Talisman: Warding Earrings

Some time ago, in an attempt to get out of my creative slump, I played around with my stash of annealed steel wire and some lovely blue-grey top-drilled pearls. This resulted in two lovely little pearl-wrapped links that I had no idea what to do with. I put them away, hoping that I hadn't wasted my time and that they'd come in handy some day.

Recently, a dear friend of mine - the Other Half of what's been fondly dubbed the Disaster Duo (me being the Next Half) - requested a pair of earrings with the words Be and Gone. There's a very amusing story behind that which isn't appropriate to tell here, but suffice to say we promptly christened them the Talisman Earrings of Warding.

Lo and behold! After trying to figure out materials to use to complement the black lacquered shell discs and the grunged-up type, I pulled out the pearl-wrapped links and they were absolutely perfect!

Sherri dear, I proudly present the Earrings of Warding and I hope you like them as much as I loved making them! They measure slightly over 2.5" from earhook to dangle.


Talisman: Warding Earrings: 24ga and 19ga annealed steel wire, top-drilled pearls, lacquered shell discs, paper, acrylic paints, mixed metal findings.



Trying to photograph these little beauties was a challenge. I have no idea why...




Who'dathunk steel wire and pearls would actually go together so well. It's something to keep in mind for future projects!

Sanctuary, Sanctuary

Sounded like an angel singing somewhere
Sounded like an angel singing
'Sanctuary, sanctuary...let me be your
Sanctuary, sanctuary...
When you cannot find the light
Of your own shining star
I will help you to remember
Who you truly are...'

--'Sanctuary', Joshua Kadison

Listening to Joshua Kadison's 'Venice Beach Sessions' in a somewhat contemplative mood after a few weeks of creative block resulted in this piece, inspired by his beautiful song 'Sanctuary'. That and I'd wanted to try the very interesting wrapped pod pendant I'd seen on Deryn Mentock's challenge piece - I don't have the book but I thought it might be worth a try, and it was!


Sanctuary: 18ga and 22ga copper wire, 20ga silver-plated wire, felt, glass and acrylic seed beads, vintage faux bronze pearls, vintage gold beads, foil glass twist beads, brass bead caps, gauze ribbon, bugle beads, Swarovski black pearls, mixed metal findings, Czech fire polish crystals, faux green pearl, vintage crystal chaton montee.



I wrapped the pod out of felt after a few trial and errors, filled it with some beautiful green Czech fire polish crystals, a faux pearl and a spacer. It came together very nicely after some skirmish with the wire, and I added a sprinkling of red seed beads for colour. It reminded me of being wrapped up and safe. I added a crystal dangle to see if it would look better, and I think it did.



I chose a rather earthy palette for the beads - somehow, Sanctuary brought up images of peaceful oceans and sky, so I used colours that I thought might reflect that. I sprinkled it through with a few vintage golden seed beads too, like sunlight.



For some contrast to the strung beads and to soften the necklace profile somewhat, I added a length of ruched gauze ribbon gathered with a series of seed beads. Couldn't resist putting in a tiny little vintage chaton montee dangle at the edge of the connector, just for colour!

I might add a little tag with 'Sanctuary' on it, but I'll wait for my font printouts tonight before I do that. All in all, I'm pleased with this! I do need to find a model to wear it so I can photograph it on a stand...hmmm, I need to start looking around for a mannequin at this rate unless I can find some other creative ideas to photograph necklaces.

Addendum:
...And I wound up photographing myself wearing Sanctuary, just to give an idea of how it falls. Not the greatest shot in the world, but it will do for now. The entire necklace measures approximately 16.5" from top to dangle.

The Talisman: Hope Earrings Properly

"Meh," she said tiredly. Shoulders slumped, arms curled around her drawn-up knees, she was the perfect dictionary definition of 'dejected' and 'discouraged'.

He touched her shoulder lightly as he settled down to sit beside her. "It'll pass. Trust me. Might take a little time, but you'll get through this. You're tough. And I'm here for you, whenever you need me."

She gave him a sidelong glance. "Promise?"

He took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Promise."


Talisman: Hope Earrings: 20ga and 28ga artistic wire, stainless steel balled headpins, antique blue glass seed beads, Miyuki teardrop beads, lacquered paper on shell. RM40




The Talisman: Hope earrings grew out of a period of extreme creative dryness; it was a Marc Cohn song called 'Thunderbird' that set the mental images running and resulted in my first attempt at making word/text charms.




The colour scheme was an important part of the project: silver artistic wire for the proverbial silver lining of every cloud, blue for the lovely blue of the sky that reminds one to look up and beyond one's problems every now and again. The clear teardrop beads reminded me exactly of bubbles - fragile, iridescent, just like the beginnings of hope.

Talismans and Hope

Because today has been a strange and unusually discouraging day, it probably accounts for why this little piece insisted it be named Hope. I finished it too late to take any good pictures, and since I'm going outstation to help my boss teach tomorrow, this will have to do for now until Friday:



I've been toying all afternoon with the idea of Talisman Earrings like this - little word-or-text charms incorporated that encourage or at least give food for thought. I think...well, what do you think? (I'm an English graduate, among other things. The written word is as voluptuous as chocolate to me, so my opinions are necessarily biased.)

Whee! Maybe this is a sign that my creativity is finding its way back.

Aliens on the Brain

I never knew that the creative spark could be so infernally fickle. The last few weeks of my life have been spent battling an innate sense of 'I must be doing something wrong because I can't think of anything creative, and I can't make anything worth my time' and some horrendous weather that's got my sinuses all in a pother.

For some reason or other, however, I've had aliens on the brain for the past week, and it seemed as good a starting point as any to start experimenting to see if the creative block would finally go away.

And inspiration I found indeed, in the form of Janice Berkebile's beautiful pod rings and kanto lanterns! Her classes can be found here, and pictures of her amazing work.

Thus was born the Alien Pod Bloom Thingy. It's my first time attempting to weave wire, and it came out atrocious in places, which required some creative rescuing. I'm sure there's an easier way to form the blasted pod that doesn't require a centre bead to shape which keeps falling out and rolling into remote corners behind the computer. It's a start though! Here's hoping the ideas slowly start coming back or I'm sunk.


Alien Pod Bloom Thingy: 18ga, 20ga and 26ga artistic wire, faux pearls, Czech glass seed beads.



Note to self: Do not attempt to string too many pearls onto one side of a deformed pod, and seed beads really are the way to go for non-bumpy decoration.

I'm also working on what I've facetiously nicknamed the Caterpillar Ring, but that's going to take some modification, given I have no idea what I'm doing, sort of.

Chainmaille Fire

I loathe being ill. It's the biggest cause of brain atrophy that I know, and one whole week of being unwell has sapped my energy beyond belief. However, I'm getting back there and trying to track down an errant Muse - which is probably on vacation in a lovelier climate than the one I'm ensconced in at present, but that's beside the point.

My shipment of chainmaille rings from Blue Buddha Boutique FINALLY came through, thank GOD - it did about a month ago but the hassle of trying to get it out of the post office customs department should be a plot for some slapstick theatrical production. -Why- in the world wouldn't an official letter put an official address on it, thereby cutting down on the necessity of running to and fro between TWO customs departments (the one in the post office and the Customs Department proper)?

Anyway, this is one of the projects I completed while on vacation - Rebeca, your rings are marvellous! I love the colours!


Polyhedron earrings: Fire


Japanese Cross earrings: Fire

Old Love Haunts Me In The Morning...

She's alive! She's survived those 260+ teenagers!

Well, 'survived' is one thing, 'sanity' is another, but the kids managed to sing the (much shortened) entirety of Handel's Coronation Anthems from memory in 3 days. Was soooooooo proud of them at the night concert when they performed - the alto section that I was coaching stepped up to the plate and did marvellously too, was even prouder of them!

After that, a vacation was absolutely necessary, and I've just come back from a wonderful week's visit with my family and my brother who's just flown back to NYC. A MUCH needed rest, I might add - for the last few days I've been slowly recharging my creative batteries and even creating a couple of new things which will eventually get posted when I photograph them (in one case, it's 'recreate', as the originals were gifts that I didn't get a chance to take proper pictures of before they went to their thrilled new owners.)

However, I have finally managed to finish my 'Buried Treasures' necklace - the one that was going to incorporate all those beautiful antique beads and chaton montees! She's called 'Old Love Haunts Me In The Morning', after a song by Marissa Nadler, and here she is:


Old Love Haunts Me In The Morning: Vintage lucite and glass seed beads, vintage chaton montees, vintage faux pearls, Czech glass seed beads, brown glass foil twist beads, Siam Swarovski crystals, brass findings, purple shell pendant, 14ga sterling silver handmade clasp.




Tried to get a closeup of some of those beautiful beads - the chatons are even more beautiful in person than when photographed. The sparkle has to be seen to be believed, and to think they're at least 40-50 years old! And the vintage gold beads are just as lovely; they've developed their own patina over the years apparently.



This is one of the vintage floral lucite beads. I've never seen a finish like that on any of the more recent lucite beads I've looked at. It's absolutely amazing, just like the colours of a rainbow through a soap bubble.




There's a story to those coppery rings - they were originally clasps, but the connector rings broke! Rather than waste them, I sanded them down and put them to good use in the necklace. I think they fit the look and feel pretty well.

Marissa Nadler's beautiful ballad, 'Old Love Haunts Me In The Morning', kept going round and round in my head till I figured it had to be translated into a necklace somehow. I've always imagined that old love fondly remembered is like a golden memory, and in the morning sunshine, it's even more vivid - hence the various tones of gold and burnished copper-bronze speckled through with scarlet to represent 'love'. I tried to incorporate a sense of 'haunting' into the gradual colour gradation from golden to deeper browns and purples, since old love, while beautiful, can sometimes bring with it a darker tone of regret and sadness. The Swarovski crystals and bright chaton montees are the 'sparkle' that accompanies the other half of such memories - the good times, and those that we would never exchange for anything else.

The occasional flash of pale green in the vintage lucite floral bead and chaton montee is reminiscent of the evergreen nature of fond memories.

Old love haunts me in the morning
La da da da da da da da di
Old love haunts in the evening
When the remnants of pictures come alive

I told you that I loved you
I laid the summer down
Come all your careless wanderers
By the lake with the days of ruin

When I first saw you in the sunshine
With the speckles and flaxen in your eyes
When I first saw you in the moonlight
It is true that I thought that I might die

I told you that I loved you
By the lake with the summer gone
Come all your careless wanderers
By the lake with the days of ruin

Venice in Spring Time

...or at least, that's how I felt yesterday after my exams! The inherent need to see something fresh and springish eventually led to these:


Spring Greens: 20ga sterling silver hand-crafted earwires, cloisonne green beads, Czech glass bellflowers, Czech glass green beads. RM25




This pair of earrings actually required a creative work-around - I don't have 20ga silver wires, and I wanted to make a pair of ear wires to finish off the dangles. Then it occurred to me that I actually had purchased some long sterling silver headpins in the past which were definitely thinner than 19ga wire and thicker than the 22ga I had, so they were definitely 20ga for sure (at least, the last I checked, wires don't come in half-sizes.) So I cut the headpins up, made the dangles with one half and the earwires with the other. No wastage and the ear wires turned out great! They measure just over 1.5 inches, from the top of the ear wire to the bottom of the dangle.

And, specially for Swati, here are closeups of the Venetian Necklace and how it turned out. I was trying out the wonderful Old-Fashioned Chain tutorial by Bobbi and the Small Chains tutorial by Diny of Natural Jewels over at JewelryLessons.com. I think it didn't turn out too badly!


Venetian Necklace: 18ga and 24ga silver-plated copper wire, 20ga hand-crafted chain links, 0.4cm rhodium-plated copper jump rings, antique faux pearls, glass pearls, China fire-polish glass rondelles, 2mm pewter beads, silver-plated butterfly toggle clasp.








And this is another of Mei's Sparkly Rings which I made to match the necklace, though I accidentally got the wires crossed due to it being 3am in the morning when I was attempting it. Lesson: Don't try to make rings at 3am if you're not wide awake. However, I was also trying out a wonderful finishing tip by Perri - and let me tell you it -works- beautifully. The wire wraps came out so neatly I was floored. Bravo to Perri for sharing such a wonderful tip!


Venetian Pink: 22ga Argentium silver wire, 4mm Argentium silver beads, Czech fire-polish glass bead, swarovski crystals.

And now before I get any more weird wire ideas, I better go to bed as I have to write up a quiz for my sight-singing students tomorrow. It's far too easy to get sidetracked by shiny things --oooh, is that another ring tutorial I see --err, bed! bed! Now!

Breather, Dive In

I've been somewhat scarce for the past 2 weeks or so, mainly because of the reason behind this:



This is my Venetian Necklace, a test piece I threw together to use up a test piece focal and to try out some chain techniques. The reason I've been busy with finishing that is because my Trinity Guild vocal exam was on Friday! Not only that, I just got done with a concert with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra Chamber Choir so between rehearsals and exam prep, I've had very little time to play with jewellery and wires!

I'll photograph the necklace properly very soon; I made a Sparkly Ring to go with it too (Mei, let me tell you, that Sparkly Ring is soooo popular it's amazing. Go you for such a lovely tutorial!) I made the entire set to go with this outfit for the exam. Yes, I look dreadful, because I wasn't feeling well that day! But the corset is beautiful, courtesy of Joanna of Paperdoll. Love it!


Dead to the world, ma cherie! Sooo dead...

The Unexpected Evolution of Hammered Hoops

Some days, the planned gets hijacked by the bizarre and the unexpected. This time, it was the unexpected.

I'd gotten my hands on some 20ga copper wire so I could hammer out some hoop earrings. Being the smart woman I thought I was, I decided to make them roughly fish- or tear-drop shaped for ease of hammering them out evenly. After some brainwork about how to secure the wires, everything proceeded fairly uneventfully - the hoops weren't exactly ENTIRELY even, because I really suck at getting them perfect, but they worked.

Then I put them on. And they were just 'enh'. They needed something more. Maybe just a touch of colour, a little wire-wrap to accent.

Wire-wrapping led to more wire-wrapping, one thing led to another thing and suddenly instead of hammered hoop earrings, I had these on my hands:


Wine Country: 20ga and 24ga copper wire, 4mm garnets, 4mm amethysts, olive glass seed beads. RM40.





They reminded me so much of grapes on the trellis, naming them Wine Country was only natural. I didn't think the little amethyst dangle would look nice, but amazingly it does, and it gives just that needed bit of weight for them to hang properly. They measure just shy of 4cm, one side's -slightly- uneven because of the hand-hammered hoops - I really need to get better at this hammering thing. The bead placements aren't exactly symmetrical either on both earrings, but that's deliberate for a touch of nature-inspired random.

Rockin' Chicks

I don't know about other girls, but I loved Susie Derkins. She was Calvin's arch-nemesis - well, at least HE called her an arch nemesis, she always had a witty retort ready and she always creamed him but -good- whenever he hit her with snowballs. What isn't there to like?

This is one of the many, many reasons I love Susie. This + colour scheme in strip + weird brain = the Susie Derkins Earrings:


Susie Derkins: 22ga copper wire, pink-dyed mother-of-pearl beads, Czech glass beads, Patton's 'Willow' yarn, dyed shell discs, hand-hammered 22ga earwires.




Here's to rockin' chicks with attitude!

Dames, Hearts, Stars

'The dame's scream hit an octave usually reserved for calling dogs, but it meant I had a case, and the sound of greenbacks slapping across my palm is music to -my- ears any day. After all, I'm not an opera critic. I'm a private eye.'

--Tracer Bullet, Calvin and Hobbes

That's probably one of the most memorable opening lines I've ever come across in all my readings, and I read a lot (my friends have had to stop me reading at some points in my life, it's gotten that bad before.) Tracer Bullet, hard-boiled noir detective and Calvin's alter ego - I salute Bill Watterson, I really do. Tracer Bullet is sheer -genius- and one of my favourite comic characters ever.

Which would explain why inspiration grabbed my brain, shook it, turned it upside down, and disgorged this:


Tracer Bullet: 19ga and 24ga annealed steel wire, Czech glass beads.

Yep, it's a Tracer Bullet bracelet, all black and white for that classic noir effect. Why hearts, stars and flowers, you might ask, since Calvin's never been one for any of those...






Hearts for the calisthenics that Tracer Bullet gets when a brunette client opens his door, stars for the beating up he gets from the requisite goons, and flowers -- well, Dames of course!

Here is the link to the Tracer Bullet strip that was inspiration for this, and you'll see where all the hearts, stars and flowers fit in. Weird place for inspiration, but it apparently happens! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I still do.

Steel, Steampunk and Spacemen

Boys and men aren't the only ones who go gaga over new toys, and they're not the only ones who like 'em either. I like power tools - I -am- a theatre graduate after all! So when I came across annealed steel wire in the hardware store yesterday, of course I bought it. I've been curious to see what I can do with the stuff ever since looking at Deryn Mentock's gorgeous work.

New toys require playtime. This goes without saying. This also explains why I slept at 6am this morning, and why my neighbours could hear occasional bursts of hammering at the most ungodly hours. (I consider it payback for the dreadful out-of-key joget and Chinese New Year karaoke, m'self, but...)

The results:

You really need to sleep. It is almost 5am, said Brain. Go away, I'm making stuff, said the Creative Side. And just what ARE those pieces of metal you're hammering? Bell tongues? Brain snorted derisively. The Creative Side just gave Brain a Look, and retorted sagely, Steampunk Stamens. Brain, sensing defeat, just went off to a corner to sulk.


Steampunk Stamens: 19ga and 24ga annealed steel wire, 16ga copper wire, rhodium-plate earwires.


I love Calvin and Hobbes. I especially love the Transmogrifier, Tracer Bullet and Spaceman Spiff, and I've been rereading the comics for the last week. After I'd experimented with Deryn's wrapped loop link and finished, I realised that the bead colours against that dark background reminded me of the colour panels of Spiff and the Zogwarg Queen confrontations he constantly ran into. Even more so after I attached the little orange dangle - I know Calvin wears a red t-shirt, but the overall effect couldn't be denied. Besides, the Zogwarg Queen had guards too, like the two random wrapped tangles flanking the main pendant...


Spaceman Spiff and the Zogwarg Queen: 19ga, 24ga and 28ga annealed steel wire, Czech seed beads and glass bead, linen cord, copper toggle clasp.





I'm officially in love with these annealed steel wires. So -many- things I can imagine doing, between steampunk and Calvin and Hobbes!

...I guess that means tonight I'm not sleeping again either huh?

Yes, Virginia, Even Chainmaille Can Get ADD

Once upon a time, a sedate length of parallel chain decided it had had enough of being boring, and went on a journey of discovery. Along the way, it met an exquisite European 4-in-1 whose silvery shimmy up and down the chorus line could send shivers down any red-blooded male spine, and oh, the nights they had together. But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end and the 4-in-1 shimmied onto more exciting conquests. The parallel chain resumed its not-so-sedate existence but never quite forgot what it was like to dance, twirl, and get a severe case of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) while falling in love.


Parallel ADD: 0.5cm rhodium-plated copper and 0.7cm rhodium-plated steel, silver-plated copper handmade clasp.



I'm not even sure what weave that centre bit is any more; it started out as a 4-in-1 but I kept adding smaller jump rings so it's technically a 6-in-1 joined by only 2 rings instead of 3. Or something like that. Hence the name Parallel ADD.

==
The night of the great Venetian Ball, she could hardly sit still for anticipation and fretting about what to wear with her moonlight-silver gown. Pearls, said her sister. No, moonstones or diamonds, argued her mother. Her grandmother, however, said not a word but went to her jewellery box and drew out a pair of ornate silver-and-crystal earrings. The perfect complement, and everyone, from mother to sister, agreed.


Byzantine Baroque: 0.5cm rhodium-plated copper, Siam AB Swarovski crystals.

Inspired by the gorgeous Byzantine pendants in the gallery section over at Blue Buddha Boutique.

==
She needed a necklace desperately, a red one, and what she had at hand were glass beads the colour of autumn leaves and scarlet fire. What took shape made her remember the colours of the Kentucky hills in autumn, the beautiful red-and-gold-and-orange tints of falling leaves and bright scarlet berries heralding approaching winter.


Autumn Fire: Red China glass beads, gold lucite leaves, antique gold seed beads, pressed Czech glass beads, acrylic teardrop, Siam AB Swarovski crystal, rhodium-plated chain, silver-plated toggle clasp.



This piece is special because I finally got to use some beautiful lucite and acrylic beads that I got in Jakarta during the Asian Choir Games. Memories and beads, a lovely combination!

Inspired by April's lovely designs at Vanity Vault.

==
"...this is supposed to be a set of Byzantine earrings, yes, but couldn't it possibly be combined with a Japanese weave just for variety...err, oops, no that doesn't work, wait, let's make it 4-in-1 instead..."

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why these have been dubbed the Byzoops earrings.


Byzoops: 0.5cm rhodium-plated copper, 0.7cm rhodium-plated steel.

Once Upon A Not-So Long Time Ago...

...Girl met Boy and immediately wanted to punch him in the nose for being completely obnoxious. Not a very promising beginning, but faerie tales don't always start promisingly either. Real Life, taking a page out of a faerie tale, decided to go that route because Girl discovered a short time later that she and Boy had a lot more in common than both of them had ever thought possible. They agreed to disagree on the things they couldn't agree upon. They argued, and agreed to argue fairly, and learned to call timeouts when things got a bit too personal or fiery. They laughed at Calvin and Hobbes, Cthulhu cats, and other matters of complete mystification to most of their friends - but it was their own 'language' which they understood and were comfortable with. Parallel thoughts, divergent paths.

Boy's birthday came, and Girl wanted to make him a present. After a lot of thought, she decided that something lasting, symbolic, and aesthetically pleasing would probably work best. She settled on a chainmaille pattern, thought about it, sat down, and made a bracelet. She named it Parallel Divergent, because of the parallel chain focal segment, and to celebrate the differences that made things beautiful.


Parallel Divergent: 0.5cm and 0.7cm rhodium-plated copper and steel rings, 19ga Argentium silver hand-made clasp.

And yes, Boy did like his present.

==
Shakti: from the Sanskrit shak, 'to be able', meaning 'sacred force or empowerment'...
--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakti

"I'd like you to make her something," he said, and she agreed, albeit reluctantly. Little by little in the doing, her creative winter began to thaw, and by the end of her project, spring was well on the way. She named the bracelet Shakti; somehow it seemed fitting and appropriate.


Shakti: 18ga and 22ga Argentium silver, garnets, amethysts, Siam AB Swarovski crystal and Miyuki seed beads.

A commission for a friend. It turned out almost exactly like the charted design and I learned a lot along the way - the callouses are still on my fingertips from about a month ago! She finally received it, so I can post the pictures up safely now.

Jasmine Drops and Oceans Deep

I've been asked for a while to post what I've been working on this week so, Swati, Mei, here's your wish! I'm especially pleased because after 8 or 9 tries I finally managed my first pair of hammered hoop earrings, complete with detachable charms. Thank you sooo much for the tips Swati, they helped tremendously!


==
Rain. Steady, impervious, falling to earth, breaking into a million tiny droplets on the old, old stones of the temple.

"Do you believe in forever?" she asked, arms folded around her knees as she huddled on the steps for shelter. He started to answer, then stopped, watching the interplay of sunlight and rain on the gnarled jasmine tree beside them. Reaching out, he let the falling blossoms catch on his work-roughened hands, then held them out to her like an offering.


Jasmine Drops: Vintage lucite bellflowers, Chinese olivine faceted crystals, brass beadcaps.


I want to spread my wings --but I just can't fly
And like a string of pearls
Pretty girls go sailing by...
Ocean deep --I'm so afraid to show my feelings
I have sailed a million seas
Solitary room...

--'Ocean Deep', Cliff Richard


Ocean Deep: 22ga Argentium silver, top-drilled blue-gray cultured pearls.

Musings on the New Year

I cannot. I could not.

Two new years: one over, one drawing to its final fifteenth day.

Forever. Never. Two words poles and poles apart, magnetized by their very disparity. Who knew that it was so easy to switch from one to the other, just with the elimination of three letters and a replacement?

It’s time to evaluate again – the measure of a life, the measure of a season, the measure of time that’s left before it’s too late. Let’s face it – there’s always time to evaluate, we just don’t want to do it because it involves a peculiar brand of brutal honesty. The ability to be comfortable with oneself requires the focused gaze of an electron microscope and the surgical skill to prune away dead matter. Not always pretty. Not always ideal. Oftentimes, the reality can be far worse than our rose-coloured glasses have led us to believe.

Uncomfortable truths. Prickly bones of contention.

Necessity.

Ugly, ugly little word, that – takes effort to spell, takes even more mental constitution to put into practice some days.

Last year was a chapter closing for many things in my life – some expected, others not. I can’t lie and say that most of it was welcome, or that I handled some of it with anything less than unmitigated stupidity and boneheadedness. In the end, life went on and so did I.

And now, looking into a new year with its new influx of uncertainties and change, I wonder if I have the capacity to make good on the lessons learned from 2008 – to be kinder, to be more mature, to be bolder, to step into a whole new season and move on with no regrets. To look back, without heartburnings.

Old friends, new friends, old lives, new lives. None of these stand alone; in the grand scheme of things it’s all intertwined like the complicated ecology of a tropical rainforest. When the non-essentials are pared down, what’s left is the core of all these combined elements – the sometimes-shaky, unsure, sometimes-arrogant, stubborn-beyond-measure will of steel that’s me.

They say that labels can be derogatory – I don’t disagree with this. But some labels remind us of where we’ve come from and where we’ve been, and in their own way, they’re badges on the battle scar coats we carry around with us.

So here’s to 2009, with its vagaries and quirks and eccentricities – to the precious friends I have, to the friends I’ve met, to everyone who’s invested time and effort into my life, to new experiences and to challenges that might make the Titanic seem small. Here’s to love, craziness and fun, and everything that’s made me what I am: the Great Unknown, the Intoxicating Artsy Techie Emo Geek Babe, the Artist, the Writer, the Bitch, the Crazy One, the Friend, and the Spindle Girl.

Here’s to you, my friends. Thank you and I love y’all.