Talismans ready to get out the do'!

That was an unnatural number of comments on my Ellie Bellie's asthma blog. Thanks to all you mamas for sharing your stories and suggestions. I have so many more things to take to my pediatrician next time I go. I especially like that D-Allegra or something like that, and strangely, I haven't even thought about the possibility of allergies. Duh. SO, anyway. Thank you. For helping me mother. And for caring about my baby girl. I mean, big girl!

With that... guess what I did today.... Well you see.... I took this big box of awesomeness...

Things like these extenders and spacers and beadcaps....

and beads of all sorts....

and put on my thinking cap, and settled in to read all the emails/blog responses to get crackalackin on getting these talismans out.

I halfway got my art room in working order. (Breanna, you'd be so proud!) I got myself a Route 44 Diet coke, and because we had a semi-snow day today, which is a RARITY in Louisiana, I was able to work a bit on this project.

I printed off the emails and blog responses so I could match up people's stories with the talismans I'd created.

And voila... I had things ready to get out! Like this one... for Mindi.

Mindi, I am sorry if I am sharing too much. I apologize in advance. But, this necklace represents the 14 abdominal surgeries you've had! Count the circles in the piece... 14! You have to EMBRACE these! They have you where and who you are today! The "No.8" represents your 8 nieces and nephews. The "e" was a rare find! I was hanging onto it to use it in a piece to represent my Ellie Sue. But, when I was designing this, I knew it had to be for EMBRACE!

The amber bead is you-shining! Shining free from your old relationship! SHining free and embracing all that is good and coming your way in 2011.

Ok, and now for Mindy K! Mindy who has 3 kids and rides horses and camps out with her family of 5! This year she wants to GROW!!

Thus, this piece... the 5 is kind obvious. and then, there are three little chickens being protected under Mama bear's care!

It started out as a necklace.
But once Mindy decided she needed two... I turned one of them into the bookmark as above.

Your second talisman, Mindy, is super cool! Since GROW just naturally makes me think of plants and flowers, I used a flower as the "protector" in the above piece, and sprinkled flowers and leaves throughout this second one.

Gabbi, my assistant, is demonstrating that this one is to be worn long.

When someone mentions kids, I tend to always include them in their piece... note the THREE colorful circles. Blue, orange, yellow. You can decide who is whom. ( Is that correct grammar, Miss Jane?!) and when they are hoping for GROWth in the financial arena, I always include gold in the piece!

Ok, Jen. This one is for you. I am so happy for you and the new member to your family.

The pearl represents your little sprout. The wings are mom and dad supporting this precious child, and the little ribbon represents it all being a GIFT!

I don't think you could have a better word than THANKFUL! Don't take this blessing for granted! Stay connected to your THANKFULness this year!

And Melissa, this piece represents your word... PATIENCE!

Taking care of your elderly mom is noble! But don't forget the PATIENCE she had with you when you were under her care! I have symbolized your connection with your mom with the two circles.

The top one is you. The bottom one is her. It looks more like a gear in a clock to remind you that her time may be limited, so you want to RELISH your time with her, and with that must come much PATIENCE and understanding!

I also LOVE that the colorful ribbon can stand for the "colorful" way she is acting as she ages. Accept it. Enjoy it. LOVE her!

This time you get to spend with her is a GIFT... thus you are tied together with a little ribbon!

And then Alisha... for whatever reason, when I think of HUMBLE or CONTENT, I just think of simplicity!

Thus this little piece. Simple and humble. And most importantly, as I could tell you were trying to be submissive to God, a cross is in the center. Again. Two bows... Salvation is a gift! What could make you more HUMBLE than that!?

And now my second assistant will show you ... RENAISSANCE!ANd she will keep it moving really fast so you can barely see it!

Jenn, you will first notice that the five links on each side of the center talisman is no accident. They represent the five year struggle your family has had.

There are two pearls in the cone representing February when you will have closure on this weight that you have carried for years.

I used colorful ribbons, because any RENAISSANCE should be bright and happy! And by the way...

The whole necklace is on a black ribbon that you will just slip over your head. That being said, it should be light! Like I hope your 2011 to be!

I included all the correspondence in each order, as it is the best I can do to keep orders and stories straight. Ellie helped me staple the pages together along with a Moo Card of my girls about a year ago. For those getting one of these in the mail, you are not gonna believe how much they've changed! Gabbi was almost bald if that tells you anything !

Ellie is seriously loving using a stapler lately!!

Ok, so this one is for Jerelyne. It stands for FOCUS!

It doesn't necessarily show up well here, but the center crystal is the FOCUS of this piece! All the attention of this talisman is geared at that central stone!

I took wire and wrapped it all around the outside of the circle, indicating all the chaos and poor health and bad habits that are in your rearview mirror!! In 2011, you will FOCUS on your health!

It's also on a black ribbon that you'll have to tie in the back. It is light and easy to wear. Here's wishing you like it and wearing it reminds you to FOCUS!

Ok, Tamera. You're next! This is a talisman for your word, DECLUTTER!

The reason I told you it was a little bit "funky" is the way it hangs. I think it is cool though! It's like a kid's mobile when you hold it up!

Ok, so notice that the top beads are swirly and inconsistent. Purposefully, I chose beads that were "messy" and stacked up.

The front bead is all knotted up and crazy. The copper ball to the right is swirly and "out of control". The way things were! Your 30 years of teaching and all the "stuff" that has made its way into your life.

And then in all three cases, things straighten out and become uniform. More order. More predictability. And that center hand? Well, I envision that as the hand of God. He is central and you said you wanted to DECLUTTER so you could more clearly hear His voice. Here's your talisman to help you remember your 2011 goal.

And Miss Blanche, I am loving yours! As requested it is long like mine.

There are gear-like parts all over this piece to symbolize TIME!

You indicated in your email to me all the "side jobs" you have, including dog walker. The many strands on this piece represent all the things that are presently preoccupying your time. Is that how you want to spend your TIME?! I hope when you wear this talisman, you think about how you are spending your TIME and make a conscious effort to aligh it with your core values and dreams. And that big beautiful crystal... well, that's you. Trying to shine amongst all the chaos. And doing a pretty good job of it!

Anna Lea, your talisman is a bit different than the others. But, hey. I'm the artist, and I was inspired!! I had this big sheet of linen with words printed all over it! I found this piece and knew it had to be your talisman!

In fact, I knew you'd like it so I made it before you'd even ordered it! Your word, LEARN, is really a great one. When you wrote that you want to LEARN "something new" every day... well, can you see the fine print on the linen?!

I highlighted it with a little greenish turquoise ink. One might say "learning to better handle finance" could also be represented with that green! It is light and easy to wear!

Hope 2011 has lots to teach you! We could all use a whole year to focus on LEARNing!

Kim, although you asked for a talisman like Veronicia's, well, I just don't do two alike! I read your story about your daughter, and wanted to design one specific for her.

This is what I came up with. It still has the singular pearl representative of the baby they are HOPING for. The gold circle,as I indicated before, represents money. I am HOPING that if fertility treatment are what are needed for them to conceive, then it will be made available. Also...

because Todd and I were married for 11 years (hmmmm!!!) before we were blessed with a baby, I KNOW the stress infertility can have on a marriage. Especially when the couple is wanting a baby! So, the heart with the lock is for Lindsay to remember that she and James have to lock up their love. Lock up their hearts so that first thing first, a marriage is sustained.. happily!
Then, as indicated by the longer branch of the talisman, should a baby come along as they HOPEd, that's just gravy!!

Along those same lines... Cindy is also HOPING for a baby for her daughter, Amanda.

This talisman is ultimately for Amanda. The turquoise just kept catching my eye! I love that piece, and strangely, I felt it was right for the HOPE we are claiming for Amanda's baby! I think the turquoise signifies the ROCK she and Bart have to be for each other and as a team in their marriage. I know it is similar to Lindsay's above, but apparently, having been there, I cling to this theme of a rock strong marriage to get you through the disappointment of infertility.

I love that the turquoise is surrounded by little prongs that I think means her marriage will shine! Obviously, the pearl is the treasure, surrounded by gold. It is the baby that I know you and she HOPE for!

I think Gabbi liked it too!

So, there you go. The first crop of talismans. I have done a couple more this evening, but will mail them out with the next batch! I also received several more requests. I absolutely LOVE making these. Thinking about your individual words and reading the stories surrounding WHY you chose your word! It makes me feel like I know you the way you know me! Ha. We are sooo close now!

Thanks for letting me do this for you! You'll be hearing from me soon via email!

Mo