Talisman time. Surprise!

This is a surprise photo. You will be asked to refer back to it in a minute! Yippeee! Yippeeee! Yahoooo!! More talismans going to their rightful owners.

Ready to rock. First on the docket... LouAnn! She feels very BLESSED! And has PEACE as a guiding word this year as well! She told me a little about herself, but as many of you have come to know, I emailed her back with a whole barrage of questions to help me know her better. It was then that I learned that she is an alumni of a high school whose colors are wine and gold. Soooo....

LouAnn went on to tell me she has recently reconnected with some old friends, so I made the whole piece alond the wine and gold theme. She is a Christian, so we have the cross to represent that, and LouAnn is very CONTENT that she has raised two very good young men on her own.

They are your two gold circles, LouAnn. You done good, girl! Congratulations!!

For Renae... there was a very central theme to all the information you provided to me. And that was SERVANTHOOD. Good word!

Renae obviously is a child of God. She desires to serve Him by serving others. And, as you can see by her talisman, she will be wearing signs of her faith for others to see and hopefully question, so she has an opportunity to share the Gospel. She further had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Turkey, where she was overwhelmed by the people there and their servant's hearts!

As you said, Renae, you love your Bible, so there it is, front and central!

Your three kids are represented by the blue stone, orange stone, and green stone, and you are the crystal, a shining example for Christ.

Ok, so while I was making all these pictures, I realized I had not added one of the most important pieces. I "built" this talisman on the 14 hour roadtrip home Friday! And I knew I HAD to use a JOY on it, but it was at the house. So, once I got home, I added the JOY to the end of the tubular silver piece.... now is time for the surprise photo... refer back to the first photo of the blog.

One of Renae's favorite verses is "You turned my wailing into dancing. You removed my sackcloth and clothed my with Joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. Oh Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever." Psalms 30:11. I thought the tube looked like a sackcloth and it is replaced with Joy. I really wanted to commemorate this really cool verse for you, and I think I did. That's my favorite part of your talismans. I have a favorite piece on every one!

For instance, on this one... for Kristie.

She mentions an empty nest. Welllllll, I have been waiting to use this charm. I think it is very fitting!

She has two grown children who she adores, but have been somewhat draining on the ol' family budget. But her word for 2011 is FAITH!

Your talisman has two dangles which each have a gold coin on the end of them. That is representative of your two children and how you are being "stretched" at this point. I appreciate your husband saying, "they have the rest of their lives to work" and understanding that if they need your help right now to secure jobs that will make them fulfilled and independent in the long run, it may mean a little more assistance from good ol mom and dad for now.

Your word FAITH is a good one, particularly where your finances are concerned. All of us need to remember that He giveth and taketh away and is in control of everything... finances included. All we can do is believe and accept our lot and do the best we can with it. Thus the crosses...

And see the little dangly stick? It says, Peace, Hope, Love and FAITH! Peace to you with your upcoming surgery! And to your children. Just have FAITH in 2011!

Ok, get ready, Miss Mary...

Your talisman is another one of those "simple" ones (and by the way cheaper... $30). SO, bonus!

I just couldn't get past your words, "My quiver is full, and my heart is full of love for my family". That is all I think you need to remember in this upcoming year. The big heart in the middle is representative of your husband who has to be away a good deal of the time. But after 21 years, and you still have a "full quiver", I'd say you two are doing something right! If you wear this simple talisman, and remember those three precious kids of yours as these three hearts, and chant, "My heart is full of love for my familly",then I think you will have a great 2011!

So, I hope you are ok with its simple statement. I thought it was perfect.


Alrighty, you ready Miss Nancy?! You said I could go crazy! And I warned you. I'd been wanting to!

Yours is loaded with some of my very favorite charms. After all, you did hear and reply to my plea for brownies one day!

So, with that... let's begin!

I saw this charm with the cross and three hearts and immediately thought of your three friends from the church who passed away this past year. I love that they are on the cross, to remind you that you will all be reunited one day! I am sure that is a central theme you use with all those with whom you work through your involvement with the Bereavement Committee at your church. What a neat ministry!

Ok, and next, we have the charm that is specific to your work with Habitat for Humanity.

I can tell you are dedicated to helping those who, as you put it, "helping people get into decent , affordable housing", so I wanted it recognized on your necklace.

This next strand is your daughter, and your two grandchildren are the two crystals above her.

Obviously, Faith is a very big part of your life. It was evident in your involvement with your church and with your service to your community. The women's ministry, videotaping the services, visiting shut in members...

This strand represents your son. I hope you have gained some peace with the situation, and ...

I know he is your heart. The cross is your strength to face his death and to somehow understand it and accept it and to grow closer to God because of it.

Your talisman was big and crazy and fun. Just like you. Wait, I didn't meant the big part! Just fun and crazy. And you said, you just wanted to let your "little light shine". Well, girl, check out the bling on the top of your talisman. JinJin brought me a broken bracelet the other day and told me I could use the parts. I needed it to be on someone who could appreciate (and you actually ASKED for it), "flashy"! You are that girl. I tied it with a ribbon, because, I think you are such a gift to so many people around you. You are living God's word! I hope I captured all you wanted in your talisman.

Next, for Kim. Well, actually for Kim's friend!

I lied, Kim. I didn't add a "splash" of color. I made the whole thing a color! I tend to do that! ANd since she recently visited that far away country, I had to use this colorful ribbon as the cording! I just had to!!

This side...

represents her marriage... a little fragmented, but still has love! And regardless of the outcome (I am definitely rooting for them!), I wish her peace!

And the other side is representative of her life in general. All the things she cherishes and those that bring her happiness. The three colorful beads are her three children. They need her. They will love her regardless of the outcome.

There are little gears which, to me, represent time. She mentioned taking "one day at a time".
There is also a sideways golden looking piece which is the Sun. You said she has a particular affinity for the sun, and when she wears this, I want her to feel the peace, and have it represent all of her favorite things.

I happened to have a little model handy to show you one option for wearing it. Double it, and swoop it through like a scarf.

Wait. More like this... more in the front!

Or, just a single little loop over knot like this... (not one word about the saggy boobs! I mean it!!)

And for you, Kim... well, all I kept reading, feeling, sensing in your words about your life was JOY!!

And by now you should know that when I hear and feel JOY, I .... No... not eat oranges... I...

No... not climb on top of the counters and freak my mom out from across the room as I stand up.... NO! I....

I USE COLOR!!! Lots of color! I was toched by your zeal for your family.

I put crosses of all colors on it, because as we all know the JOY of the LORD is your strength! Know that song? I sang it while I made this one! I included a ribbon with Hope on it to be a sign of the work you do on behalf of pediatric cancer. Keep it up!

See that bow on top? That is to signify your word, PRESENT! You want to be PRESENT to your kids, your husband, and to listen to people talking. I think you need to also remember that your life is a PRESENT to all those it comes in contact with. Or at least you want them to think and feel that way. You know there are those who are a plus to your life and those who are a minus! Be a Plus to everyone with whom you come into contact this year!! Be their PRESENT!!

By the way, it is no coincidence that there are five crosses... one for each of your children! Let them see your life affecting others positively!!

Jennifer, this one's for Abbie!

I thought it was hysterical that you called her the "melanie massey" of her hometown! But because you did, you got my treasure!! My paintbrush that I absolutely LOVE!! This is obviously representative of her artsy fartsy-ness!! Gotta love that!

These three beads are her three boys....

and all these little small ones are all her gifts! All the things she is good at! All her talents! I will loan her my MMPT mission statement here..."Joyfully use your gifts to brighten the lives of others". Hey, Abbie, I tied you some ribbon so you could remember your gifts! I hope you use them this year!!

And of course, the cross I added. That represents her faith. The source of her gifts. The one who gifted her. Use it all to His glory!

And finally for Mama J. Or Miss Julia. Or yeah, Mama J!

Gotta love some purple, huh?! It was just plain ol fun reading all your comments about being a positive person and not letting anyone steal your joy! Girl, I am so on board with all you said!! You gotta notice that polka dotted, fun little bead at the bottom. That is your sweetheart! At 65, I only hope to still be describing my husband with words like, "we are madly in love". That rocks!

And I thought, anyone who is this positive wouldn't mind it if I used needle felted balls on their talisman!! Especially if they are a "slot slut" (her words, not mine) and frequent the casinos and need some bling bling to stand out and bring her luck!!

Please take note, far left... that there are NINE little silver beads all stacked this way and that way, representing your NINE grandbabies! Wow!! At the end of the strand is a bird. I was thinking "I sing because I am happy" is what this bird would be saying. Happy because it has NINE grandbabies!!

You got a blinged up, rhinestone "J" too, because I am assuming your grandkids call you Mama J!

There's a cross on here to signify your Christianity. After all...

you said you wanted to wear a talisman as "an object of my energy". I love that! It is so that when people see it and wonder what it is, you will have all kinds of things to tell them about it, which in turn tells them about you!! That is what all of these are, after all!

I couldn't leave out that you are a St. Jude partner in Hope! So, that, naturally, is remembered on here.

So there you go, girls. A whole bunch more ready to rock and roll. Unless I tell you otherwise, the price is $40. Please send payment to

Melanie Massey
1121 Comanche Trail
West Monroe, LA 71291

Whew... that was so much easier than finding all the emails and sending out individual contacts. Thanks for your understanding on that one. When payment is received, yo talisman will hit the USPS! In fact, I still have a bunch of the talismans from the first round who have not sent payment. I need to get them out of my house, because I have two toddlers I have to protect them from! So, get your moolah in, so I can get the goods OUT!!

Thanks for the orders. More to come!!

MO