TA-DA! Drum roll please!! First Post!

I'm beginning a journey of discovery and you can come along with me!  After raising five children and being the caretaker of several aging parents, I have finally found time to pursue new creative skills inspired my childhood.  I grew up with five sisters, playing dress-up and "house" in a teeny wooden-frame house my dad built in the backyard.  When sick, we were allowed to play with my mother's jewelry box. To this day I'm charmed by vintage jewelry, buttons, lace, beads, bling, etched metal, wire-wrapping, and jewelry styles that are three dimensional and tell a story.

I love using family photos in my jewelry.  I feel it is important to remember and preserve their stories and pictures.  As a result, my small button and jewelry Web business is named Ribbon Tapestry www.RibbonTapestry.etsy.com. There is family symbolism in these two words.  Our lives are tied, as with a ribbon, to past as well as future generations.  Our life is part of a generational cloth that was started by others before we were born.  As our life unfolds, we weave ourselves into a family tapestry to influence the generations after us.

                         Examples of the Custom Photo Pendants I make

                          My Family

                           My mother, Shirlee

                            Aunt Jane and Uncle Fred

                             My grandmother, Frances in the 1920's

I made these pendants to "introduce" my ancestors to others.  I believe that through the thin veil that separates us, they can hear us whisper their names as we remember.  The colorized picture shows my mother, Shirlee.  The pearls represent my mother and the five daughters she raised during difficult years.  I love my mother for all she did for me.  The 1920's picture of my grandmother, Frances, was taken shortly before her divorce.  While raising two children, she worked as a secretary, but her meager depression-era income was scarcely enough. She wore the same black dress for months, altering it occasionally by temporarily sewing on lace cuffs and a lace collar.  She taught us the adage:  "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."  The black-and-white wedding photo of my mother's only brother, Uncle Fred, and my Aunt Jane was perfect for this nickle pendant.  I used part of a vintage rhinestone necklace for the decoration.

I hope to be able to share some of my ideas for making keepsake jewelry with you.  I also want to explore the idea of writing a personal and family history, introducing our loved ones through our jewelry, our journals and books.

Thanks for stopping by Ribbon Tapestry today  :)

Julie

PS I'll figure out how to write up the "About me" next time...