Amanda Pearl

Celebrate Earth Day with a BeadforLife Necklace

Jewelry for a cause doesn't always have to be clunky and obvious. Naturally, it's good to let people know you're supporting a cause, but if you're too showy about it, you just look silly. This year, celebrate Earth Day both subtly and elegantly with a BeadforLife necklace by Amanda Pearl.

BeadforLife is an organization which employs Ugandan women, allowing them to earn money by turning colorful recycled paper into beads. The organization provides regular income to hundreds of women, including 150 who graduated from their training program for self-sufficiency.

We asked hip young Seattle designer Amanda Pearl Brotman, whose Clutches for a Cause we featured last year, how she got involved with BeadforLife:

"I learned about the BeadforLife beads and organization through my dad, who had attended an event in Seattle surrounding BeadforLife jewelry and forwarded me information on the organization. After visiting their website, I knew immediately that I wanted to become involved. I love the beads and knew exactly how I would like to use them in my Spring collection and immediately ordered half a dozen bags to work with. I'm really excited to have the opportunity to work with BeadforLife. It's a great cause, the beads are beautiful and I look forward to finding new ways to work them into the collection season after season!"

The attractive, colorful and positive energy-infused necklaces are available from Amanda Pearl and select retailers for $348.00.

Tags: Amanda Pearl, beaded necklace, BeadforLife, beads, Earth Day, necklace

Clutches for a Cause by Amanda Pearl

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Designer Amanda Brotman of Amanda Pearl has created three deliciously wild clutches to help benefit World Wildlife Fund. Why? It all started with a baby cheetah. (Aw.)

Brotman visited Africa in the summer of 2008 and, while visiting villages in Kenya to learn about the economic initiatives, her group was given the opportunity to help nurse a baby cheetah back to health. The cheetah's mother had been killed, and it was struggling to survive on its own.

She was inspired to help more animals, and created the Le Tout collection in the spirit of giving -- and at a perfect time for holiday shoppers looking for ways to make their gifts more meaningful.

All three Le Tout clutches, one of which is above, are just $165, and 20 percent of the proceeds go directly to World Wildlife Fund. Check out the gallery below for the other two clutches, plus a couple of baby cheetah photos (we just couldn't help ourselves). Visit Amanda Pearl to shop.

Gallery: Baby Cheetahs and Amanda Pearl Clutches