Beads and friends...

Do you ever virtually connect with someone and even though you've been internet pals for years and have never met them, you know that you were destined to know one another?

I'd like you all to know my friend Reena a bit better. I met Reena on etsy shortly after I moved to Germany in 2013. I was drawn to Kisii Handmade, her shop, because it was filled with colourful glass beads that were either recycled or simply from a number of different countries. Her aesthetic perfectly matched mine. Her pieces capture my love of travel and my love of recycling/up-cycling.

Reena sent me a lovely mint green recycled bead glass bracelet, and then she sent me an Ethiopian prayer bead bracelet, and then she sent me some Mayan hot chocolate from a chocolate shop that I'd once visited in the Distillery District of Toronto and totally loved. As the years went by, we became pals and she quickly became my go-to person any time I'm in the market for a gift for my mum. Reena's pieces are most definitely hand crafted with a lot of love. She chooses beads that tell stories when she creates her finished pieces and there is definitely something to be said for that.

I recently had her make a black lava bead mala for my mum's birthday, but Reena took it a step further and made me a necklace and bracelet as well. If I haven't yet conveyed that she truly puts a lot of time and thought into the pieces that she makes, let me tell you that this necklace uses beads that are the colours that I wear the most often.

... and truly, her heart is in a wonderful place. She donates $1 from each item sold to the Desmoid Tumor Foundation of Canada and since 2012 has been able to donate over $2,000! Please take some time to click over to her shop! In addition to beads, she makes some adorable charm necklaces, ceramic pieces, and she is happy to take custom orders!