Our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group did a craft project for our first meeting two weeks ago. It is now my favorite of all the MOPS craft projects I have done in the six years I have been in MOPS. My friend Kristle organized this craft for our group and she did a phenomenal job! We have over 80 women in our group, so this was no small feat! The bracelets we made have such significant meaning and are beautiful! She gave me permission to share this special and meaningful craft. It would be a wonderful craft to do with any Christian women’s group. Especially when the group wants to create something that is beautiful, meaningful, and of nice quality.
What we made were bracelets that tell the life story of Jesus. We were provided with beads and charms that had significant meaning as each represented a different aspect or time in Christ’s life. Kristle provided us with the information of what each bead represented, as shown in the photo below.
For example, there was a star charm that represented the star that guided the wise men to baby Jesus. There was a wood bead to represent Jesus’ work as a carpenter. Of course there was a cross charm to represent His crucifixion. There were a total of 10 beads or charms; each representing a special part of the story of Jesus’ life. There were also 12 smaller, more narrow beads that represented the 12 disciples.
We were also given a decorative set of beads. These were to fill in between the beads that made up the story. These bead sets come from Michael’s and are really nice quality. Here you can see some examples from our local Michael’s.
Here is the bead set that was at my table when I sat down. I didn’t even notice that we had different decorative bead sets until we got started. I love the ones that were at my place setting!
Kristle found bracelets that required no tools for assembly. The ends unscrew and we were then able to slide the beads onto the bracelet. Once all the beads were in place we simply screwed the round end piece back into place. So easy! I had no idea these bracelets existed!
You can find this type of bracelet on the Fire Mountain Gems website. This is an online store where you can source items wholesale. https://www.firemountaingems.com/itemdetails/h20a5784fn
For example, the bracelets shown below can be purchased at around $15 for a set of 10. That makes it $1.50 for each bracelet. 
The Fire Mountain Gems website is helpful in sourcing larger quantities of charms and beads. They have doves, crosses, and a wide variety of charms that would work for this Jesus Life bracelet.
You can see the prices are far better than Michael’s or other retail stores. Buying in bulk is the way to go if you plan to do this project for 10 or more ladies. There are other bead websites out there, Fire Mountain Gems is just one example (I am in no way affiliated with them). I simply like their prices and thought it would be helpful to share the information.
The finished bracelet is lovely! It is even more beautiful because of the meaning of each of the beads on the bracelet.
Thank you Kristle for planning such a beautiful and meaningful craft for our MOPS group! You are amazing and a blessing to our group for making this craft come to fruition.
