This was my weekend project - prayer beads. The aim of the beads is to keep you focused during prayer. I now understand why so many different cultures (Hinduism/Buddhism/various tribes beliefs worldwide/Catholicism/Judaism) have some form of bead/hand held aid to assist in meditation. The workshop was tons of fun and it was fascinating to see what different beads represent to different people.
The beads on the left are me (amber), Mr Catty (tiger's eye - the color of his eyes), a marbly green brown for our friends, an exotic turquoise embellished bead for our life mission, and an agate fish to keep us focused on who's really important.
The middle strand is Colossians 1:10-12 in bead form.
The strand on the right is my family, starting with the crystal bead at the top for my grandmother, the hexagonal fluorite bead for my immediate family, the red bead for my father (cherry Lifesavers in church), the multifaceted peacock blue bead for my mom, the green beach glass bead is me, the blue unusual bead is one brother, the long skinny wood bead is the other brother, the blue green zircon bead is my sister, and the teardrop shaped peridot bead is for my cat children, past and present.