Viva Beads® was created by two mothers who set out to make a better life for themselves and their families. Jill Manzara, a single mom of two, and Lori Mottlowitz, a mother of four girls, discovered an existing artisan technique, by which endless design and creativity could be unleashed.



That technique is called "caning" and it is applied to polymer clay that is layered to create a design. Slowly whittled down and hand rolled into beads while keeping the integrity of the design. The beads are then baked, cooled and strung into a unique creation...similar to layering techniques of Venetian Glass, layering polymer clay presented an extraordinary opportunity to creatively design products, beginning with the original line of Viva Beads® handmade clay beaded jewelry.



With no financing, experience, or education in importing and distribution,...  Read More

I looked high and low for what I considered the perfect logo for my online stores for months...or was it years? A long time anyway! I knew what I wanted...and sometimes that's a bad thing. Nothing worked! My store name is beachcats bargains. It's pretty simple to tell where that name came from. I love the beach and I love cats...hence...

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