good memories

A little work before church while the hubby gets ready and the little man naps:
and a little sneak peek at what's coming very soon to hendersweet...

I think of new ideas all the time.  If you see me during meetings or at church writing in this notebook, that's probably what I'm doing....writing down ideas:

I'm feeling nostalgic today.  I grew up less than a mile from one set of grandparents and just a matter of minutes from the other set.  Thinking about some of my choices now, I see how those family influences have shaped me.  But! Since this blog is devoted to hendersweet.... let me tell you why I make some of the things I make.

It started with this necklace:

This necklace was my grandma's.  She gave it to me when I was in college and I can remember her wearing it before that.  It's an old Avon necklace that probably never cost all that much.  In fact, I recently found one online for five dollars.   I wear it somewhat frequently and love knowing that it has a history and a meaning for me.

I started working with jewelry by repurposing old things.  But when I started making my own jewelry, I started with flower necklaces and earrings that were supposed to be a modern update on Grandma's old necklace.  Then, hendersweet kept experimenting. 

Starting at the end of 2012, I started making and selling jewelry with old hymn cuts.  This too was inspired by the same grandma.  She played the piano at her old country church for years (And tried, unsuccessfully, to teach me a few things on the piano when I was younger).  I still have this old hymnal from her:

So, I use my favorite hymns to make jewelry.  Here's a sneak peek of some I've been working on this weekend:

Obviously, this is just a taste of things that hendersweet has.  But nearly everything has a place in my heart.  The scrabble ornaments come from playing for hours during the summers, the book necklaces are from some of my favorite books, the new coffee mug necklaces come from my love of comfort and coffee, and all the adoption themed and "hope" jewelry is inspired by our recent journey.

I do this because I love it.  And because it's a way to express pieces of my life.  Cheesy?  Maybe.  But it makes sense to me.  My grandpa is newly in the nursing home, so I've been seeing him and family members a good deal lately and have been thinking back over my childhood.  Now that I have a son, I think about those things often.  I want him to be able to look back as fondly as I can now.

-Amy

Love you, Grandma and Grandpa