These are one of the batch gifts I made for Christmas this year. I’m calling them Friendship Bells. They were inspired by two different things. First, Prosperity Bells or Prosperity Hens, a traditional item made in India. The idea being if you have a flock of chickens, you will always be prosperous. They are usually strands of little sewn cloth chickens, interspersed with beads, usually with a bell on the end.
“The tradition of prosperity hens finds its roots in various regions across India, each with its unique interpretation and symbolism. In essence, the prosperity hen symbolizes abundance, fertility, and the promise of a bountiful future. It is believed that keeping these ornamental hens in homes brings good luck and prosperity to the household.” (From ShopNativeOnline.)
The second item I was inspired by were Good Karma Bead Strings made by Tattoo Dreams, that I saw at a craft show for the past two years. These things are HUGE. Over 6’ long, and will fit just inside a standard doorway. Giant beaded strands, with many items hand cut from wood, then stamped, and painted. The artist uses a lot of Tim Holtz stamps, along with suns, moons, hearts, letter beads, etc. Since her husband cuts the pieces, and she paints and stamps all the beads, they are also very expensive, at $350. Fair enough for all that work, but out of my price range for gifts.
So I decided to make a hybrid of the two items. I pulled out the few chunky wooden beads I had, and took a tour of Michael’s craft, stone, and ceramic beads too, where I found the stone butterflies and rainbow shapes, the wooden spools and wooden doll faces. Some items came from Fire Mountain Gems sale/clearance section, including the acrylic beads with French script on them, and the velvet hearts, as well as the roses gold chunky beads. Some of the brass bells were from Christmas decorations at Michaels, and some from Aldi.
I kinda just cleared my cutting table, and went nuts making these for a few days. I believe I made 10 or 11. A bunch in what I’m calling “Rainbow Chaos”, a few in black/white/rose gold neutral shades, and a few in cream & turquoise. I strung them on hemp, with figure-8 shaped split rings at the top (they were random stash items). I used the extra length at the top to wrap the metal split rings, to make them look a little nicer. They got a few drops of super glue where I tied off the strings, so they won’t come untied. The idea is supposed be something you can hang on a door that friends and family will come through, but I know that may not be practical for everyone, so I assured folks that they could hang them as art, or put them up in a tree or on a porch like wind chimes.
