Blog of the Week: Charitable Creations

This week's featured blogger is Shelly. Not only is she a blogger, she also has her own jewelry business. Shelly blogs at Charitable Creations, and you can see her designs online at CharitableCreationsJewelry.com.



Tell me a little about yourself and your blog.
I am a mother of four wonderful boys. I have two sons of my own and two stepsons. For the last 5 years I have been a stay at home mom and well as you can imagine living with all men, I needed something to feed my need for femininity. That's where my blog comes in. I have always had a love for creating and putting things together and not too long ago I started creating jewelry. My blog Charitable Creations, though fairly new, is my place to write about my jewelry creations. I also wanted to help other mom owned and hand made businesses gain more exposure, so I started a weekly Etsy shop feature and I post about giveaways I may find around the web. My blog is basically an extension of my business and the communities I have found while trying to build a successful business.

You also own a business. Tell, Tell!
I started Charitable Creations Jewelry in August of this year. I love making jewelry and for a while it was just a way for me to pass the time and make jewelry for family and friends. Then this summer my sons gave me the idea to turn into a business. As I'm sure most people do, I always wanted to own my own shop, be my own boss but at the same time was a little scared to. Finally I just did it and I love it. I make all kinds of jewelry. I just love so many different things that I could not stay with just one type of media or design. I create personalized hand stamped jewelry and sterling silver and copper designs as well. I love to do custom orders so that is always an option for customers. I only use the highest quality materials in my designs and I try to keep my prices very competitive. I enjoy what I do and take a lot pride in my work and want people to be able to afford what I have to offer without sacrificing quality or craftsmanship.

I chose the name Charitable Creations because I decided that while I obviously wanted to make a living from it, I also wanted it to help others in some way. I decided to donate 10% of all sales to charities. But I wanted the funds to go to more than one or two charities that chose. I wanted it to go to charities that meant something to everyone; to my customers. So I searched and researched many different charities and organizations to come up with a starter list of charities that my customers can choose from. There are hundreds of charities out there and I could not possibly list every single one, so I have a form that visitors or customers may fill out to have a charity added to the list if theirs is not listed already. This way everyone has a choice as to where the 10% of their order will be donated.

What charities do you donate to?
So far there are 30 charities on the list. I'm hoping as my business continues to grow, that the charity list will as well. So far we have the following charities to choose from:

* Action Against Hunger
* Air Force Aid Society
* American Humane Association
* Army Emergency Relief
* ASPCA
* Autism Speaks
* Breast Cancer Research Foundation
* Cancer Research Institute
* Child Find of America
* Christian Foundation for Children and Aging
* Coast Guard Mutual Assistance
* Crohn's and Colitis Foundation
* Habitat for Humanity
* International Peace Institute
* Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund
* Make a Wish Foundation
* MSPCA
* National Alliance to end Homelessness
* National Canine Cancer Institute
* National Childhood Cancer Foundation
* National Federation of the Blind
* National Organization for Rare Disorders
* Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
* Operation Shoebox
* Ronald McDonald House
* Shriners Hospital
* St. Judes
* The Conservation Fund
* The Hunger Project
* United States Fund for UNICEF
* William J. Clinton Foundation
* Wounded Warrior Project
* YMCA of the United States

What do you do in your free time?
Free Time? I wish! I do steal some now and again. When I do I spend it with my family. We like going to the movies, sporting events, concerts and relaxing at home baking or watching a movie. Yes, my boys love to learn to cook and bake. Things are a little hectic right now with my two oldest getting ready for college. They just grow up so fast!

What are your goals for next year?
My goal for next year is to have a thriving business that raises lots of money for charities.





Want to be Blogger of the Week?
Would you like to be featured here as Blogger of the Week? Simply fill out this form and I'll contact you when it's your week!


Stay tuned for next week's blogger, Mommy Loves Giveaways!