A big part of my daily ritual of going out to meet the world is selecting my jewelry for the day. Just the right combination of handmade, store bought and sometimes found objects are what launch me into the world.  So I thought I would share a jewelry ‘story’ with you now and then, to illustrate what I’m wearing and what it means to me. A little place for the eyes to feast on pretties without being asked to buy anything. No marketing. Sorry, not for sale. 🙂

Today’s Jewelry Story was for going out to see the Fall leaves, including apple picking and pumpkin gathering. Yes, I wear jewelry for this, and every other day. Deal, sweet reader. I said it was a daily ritual!

I started with the leaf necklace. I got this beautiful leaf and the ‘wish’ word charm from Meez & Co (aka Renassaince Art). I remember when I made it that I had such trouble figuring out how to make it hang straight up and down, and flat, being such a textured and heavy piece of brass. I ended up hanging it on a flat filigree circle that supports its weight and keeps it centered. Then I added a diamond-shaped Czech glass bead and bead cap with the word charm. I felt it looked like an acorn. I love this necklace. It made me work for it; but the work was worth it.

This piece gives me a hug every time I wear it. A handmade piece, it is ‘abandoned art’. I found it while attending an Art is You retreat in 2014. As I’ve shared recently, I never feel like I’m part of a group. I don’t fit in. I was feeling this keenly at the moment I found this piece of jewelry with the abandoned art tag. I was in the hotel lobby’s main bar area, sitting alone and feeling it… when this art reached out and gave me a hug and said, in it’s arty way, ‘you are not alone here’. These feelings resonate through me every time I wear it. Abandoned Art is powerful that way!

The beads? Just beads. Found them at a store and the rounded diamond shapes screamed – we will go with your beads at home…

The earrings are recently redesigned. I had lost one of the pair, and so I had to change up the remaining piece a bit in order to bring it back together as a pair. But I like it even more now! The hardest part is finding crystals to fit inside those ‘coffin-shaped’ beads. I love nesting things inside of these shapes, but it is a challenge.

So a bit of handmade, a bit of store bought, and some abandoned art.

It coordinated rather well with the scenery! I love Autumn in Connecticut.