One of the most common questions that we hear is,
“How are these beautiful beads made?”
Well for those of you who have ever wondered, today is your lucky day!

Here is the step by step process of how the 31 Bits jewelry is created:

1.) Cut the paper into long triangular shapes.

2.) Starting from the big end, roll the strip of paper. Glue the tip,
so it does not unravel.

3.) Once you have rolled enough strips to make a bracelet or necklace

4.) You will varnish the beads.

Its best if you string them on fishing line and dip them into the varnish

5.) Once the varnish is dry, you can string beads onto the line to create the finished product!

It’s that simple. Give it a try!

This is Carly- AKA Carls, Carls Barkley, Carls Jr, Car-Star, or Car . She is a senior at Vanguard University, majoring in Communications with an emphasis in Journalism and minoring in Religion. Carly is from Port Angeles, WA, or Twilight-ville as she calls it, and can see Canada from her front porch! Carly loves working with people, playing music, reading, writing, laughing, and traveling! Last summer she had an opportunity to tour around the U.S. with three other girls in an improv comedy group. Carly is excited to be a member of our team because it incorporates all of her passions: fashion, a great cause, women, being creative, and hanging out with people! We are equally excited to have her on our team!!

(Special thanks to our intern, Joey, for writing this bio! More on Joey, to come!)

At the beginning of the year, when we first arrived back in UG… Evelyn was
on a mission: she wanted to have a baby by the end of the year. Hear it from
her own mouth … and watch this video.

A word from Evelyn

Well, we have good news. She is now pregnant! Her wish has come true. She
will give birth at the end of this year… if we are lucky, she may even
name it after one of us.
A little more about Evelyn: She is on of a few of our ladies that are not of
Acholi descent. She is from the West Nile. Two of her children currently
reside there with some of her family members, and she takes a couple trips
out there a year to visit them. Her dream is to one day bring them to Gulu,
so they can be reunited as a family. Until then, she is busy making beads
for 31 Bits (you can see some of her beautiful beads on the Reef Ugandal’s).
She will soon get her own bank account and receive financial training in
order to help her save money for the future and for her family.

Photography courtesy of Trever Hoehne

Amazing night… Amazing people… Amazing support!