton Somera, HopeVote co-founder. "We want people to know that with the vast amounts of Amazon shoppers a big difference can be made, with the HopeVote fundraiser, in the Gulf Coast Oil Spill cleanup. The best part of the deal is making a difference in the lives and livelihood of this devastated community, basically, at no cost! The appreciation and gratitude from the recipients of the raised funds is immense." About HopeVote HopeVote gives Amazon shoppers a way to make a difference. Every purchase from Amazon will help a fundraiser for great charities. This cost Amazon shoppers nothing extra; in fact, shoppers can actually save money through HopeVote's Amazon coupons section. When you think Amazon, think HopeVote! Media Contact: Clayton Somera www.hopevote.com Phone: (707) 712-0633 Email: clayton@hopevote.com