Artisan Jewelry Meets Air Force Charity Ball

On Saturday night Curt and I had the honor of attending the annual Air Force Charity Ball up in Springfield, Virginia.  It's a huge shindig where lots of Air Force big wigs, both past and present, raise funds for the Air Force Aid Society.  A huge part of the event is the silent auction.  A couple of years ago I made donation of jewelry and have been doing so ever since.  I love being able to bring my little crafty side into supporting Airmen.  It helps tamp down my inner cynic.

This year's event raised over $700K for the Society.  Amazing.  What's great is that 100% of that money will go directly to supporting Airmen and their families who need help.

Here's the set of baubles I created for the occasion...

I wanted to focus on the highest quality, most lovely lampwork beads so I picked some from my favorite artists:

The amazing necklace focal is from Donna Millard.

The bracelet focal is from Julianna Cannon.

And the earrings feature swirls from Libelula.

I didn't get to wear any cool jewelry that night since we were in uniform.  The only adornments are medals and badges.  Whoo hoooo.  But, I did get to see lots of lovely ladies in gowns which made me kinda thankful that I get to cover up with a cummerbund and jacket and don't have to worry about anything form-fitting or arm-showing. haaaaaaaaaa  Another reason to stay in the Air Force...I don't have to wear formal gowns!