I love to work with other creatives. Isn’t it great to see how one idea leads to another when we put our heads together? And it’s even better when it happens spontaneously! This is how “Bead more peace!” started.
So, this is what happened in a nutshell so far:
- Laura Zeiner started to “bead bomb” her surroundings and wrote an article about it on Marcia DeCoster’s BeadLove blog.
- Marcia DeCoster (together with her husband Mark) designed an awesome Cubic Right Angle Wave peace sign to help raise funding for the research of Alzheimer.
- I saw Laura’s article and decided to join in the “guerrilla beading” movement. My first project was a beaded medallion inspired by the Orient. I attached it to a well behind Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.
- After seeing the Istanbul medallion, my friend Char Reese-Oxford had an idea to start a movement:
Let’s bead bomb the world with peace signs!
I think it’s a brilliant idea, and as soon as I read Char’s comment below my picture I knew where would I like to hang my first beaded peace sign. In 2015 I moved to The Netherlands, to Amsterdam, and since then I am doing my best to explore the city, find hidden places and learn about its history. Since its founding in the 13th century it became the most liberal city in the world, and refugees were and are seeking shelter here for several hundred years already. Jews fleeing persecution during the pogroms in Spain and Portugal found a safe place in Amsterdam in the past. Some of my friends with Serbian origins came here to save their lives during the Yugoslavian war. Nowadays people affected by the troubles in Syrian are finding a new home here.
And of course, Jews running from the Nazi party and Hitler during WWII, between them the girl who became probably the best known teenager ever, Anne Frank. Her family hoped to find here a safe haven (or otherwise travel further to London or America), however, the fast changes of the situation and a letter (an “invitation” to a work camp) addressed to Anne’s older sister, Margot forced the family to go into hiding.
Many people come to Amsterdam to visit the museum and the so called “secret annex”, the hidden part of the warehouse of Opekta, the company where Anne’s father used to work. However, not many know about the statue of the slender young girl, standing on the other side of her beloved Wester church. This is the place I chose to hang the peace sign.
I quickly bought Marcia’s pattern and beaded my first peace symbol from a shiny, metallic turquoise colour (11/0 Miyuki round seed beads in Galvanized Seafoam). Amsterdam is infamous about its rainy, windy weather, however, after a cold summer we were lucky to enjoy a few days of beautiful autumn. After a short bike ride (Yes, we really go everywhere by bike, and yes, the canals are just as beautiful in real life as on all the super kitschy pictures on Instagram.) I said hello to Anne, and attached the sign to the fence right behind her. To make it easier I beaded a strap from the same size and colour with right angle wave, one side already attached to the outer edge of the sign. It was a bit too long to simply connect, but by doubling it I didn’t have to spend time with ripping apart the extra length.
Wouldn’t it be nice to “bead bomb” the world with peace signs,
and focus more on positive thoughts and friendships instead of building walls?
If you would like to join, get Marcia’s pattern (http://etsy.me/2kD0hwh), bead a sign around something in your city and take a picture!
Please use the hashtag #beadmorepeace, so we can all see each other’s photos. I am counting on you 😉
Erika
P.S.: Check out Marcia DeCoster’s article: Bead bombing with peace!
P.S.2: #beadmorepeace on Instagram
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