A Sentimental Necklace

I am very sentimental.  Just ask my husband about the box of baby toys I have tucked away in the basement or the bin of my children's artwork on a shelf between my Christmas ornaments or the box hidden under my bed that holds the letters written to me by my grandpa while I was in college.

I do "store" a lot of my memories in boxes and bins but I also have a few things that hold sentimental value to me that I like to showcase.  Like the clock that came from my old high school that hangs in our dining area:

The teapot that used to be in my grandparents' china cabinet that was my great-grandma's:

Even photographs - Chris' parents and my parents' wedding photos in the center and our grandparents' wedding photos on each side:

I've even been known to make jewelry out of sentimental items.  I made a charm bracelet for my niece out of her grandma's (my mother-in-law's jewelry) after she passed away and I made a necklace out of button from a coat my grandma used to wear.  The necklace I made out of a key of my dad's though, is my favorite.

This key used to open his classroom door - the room he taught in for as long as I can remember.  I have vivid memories of that classroom......what it looked like, what it smelled like, what it sounded like when you walked across the hard wood floor (which I have in my basement - that's a whole 'nother blog post).  I even remember being a student in that classroom and being mortified when he made one of my best friends not only spit out her gum, but empty her pockets of the rest of the pieces of gum she had.  I also remember his desk with the glass top and all of the pictures of my sister and me he had on display there.  Presidents' pictures ringed the room and the red geraniums bloomed brightly in the sunlight.  These are just a few of my wonderful memories!

 

To complete the necklace I used these antique beads that were given to me by a dear friend who got them for me on her trip to Door County.  Made me feel pretty special that she was thinking of me while on vacation!

These were pendants.  I removed the dangle that would attach it to a jump ring/chain and then sanded it smooth.  They are unique and delicate and if you look closely you can see the tiny crosses in their centers. 

Every time I wear this necklace, I think of my dad and the great teacher he was and the father he is!

"Everything gets to me.  I'm very sentimental."  -Cornelia Funke