Sparkle, stories, and sisterhood: Looking back at the Book Bedazzling Party
There is a special kind of magic that happens when you combine a cozy space, a great story, and a community of creative women.
This past March 8th, in honor of International Women’s Day, I had the absolute joy of collaborating with Coworking in Coffeeshops and Dudley’s Bookshop Cafe, Bend’s coziest independent bookshop, for our very first Book Bedazzling Party.
The invitation was simple: slip into a moment where stories sparkle a little brighter. And let me tell you, the energy in that room was truly dazzling.
Trading Beads for Rhinestones
If you know my work at Miigwetch Designs, you know I spend most of my days working with tiny glass seed beads, threading stories one bead at a time. But for this afternoon, I traded my beads for rhinestones!
As a local Indigenous queer beadwork artist, I was honored to be invited to provide dedicated creative design support for the event. Attendees brought in their favorite books (or picked up new ones with a special discount from Dudley’s) and we spent the afternoon sipping bubbly mimosas, enjoying tasty treats, and transforming those covers into one-of-a-kind treasures.
It was so much fun helping everyone map out their designs. Seeing people tap into their own creativity, carefully placing each rhinestone to match the vibe of the story waiting inside, reminded me so much of the slow, intentional medicine of beading.
Uplifting Our Community
While the rhinestones and mimosas were fabulous, the heart of this event was truly about uplifting others.
Gathering on International Women’s Day is always powerful, but what made this afternoon even more special was our shared impact. A portion of the proceeds and donations from the ticket sales went directly to CASA of Central Oregon, an incredible organization that advocates for children in our local community. Getting to mingle, celebrate sisterhood, and give back all at the same time is exactly the kind of community building I love being a part of.
Chi Miigwetch
A massive Chi Miigwetch (big thank you) to Dudley’s Bookshop Cafe for hosting us in your beautiful space, to Coworking in Coffeeshops for putting together such a brilliant collaboration, and to every single person who showed up to sip, snack, and bedazzle with us.
We left with our literary hearts full, our books shimmering, and our spirits uplifted.
I am so grateful to be building this creative community right here in Bend with all of you. Keep an eye out, you never know when our next sparkly gathering might pop up!
