New “Bling”

On my old blog, An Austin Homestead, you could always spot me in a photograph by my signature thumb ring. I’d take photos with my right hand, holding a carrot or some such oddity in my left hand and give myself away. I still wear that ring, but now my camera requires two hands, so you don’t see it nearly as often. Other than that ring (purchased on a trip to Thailand) i wear 3 other rings, plus the occasional appearance of my engagement ring and one other piece of jewelry: my pine cone necklace. All my other bobbles are packed away in some box 4 hours away, along with 75% of my little family’s possessions and furniture. It’s been over a year since we moved and i’ll admit: i want my stuff back!

Tangent: I’ve been hearing tons of NPR stories about “tiny houses” and “the 100 things challenge” and i’m finding it all a bit irritating. I understand how (americans) folks can get too “thing” oriented, but ridding yourself of all your extra “stuff” sounds like a first world challenge to me. How about you just stop BUYING stuff. Why get rid of good stuff unless you really don’t need it? Purge the unnecessary stuff, but prevent the problem by not BUYING THINGS. It’s really not that hard. I would rather have all my things in one place, since i need almost all of them! You can’t pare your life down to 100 things when you raise animals, cook and process real food, and like to hike wearing something other than the same pair of sneakers you always wear. I mean, i suppose you can – but it’s not really wise to make soap, milk, make cheese, cook a soup, and process your jam all in the same big pot. You can do it, but it’s not advisable!

Okay, sorry about that. Tangent aside, back to jewelry: i got a new bobble recently! Remember my post about the hip and creative duo Son of a Sailor? I got my new necklace in the mail and absolutely love it! The chains of my new bling and my old pine cone don’t really want to jive, but i’m forcing them to coexist anyway. Within a week of our trade, i received a lovely package in the mail complete with some fun little gifts and of course, my new necklace. The charms are so sweet and the chain is really lovely. I especially love the clasp they used – it’s easy to use and very attractive (and somehow magically stays in place all the time!)

Isn’t that great? I chose to go with my own initials and they’re already building up a neat patina after wearing them for a week or two. Wonder what i sent her in trade? Here’s a sneak peak of Jackson, the commemorative Fiber Friend honoring Jessica’s sweet pup who died last year. Check out Son of a Sailor’s Tumblr blog for a reciprocal post about our trade. Her lush post kinda made me cry a little. I’d highly recommend Son of a Sailor to anyone looking to pick up some bling for themselves or a friend.