memories and thanks blog hop reveal

hello, friends! and welcome, visitors!

today is the reveal for lori anderson of pretty things' memories and thanks blog hop. lori, brain-child-extraordinaire, came up with this hop idea in honor of marianne, a fan of lori's who died quite unexpectantly. go read pretty things to learn what marianne meant to lori.

in turn, lori proposed to those of us in the bead soup cafe on facebook to choose either marianne to honor, or someone in our own lives that has touched us deeply. a blog hop as a circle of gratitude? count me in! i really am so very honored to be here in the midst of such a lovely group of women.

those of you who have visited my little corner of this interconnected, virtual highway, may know of my sister, rebecca. i mention her often. she is, in fact, my most favorite person in this whole wide world.

i utterly adore her.

we moved around quite a bit, because of my father's job. he was a forester and botanist for the bureau of land management. i went to eight different schools! that's a lot of moving! so, really, my only consistent friend was becca. we knew each other's baggage and we knew our family's secrets. we were the victims of sexual, physical, emotional, and verbal abuse. we are each other's witnesses. we are the survivors, wandering through this desert, looking for a fresh spring and a cool tree. we are each other's springs and each other's shady place.

i love this story; when my mother brought me home from the hospital, becca couldn't wait to hold me. and the photo mother took of becca holding me is sooo adorable. she has this humongous grin on her face, me spread across her tiny lap. she had decided that i belonged to her. and that's just the way it was. we belonged to each other. sure, okay, we argued occasionally. but never seriously. we are each other's repositories of memory. she is, honestly, the only reason i'm still here today. so thank you, becca, my beloved sister. you ground me. you hold me. you remind me of who i am and why i want to stick around.

you gave me two gorgeous nieces; deborah and abigail.

i utterly adore *them* now, too. so becca, you have brought more love to my life. i couldn't be complete without all of you. thank you, thank you, thank you. i don't think i'll ever be able to express what you've meant to me, becca. you were the person who showed me there was good in the world, that there is light here on earth, even in the midst of this dark night. you showed me what hope looks like. you pointed me to the Light of the World; Abba-Father, Jesus, Son of God. you led me out of the wilderness. and you held my hand when i was afraid, in the midst of the wilderness.

i decided to make something green, because becca's favorite color is green. i used freshwater pearls, because her favorite stones are pearls.

please forgive my terrible photos. my camera is in the throes of death. the macro button no longer registers, so i'm hovering over the work, shaking dreadfully. at least i can still turn off the flash, right?

here is my button and peanut sead bead ring clasp. i love making my own clasps!!!

the wire work is in honor of my sister's a-maz-ing wirework art necklaces. here is one of them.

she was inspired by the irish mermaids who rescue drowning sailors, instead of the more common vengeful mermaids you read about from elsewhere. i love her work!!! we share a business; two sisters, and sell our jewelry at the local farmers market. it's such a treat to spend all day with her twice a week in the summer. i look forward to those days, since she is so busy most of the time, with her little family and her teaching job.

here is the bulk of my piece. all of the pieces were chosen especially for becca; her favorites colors and stones and things and some of what she means to me. i'll try to explain everything.

first; the leaves. there are several, in different materials and colors. since our father was a forester and both of us were born in oregon, we both have *exceedingly strong views* on our land resources, specifically the trees. when we lived in oregon it was the early to mid-seventies, when they were wisely managing the forests. when they moved dad to california to work in the deserts, the blm shifted their focus. maybe lost their focus. i don't know the politics of it. suffice it to say, the powers that be switched from wise management to cutting down huge swaths of old-growth forests. you could say rebecca and i are deeply troubled by this decision. you wouldn't be anywhere near the root of our anger. so; leaves for our childhood camping trips to the woodlands that are now gone. there is a striated  stone on the top there that was gathered, cut, polished, and drilled by a friend of ours from farmers market. my father was also a rockhound. i remember weekend trips out to the desert to dig in the sand to find garnets and trips to the beach to find agates and trips to the forests to find petrified wood. both my sister and i have a deep and passionate love for rocks and an affection for those who call themselves rockhounds. the key symbolizes how she knows the quickest way to unlock my heart. i trust her. i freely gave her that key. the magic polymer clay bead is one i made myself, and refers to the rich imaginative worlds we created together throughout our whole lives. her favorite beads are crystals, so i put several in, just for sparkle. she does love her sparkle. :) there are several briolettes, because that's her favorite bead shape. and the long brass drop is for whimsy. everyone needs a bit of whimsy, especially becca, because she tends to go all serious much too often. i guess we both tend to do that!

there it is, my homage to my beloved sister. let me leave you with the signifigance of the wing, probably the most important part.

becca, i want you to remember to *fly* this next year. *fly* *free.* for you carry my heart in your hands, and that heart is often quite heavy. so fly free, dear one. you don't have to carry it anymore. i've got yours, for now. so fly free. and feel the release of blessed, blessed quietness in your soul. God is your rest, and your hiding place. he makes you to soar on the wings of eagles.

my sister is participating in this blog hop! please visit her blog here.

here is the list for the rest of the hop. happy memories everyone! and thanks, for stopping by.

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Hostess, Lori Anderson       Pretty Things

 Adlinah Kamsir                   Dream Struck Designs

 Aimee Biondolillo               Aimee's Jewelry Treasures

 Alicia Marinache                 All the Pretty Things 
 Andra Marasteanu               Handmade by Indra Marasteanu 
 Andrea Trank                      Heaven Lane Creations
 April Grinaway                   Brooklyn Bead Goddess

Barb Solem                         Vivi Magoo Presents

Becky Pancake                    Becky Pancake Bead Designs

Beth Emery                         Stories by Indigo Heart  ******you are here******

Bonnie Coursolle                Jasper's Gems

Cassi Paslick                       Beads: Rolling Downhill

Catherine King                    Catherine's Musings

Cece Cormier                      The Beading Yogini

Chandra Leitz                     Juniper Goods

Charissa Nesler                   FireStorm Designs
Charlie Jacka                       Clay Space

Christina Hickman              Vintage Treasures Jewelry

Christine Stonefield            Sweet Girl Design

Chrizette Bayman               Bead Soup Mix

Cindy Wilson                      It's My Sea of Dreams

Crystal Thain                      Here Bead Dragons

Cyndi Lavin                        Beading Arts

Debbie Rasmussen             A little of this, a little of that

Denielle Hagerman             Some Beads... and other things I like
Diana Gonzalez                  Arte y Poemas

Diane Hawkey                    diane hawkey

Dita Basu                            ankarshilpa

Donetta Farrington             Simply Gorgeous

Dyanne Everett-Cantrell     Deeliteful Jewelry Creations

Emma Todd                        A Polymer Penchant

Erin Kenny                         beadiful therapy

Erin Prais-Hintz                  Treasures Found

Gina Hockett                      Freestyle Elements

Gloria Allen                        Innovative Dreams Jewelry

Heather Marston                 CSW Designs

Inge von Roos                    Inge's Blog

Jacqueline Marchant          Fiddledeedee Jewelry

Jami Shipp                         Celebrating Life!

Jean Yates                          Snap Out of it Jean, There's Beading to Do!

Jennifer Reno                     Musings of a Crafty Jenny
Jenny Robledo                   Peppa's Dream

Jennifer VanBenschoten    Jewelry, Art and Life
Jessica Klaaren                  Cellar Door Jewelry

Jessica Murray                   Whimsical Monkey

Joan Williams                     lilruby jewelry

Jo-Ann Woolverton            It's a Beadiful Creation

Joanne Browne                   josjewels1

Jodie Marshall                    Jodie Marshall Lampwork Beads Wearable Art

Johanna Rhodes                 Fire Phoenix Creations
John Rasmussen                 Rasumussen Gems and Jewelry LLC

JuLee Wolfe                       The Polymer Penguin

Julie Bean                           Blue Pig Blog

Karen Mitchell                   Over the Moon Designs

Karin King                         The Sparklie Things Blog
Karin Slaton                       Backstory Beads

Kat Douglas                       Washoe Kat's
Kay Bolton                        Toodles and Binks

Kelly Hosford Patterson     The Traveling SideShow

Kim Ballor                          Vitamin C ... A Daily Does of Creativity

Kim Dworak                       CianciBlue

Kim Houston                       The Pink Martini
Kym Hunter                         Kym Hunter Designs

Laren Dee Barton                Laren Dee Designs

Lea Avroch                          LA Jewelry Designs

Leanne Loftus                      First Impression Design

Lena Adams (Mari's daughter) -- TBA
Liddy McLaughlin               Liddy McLaughlin Art

Linda Florian                       Lily's of the Valley Jewelry & Creative Creations

Linda Inhelder                     Must-Haves Jewelry

Lisa Hamilton                      Simply Irresistable Jewelry
Lisa Suver                            Fancee That

Lori Bowring Michaud        Artfully Ornamental

Lori Poppe                           Adventures in Creativity with Lorillijean

LouAnn Elwell                    Southpass Beads

Mandi Effron                       Craft-o-licious

Marcia DeCoster                 MadDesigns

Marcia Dunne                     The Alternative Foundry

Marie Covert                      Creating Interest

Marjorie Savill Linthwaite     bennubirdrising

Marlene Cupo                        Amazing Designs by Marlene

Martha Aleo                           Ornamento

Marti Conrad                          Marti's Buttons -n- Beads

Mary Ellen Parker                  BeeTree by m.e.

Mary Govaars                        MLH Jewelry Designs

Mary Lindell                          Mary Lindell Artisan Jewelry

Maureen Connolly                 Mrs Beadsley's Workshop

Maybeline Tay                       The Jewelry Larder

Melissa Elgin                         The Addicted Beader

Melissa Mesara                      one-eared pig beads

Menka Gupta                         Menka's Jewelry

Michaela Pabeschitz              la mar de bonita

Mischelle Fanucchi               Micheladas Musings

Mona Rae Baroody               Who Does She Bead She Is?

Nan Emmett                          Spirit Rattles -- Spirited Earth

Nancy Pedersen                    Something Heartfelt by Nancy

Natalie Davidson                  NorthShore Days
Nikki Douglas                      Bead It and Weep

Pam Farren                           re-maker

Pam, the Crazier Sister        The Crazy Creative Corner

Priya Krish                           Hellopalz  
Rebecca Anderson               Song Beads

Rebecca Sirevaag                 Becca's Place

Robin Kae Reed                   Artistry HCBD

Rochelle Brisson                  a creative chelle

Sabine Dittrich                     perlendschungel

Sandi Volpe                          Sandi Volpe

Sandra McGriff                    Creative Chaos

Sarah Goode                         Pookledo
Sarah Singer                         String a Song of Sixpence

Serena Trent                         All Things Made Jewelry

Shai Williams                       Shaiha's Ramblings
Sharon Palac                        Sharon's Jewelry Garden

Sharyl McMillian-Nelson    Sharyl's Jewelry & Reflections

Sheila Davis                         Stone Designs

Shelley Graham Turner        Fabric of My Life

Sherri Stokey                       Knot Just Macrame

Sherry Baun                         Unicorns Jewels

Skylar Bre'z                         Brising Beads

Stephanie Haussler              Pixybug Designs

Tania Spivey                        Moobie Grace Designs

Terri G.                                Blooming Ideas

Terry Carter                         Tapping Flamingo

Terry Matuszyk                    Pink Chapeau Vintage Jewelry

Toltec Jewels                       Jewel School Friends
Tracy Kruse                         Goldkisses Art

Tracy Martin                        Nutkitten's Jewelry

Zia Parks                              Anzi~Panzi's Work Shoppe

Zoe Marcin                          Beads, Tea and Sweets