Charmed, I'm sure!

     Haj-Paj Boutique carries two spectacular lines of charm jewelry that are created by a special company named The Good Bead.  Again, as we always do, we like to choose products who fulfill several needs; one for our customers and one for social causes some where in our world.  The Good Bead was founded on this principal and they continue to honor this belief today.
      They believe you can be fashionable and expressive in your style all the while wearing jewelry that supports a social cause.  The Good Bead strengthens it's local community by collaborating with Opportunity Partners & Trade which is "a group that supports people with disabilities and other special needs in their effort to improve their self sufficiency".  They also partner with and support national organizations including the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, Young Survival Coalition, and Angel Foundation.  Find links to these wonderful organizations here:http://www.ovarian.org/, http://www.youngsurvival.org/, http://www.mnangel.org/.

     Bauble LuLu:  These high quality beads fit all the popular brand names of European charm bracelets yet at a fraction of the cost.  The attention to detail and craftsmanship make these charm bracelets one of the most requested gifts in our shop!  Their affordability make them easy to build bracelets based on your mood or your outfit for the day...playful to classy in just a switch of a bead! These glass beads are hand-blown and so much fun to collect and they feature solid, one-piece cores.   

     The delightful "themed" charms help you to build bracelets that express...well, YOU!  Sports fans will love all the sports beads; Animal lovers can easily tell the world about the animals in their lives; and Grandmothers are able to tell the story of all their grandbabies with a one beautiful bracelet on their arms!  The rhodium-plated little charmers add tons of personalization AND personality to each piece created!  A word about rhodium...it's a very hard, durable metal in the platinum family and when worn under normal circumstances (no water, please), they will keep their shine for a long time.

     This fantastic gift line features over 1,000 styles of interchangeable beads that fit onto bracelets, necklaces, watches, earrings, lanyards, rings, and pendants.  The beads are available in lampwork glass, high quality crystals, Murano-style glass, polymer clay, and the above mentioned rhodium-plated.

 Lottie Dotties:  Our other The Good Bead line that we at Haj-Paj love, love, love is Lottie Dotties.  Lottie Dotties feature over 100 magnetic, interchangeable "dotties" that can be popped into several styles of finely crafted necklaces, rings, bracelets, and even a key chain to create nearly 1,000 different looks...now that's math mixed into fashion...who knew?!  Each Dottie has a super strong magnet that is attached to the bottom whereas the tops are adored with colorful glass, shimmering rhinestone crystals, decorative silver, and a myriad of other fun stuff.  All of the Lottie Dottie jewelry is silver-plated and, like the Bauble LuLu line, is extremely affordable.  Nothing makes better sense than that! Unique and versatile, Lottie Dotties, let you change the look of your jewelry as easy and often as you change your mind.

     You can always count on The Good Bead to offer a wide variety of fashionable products that align with current trends, and are priced to appeal to today's more value-aware consumer.  Fashion conscience and social conscience all wrapped up into one gorgeous gift!  Don't forget Mother's Day is just around the corner...wouldn't these two awesome gift lines make her know how special you think she is?!! 

Helping you Help Kids!

     In past blogs, we introduced you to some of the wonderful products that we carry in the store that not only make fantastic gifts for family and friends...and yourself...but also have a connection to international charities that are making huge contributions in our world.  By purchasing these products it allows you to easily reach out and touch those that are less fortunate.  The proceeds from your thoughtfulness extends your hand to lift up the life of someone that you have never met...someone that really needs you.  Let us introduce you to another line of gifts that will again allow you to not only purchase a beautiful and meaningful keepsake, but one that will also help some people...mostly children...in Honduras.

     Let us back up a little...Heartstrings Enterprises, was founded in 1986 out of a family owned gift business in Alabama.  Their business grew to become the industry leader in personalized jewelry and gift ware. Their product line covers every aspect of  engraved and personalized jewelry and unique gift offerings...all custom made with care.  And to raise the bar even higher, in 2005, Heartstrings added an exciting line of embroidered items to complement its engraved line.  Our partnership with Heartstrings, allows us to provide you with an avenue to an ever expanding line of over 2,000 custom made items that will be the perfect gift for you, your family, and friends!

     These hats are just a drop in the bucket of the many custom embroidered products that we can order for you through our affiliation with Heartstrings.
     Fun vinyl license plates are again just one of the numerous offerings in the Heartstrings vinyl line.  We can place an order for you and in 7 to 10 days you can be expressing yourself in vinyl on your car, your laptop, your locker, or your dorm room window!
     This gorgeous sterling silver filigree is the ultimate personalized gift.  It comes in a ton of styles and metals...some styles include silver, goldtone, pewter, acrylic, and wood.  Stop by and let us show you how you can design one for yourself!
     Now, back to the real reason behind today's post...the people!  Heartstrings Enterprises pride themselves on their charity affiliations.  Through those partnerships they allow us to allow you to provide for an abundant number of families and children all over the world including people right here in America.  They support the following charities:

• Heartstrings International Missions in Mexico, Venezuela, Honduras, and Africa
• USO
• Anysoldier.com
• Habitat for Humanity
• Lifesavers 
• American Cancer Society
• Lee County, Alabama Rebuilding Together

     Jim Storbeck, founder and CEO of Heartstrings, is volunteer board member of Helping Honduras Kids (HHK) which is an organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of orphaned, abandoned, abused and neglected children in and around La Ceiba on the northern coast of Honduras.  They believe "that opportunity, education, hope, and love are what children need to break the cycle of poverty and abuse".  HHK has The Jungle School which provides education, meals, and medical care to over 100 children; Grandmas Kids which supports grandmothers that are the main caregivers of Honduran children; and they run Hogar de Amor (House of Love), a children's orphanage which provides a home to 22 children (when the new home is finished they will provide for 43 children).  With a staff made up entirely of volunteers, donations go directly to helping the poor and orphaned children of Honduras.

     Heartstrings promises to donate 25% of the profits of their Behind The Glass Pendants to HHK each time you choose one these custom designed keepsakes.  These vintage style monogrammed pendants with matching necklaces are part of Heartstrings best collection ever!  Encased forever in bubbled glass, our customers can choose the shape, metal, and background for a truly one of a kind pendant sure to become the recipients favorite gift ever!  The possibilities for self expression are endless with the Behind the Glass line.  See the full line of these pendants at Haj Paj Boutique today!  Tell your story or the story of your friends, your moms, your teachers, or your girlfriends all the while helping to ensure a brighter future of the children of the Helping Honduras Kids organization.
     The following video features the founder of HHK, David Ashby, speaking about the organization and how you can further help: