I discovered that my aunt made bracelets for her friends and family, free of charge. She uses all kinds of beautiful beads. I have always loved stringing beads on bracelets but I never realized how the right beads make a big difference.
During quarantine, when someone asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I immediately knew what I wanted. I asked for a bunch of different colored beads and different sizes. I eventually collected enough to start making my own. With all the time in the world, I sat there, stringing beads onto string, one by one. I realized how relaxing it was and how much I enjoyed making bracelets. I made them for my friends and family.
When I received my Stretto Power Wheelchair, it made making bracelets that much easier. The new power wheelchair helped me sit up in a better posture. I could recline and easily prop my arms up in the perfect position to string the beads.
Although it took me a long time to make each bracelet, I enjoyed it and it gave me something to do. I ordered my beads from China and they came in bulk for really cheap. I thought about making an Etsy shop for all my bracelets. Then, I realized that it would be too much work for me. It takes me a long time to make a single bracelet. As the new variants of COVID-19 hit, I stopped making bracelets for almost a year. First, because we weren’t seeing anybody. Second, my beads no longer shipped from China.
I recently made a whole bunch of bracelets for my cousin and her family. I realize that with the right help, it didn’t take me as long to create bracelets. With hope of finding another place to get beads from and now that we’re slowly seeing more people again, I might end up creating my Etsy shop! It will take me a while and I might not be able to finish everybody’s orders, but I definitely want to try!
The biggest reason I want to start an Etsy shop is because I would like to donate some of the proceeds to a charity that means a lot to me: Cure SMA. Making bracelets is a fun pastime for me, so I hope to raise money for SMA research while doing it!
About Sakina Shamsi: Sakina lives in New Jersey with her parents and brother. Although she has spinal muscular atrophy type II, Sakina lives a full and independent lifestyle. She is active in the disability community and enjoys horseback riding, baking and crafting. Click here to learn more about Sakina.