If you didn't already know, sign-ups for Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party are next weekend. There will only be 1 BSBP this year, so don't forget to throw your name into the hat if you want a chance to play. You can bet I'll be signing up for it. I thoroughly enjoyed the two times I got to play in the BSBP, and even when I wasn't a participant, I still had a fantastic time visiting the blogs and drooling over the amazing jewellery creations.
I want to thank everyone who visited and read my Memories and Thanks Blog Hop post. I especially want to say a huge 'thank you' to those of you who took the time to leave a comment (some of which made me tear up). I'm still making my way through the participants list - and if I haven't commented on your post, I sincerely apologise. I'll get to it as soon as I can.
When I first read about the Memories and
Thanks Blog Hop on Lori Anderson's blog Pretty Things, I was certain I wanted
to participate. Her post on why she was holding the Blog Hop, which you can read here, moved me. Briefly, this Blog Hop
honours both Lori's friend, Marianna, and
all those people in our lives (alive, or otherwise) who mean a lot to us.
I knew from the start that I wanted to create
a piece of jewellery to honour the memory of my mother, whom I lost much too early in life. One of my greatest
sorrows is that I never had a chance to really know her as a person; as an
individual with all her idiosyncracies. She was always just 'mummy' to me.
She checked my homework, she attended my school's Sports Days, she took me
shopping.
This much, however, I do know. My mother took pride in her appearance and until she got too sick, almost always wore a slick of lipstick whenever she went out - even if it was just to the corner shop. She loved her sweets. I remember her making coconut candy and, towards the end, she
always had a roll of Werther's Butterscotch candies with her. She also loved to read, especially paperback Mills & Boon romances. More than anything
else, though, she loved the movies. Old Hollywood films and classic MGM musicals were
her favourites. I suspect she enjoyed the glamour and spectacle that were common
in movies of that period (I say this because she was also fascinated by the English
royal family).
Nothing says Old Hollywood to me more than the
colours black and white, even though the movies my mother watched were usually
in Technicolor. So when it came to making my jewellery piece, I turned to several polka-dotted black & white vintage beads I picked up on my last holiday. I didn't have enough beads for a necklace so I made a bracelet instead, closing it with a pretty heart toggle.
And because my mother thought Rock Hudson was da bomb (I often wonder what she would have made of the fact that he was, as it turned out, gay), I made a double-sided charm with images of Rock on one side and the movie Giant on the other. I was in a rush when I made the charm, so it's decidedly wonky. The paper images are raggedy and the resin is smeared on one side. But since I made it removable, I can always replace it later.
So there you have it: my Black & White Bracelet.
Thank you for staying the course and reading through my post. My thanks also to the fabulous Lori for coordinating this Hop. And it goes without saying that I am forever and always thankful to my mother. For handing down to me her love of books and movies (both of which have given me much pleasure over the years), for teaching me that being helpful, kind and hardworking is more important than being an A-student (although that's a bonus!) and - in the short time she had with me - for helping me to be the the person I am today.
The other participants of this special Hop are listed below. I hope you'll find some time to visit each one of these awesome individuals.
Happy 2013 everyone! To those of you who visited, read and commented on my blog in 2012 - thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope you continue to drop by my little corner of the blogosphere. And to the newcomers - welcome! I hope you enjoy the few minutes (or seconds) you spend here. I'm signed up for a couple of upcoming blog hops, so pop by again soon, k?
Till then, here's to a year of good health, much joy and endless possibilities for one and all.
