Item:  Purple Day Earrings
Seller: NewHopeBeading

While searching on Etsy for an item to feature, I came across this seller (NewHopeBeading).  The shop has a really interesting story behind it, and I wanted to share it with you!  Below is an interview with Caroline, the owner of NewHopeBeading:

1.  How did your Etsy shop get started?

Newhopebeading started shortly after my daughter, Samantha, was diagnosed with epilepsy. In the early days following her diagnosis, making jewelry kept me from worrying about her. She had been injured during her first seizure, which happened at school. I found that it is impossible to make jewelry and worry at the same time, because you need to focus on what you are doing. Soon, more and more people started asking me to make them jewelry. My husband started to kid with me that I should start a company.

2.  How did you pick your Etsy shop’s name?

So many people ask me about the name newhopebeading. After her diagnosis, Sam and I both had bracelets (made by someone else) that had charms that said, “Hope”. In the span of 1 week, our “Hope” charms fell off a total of 4 times! I am not usually superstitious, but because Sam was about to go into the hospital for testing, I of course, saw it as some terrible omen…all “Hope” was lost. The 4th time my charm actually fell into the heating vent of my car. I still don’t get how that happened! It was then that it hit me. All “Hope” was not lost. I was just not paying attention. All that was missing was a big hand pointing to the word “HOPE” telling me I should take my husband’s suggestion seriously. That is how newhopebeading was born.

3.  What do you think the average person doesn’t know about epilepsy?

I knew that I would use the skills I had acquired as a way to be an Epilepsy Advocate. Even today, epilepsy is a topic that people shy away from. This stigma keeps people from seeking treatment and makes them feel alone. They are not alone. Epilepsy affects 3 million Americans and 50 million people worldwide. That is more than MS, Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy and Parkinson’s disease combined!

To hear their stories, visit www.epilepsyadvocates.com and click “Meet the Advocates.” Someday, your neighbor or coworker or your child’s friend may be affected. Having visited, you will know more about epilepsy. Several people have contacted me through my shop to tell me that they were able to pass the link (which I keep in my announcements) on to a friend or relative who was newly diagnosed with epilepsy.

4.  Why do the earrings called the “Purple Day” earrings?

We opened shop the last week of February and since we are not going to be able to make it to the Walk for Epilepsy in DC this year, we decided to make earrings for Purple Day. March 26th is Purple Day. Purple Day is a grassroots movement to raise awareness about epilepsy. For more info see www.purpleday.org and wear purple that day!

5.   What should we know about the earrings?

Sam designed a pair of purple earrings whose sale price would be 100% donated to the Epilepsy Foundation of NJ. The first and second pairs have sold and we are on Purple Day Earrings-Take 3 at this writing. We are hoping to feature one pair of earrings a month that will be 100% donated to the Epilepsy Foundation if our other sales allow us to be able to continue with such donations. In between, we donate 5% of all purchases to the Epilepsy Foundation of NJ.

6.   What are some things Sam likes to do?

These are the things Sam “hearts”:

• NYC
• American Girl
• Nancy Drew
• Roald Dahl
• Writing for the school newspaper
• Art club
• Science
• Gemstones
• And finally… Blowing bubbles with gum!