Memory & Thanks Blog Hop

"Memory is the power to gather roses in Winter."

I am sorry that I am a bit late to the party. I tried all day long to write the post that I felt called to share, but the subject is just too hard, the emotions too raw. And because of that, the creative mojo was blocked. It will have to wait for another day.

But in thinking of memories and thanks, and specifically memory jewelry, I realized that I actually make a lot of pieces that are inspired by memories.

My cousin Jane has been asking me to make jewelry for her for the past two years or so. She gave me her Nana's charm bracelet-turned-necklace filled with all manner of solid gold charms from her travels around the world. I created special charm necklaces for four of Jane's nieces bridging the past to the future.

Jane also gave me a bag filled with treasures that belonged to her mother, Elsie, and asked that I use some of them to create a memory necklace for her. She has a job that takes her all over the world. She is a lawyer so her tastes are very traditional, streamlined and contemporary. But these pieces from her mother were traditional but far from contemporary. So the challenge was to make something that honored her mother's memory but translated into a more contemporary design.

Aunt Elsie passed away when she was just 50 years old. My cousin Jane and I were about 12.

I didn't really know my Aunt Elsie very well. Before we moved here, I would only see her at major holidays when we would travel from Crystal, MN to Stevens Point, WI to hunt Easter eggs or have a Christmas potluck. I still make her Hot Shrimp Dip every Easter and think of her. Like all my aunts, I recall that Aunt Elsie always looked put together. Her jewelry was always very traditional and very simple. Cameos, stick pins and pearls.

Included in this bag of treasures were some religious medallions as well as Elsie's vintage crystal rosary. I told Jane that I wouldn't cut apart the rosary. The crystals are cuts that are not produced anymore, and even if she doesn't use the rosary as an intended prayer tool, it was a special piece. But I did cut the initial stick pin down to make it into a special dangle alone with a Mary medallion.

None of these pieces that I incorporated were valuable outside of the memories they inspired. If they had been signed or were made of more precious materials, I would not have used them or altered them. Since they were merely fashion jewelry items, I did change them a bit. I removed the gold circle from around the cameo pin since the gold plated metal was rubbed off and the metal was a bit cracked, and I cut off the pin backing on the circle ivy and faux pearl pin and I had to reglue a loose pearl back in its setting.

Connecting items like this is the puzzle. Finding just the right placement and making them balanced is the challenge. Often there are holes that can be used for putting it all together. To keep with the circle theme I found a few pieces that had that vintage feel, like the rhinestone oval that is a new item which looks perfectly at home in this piece and echoes the round shapes.

{Full Circle}

A few strands of pearls that remind me of what every well dressed housewife of the 60s would wear completes the back. And to finish it off I found a beautiful crown shaped toggle.

I met Jane and her husband Joe at a local bistro for lunch right after Thanksgiving. When I presented this necklace to Jane she gasped. As I shared all the little details there were tears in her eyes. The eclectic design is a departure for Jane's style but I could really see that she loved it and was excited to wear it. It will be a special reminder of her mother, my Aunt Elsie. I can picture Jane wearing this when she travels around the world this year as a memory that her mother is always with her, and the charms will be a talisman to bring her mother into her life with every touch.

Thank you, Jane, for trusting me to create this necklace for you to honor the memory of your mom, and my aunt, Elsie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you, Miss Lori of Pretty Things for the inspiration for the Memories & Thanks blog hop.

Please go and visit the rest of the participants.

Hostess, Lori Anderson       Pretty Things

 Adlinah Kamsir                   Dream Struck Designs

 Aimee Biondolillo               Aimee's Jewelry Treasures

 Alicia Marinache                 All the Pretty Things 
 Andra Marasteanu               Handmade by Indra Marasteanu 
 Andrea Trank                      Heaven Lane Creations
 April Grinaway                   Brooklyn Bead Goddess

Barb Solem                         Vivi Magoo Presents

Becky Pancake                    Becky Pancake Bead Designs

Beth Emery                         Stories by Indigo Heart

Bonnie Coursolle                Jasper's Gems

Cassi Paslick                       Beads: Rolling Downhill

Catherine King                    Catherine's Musings

Cece Cormier                      The Beading Yogini

Chandra Leitz                     Juniper Goods

Charissa Nesler                   FireStorm Designs
Charlie Jacka                       Clay Space

Christina Hickman              Vintage Treasures Jewelry

Christine Murrow               Charis Designs Jewelry
Christine Stonefield            Sweet Girl Design

Chrizette Bayman               Bead Soup Mix

Cindy Wilson                      It's My Sea of Dreams

CJ Bauschka                       4 His Glory Creations by CJ

Crystal Thain                      Here Bead Dragons

Cyndi Lavin                        Beading Arts

Debbie Rasmussen             A little of this, a little of that

Denielle Hagerman             Some Beads... and other things I like
Diana Gonzalez                  Arte y Poemas

Diane Hawkey                    diane hawkey

Dita Basu                            ankarshilpa

Donetta Farrington             Simply Gorgeous

Dyanne Everett-Cantrell     Deeliteful Jewelry Creations

Emma Todd                        A Polymer Penchant

Erin Kenny                         beadiful therapy

Erin Prais-Hintz                  Treasures Found

Gina Hockett                      Freestyle Elements

Gloria Allen                        Innovative Dreams Jewelry

Heather Marston                 CSW Designs

Inge von Roos                    Inge's Blog

Iveth Caruso                       Creative Atelier

Jacqueline Marchant          Fiddledeedee Jewelry

Jami Shipp                         Celebrating Life!

Jean Yates                          Snap Out of it Jean, There's Beading to Do!

Jennifer Reno                     Musings of a Crafty Jenny
Jenny Robledo                   Peppa's Dream

Jennifer VanBenschoten    Jewelry, Art and Life
Jessica Klaaren                  Cellar Door Jewelry

Jessica Murray                   Whimsical Monkey

Joan Williams                     lilruby jewelry

Jo-Ann Woolverton            It's a Beadiful Creation

Joanne Browne                   josjewels1

Jodie Marshall                    Jodie Marshall Lampwork Beads Wearable Art

Johanna Rhodes                 Fire Phoenix Creations
John Rasmussen                 Rasumussen Gems and Jewelry LLC

JuLee Wolfe                       The Polymer Penguin

Julie Bean                           Blue Pig Blog

Karen Mitchell                   Over the Moon Designs

Karin King                         The Sparklie Things Blog
Karin Slaton                       Backstory Beads

Kat Douglas                       Washoe Kat's
Kay Bolton                        Toodles and Binks

Kelly Hosford Patterson     The Traveling SideShow

Kim Ballor                          Vitamin C ... A Daily Does of Creativity

Kim Dworak                       CianciBlue

Kim Houston                       The Pink Martini
Kym Hunter                         Kym Hunter Designs

Laren Dee Barton                Laren Dee Designs

Lea Avroch                          LA Jewelry Designs

Leanne Loftus                      First Impression Design

Liddy McLaughlin               Liddy McLaughlin Art

Linda Florian                       Lily's of the Valley Jewelry & Creative Creations

Linda Inhelder                     Must-Haves Jewelry

Lisa Hamilton                      Simply Irresistable Jewelry
Lisa Suver                            Fancee That

Lori Bowring Michaud        Artfully Ornamental

Lori Poppe                           Adventures in Creativity with Lorillijean

LouAnn Elwell                    Southpass Beads

Mandi Effron                       Craft-o-licious

Marcia DeCoster                 MadDesigns

Marcia Dunne                     The Alternative Foundry

Marie Covert                      Creating Interest

Marjorie Savill Linthwaite     bennubirdrising

Marlene Cupo                        Amazing Designs by Marlene

Martha Aleo                           Ornamento

Marti Conrad                          Marti's Buttons -n- Beads

Mary Ellen Parker                  BeeTree by m.e.

Mary Govaars                        MLH Jewelry Designs

Mary Lindell                          Mary Lindell Artisan Jewelry

Maureen Connolly                 Mrs Beadsley's Workshop

Maybeline Tay                       The Jewelry Larder

Melissa Elgin                         The Addicted Beader

Melissa Mesara                      one-eared pig beads

Menka Gupta                         Menka's Jewelry

Michaela Pabeschitz              la mar de bonita

Mischelle Fanucchi               Micheladas Musings

Mona Rae Baroody               Who Does She Bead She Is?

Nan Emmett                          Spirit Rattles -- Spirited Earth

Nancy Pedersen                    Something Heartfelt by Nancy

Natalie Davidson                  NorthShore Days
Nikki Douglas                      Bead It and Weep

Pam Farren                           re-maker

Pam, the Crazier Sister        The Crazy Creative Corner

Pam Traub                            Klassy Joolz
Priya Krish                           Hellopalz 
Rebecca Anderson               Song Beads

Rebecca Sirevaag                 Becca's Place

Robin Kae Reed                   Artistry HCBD

Rochelle Brisson                  a creative chelle

Rosa Maria Cuevas              Helena de Troya

Sabine Dittrich                     perlendschungel

Sandi Volpe                          Sandi Volpe

Sandra McGriff                    Creative Chaos

Sarah Goode                         Pookledo
Sarah Singer                         String a Song of Sixpence

Serena Trent                         All Things Made Jewelry

Shai Williams                       Shaiha's Ramblings
Sharon Palac                        Sharon's Jewelry Garden

Sharyl McMillian-Nelson    Sharyl's Jewelry & Reflections

Sheila Davis                         Stone Designs

Shelley Graham Turner        Fabric of My Life

Sherri Stokey                       Knot Just Macrame

Sherry Baun                         Unicorns Jewels

Skylar Bre'z                         Brising Beads

Stephanie Haussler              Pixybug Designs

Tania Spivey                        Moobie Grace Designs

Terri G.                                Blooming Ideas

Terry Carter                         Tapping Flamingo

Terry Matuszyk                    Pink Chapeau Vintage Jewelry

Toltec Jewels                       Jewel School Friends
Tracy Kruse                         Goldkisses Art

Tracy Martin                        Nutkitten's Jewelry

Zia Parks                              Anzi~Panzi's Work Shoppe

Zoe Marcin                          Beads, Tea and Sweets