Labor of Love

My blog friend Jonni saw some of my Chinese Map necklaces on FB and ordered some for herself.  I did a lot of agonizing over the designing of them, since I couldn't find a very good graphic for Jinchang.

In the end they turned out really great and Jonni loved them so I did all of that freaking out for nothing.  Shocking, right?

The worst part is that Joe kept telling me to calm down and he was sure they were going to turn out fine, and I really needed to let go of some of my perfectionist tendencies.  Blah, blah blah.  Whatever.

God I  hate it when he's right.     :)

Because I am very proud of how they turned out.

Anyway, here they are.

I love making these.  I love researching the cities.  I love printing out the pictures and adhering them to the glass pendants.  I love putting the names, or dates, or phrases on the backs.  Mostly I love thinking about the babies (and some big kids) that are now home with their families and where they came from and how much love was involved in the making of that family.

And now I'm all teary.  I just love making them.

When I'm making them I try hard not to think about the fact that I may always be making them for other people and not for myself.

More tears.

It's a process, this letting go.

Thank you Jonni, for ordering them.  I loved making them for you.


P.S.  My arm is still in so much pain from that Tetanus shot I got last week. Apparently you are supposed to rub your arm and move it as much as possible after you get it?  Who knew?  Well, like 20 of my FB friends knew, but they didn't tell me until after I asked why my arm was still hurting a week later.  Now I have a huge knot at the injection site and it hurts like hell and I have been having to put ice on it every night.   So in 10 years when I have to get another Tetanus shot I will try to remember that.  Or I'll just ask my FB friends.  They seem to be very knowledgable.