Lost At Sea

For the past week we have enjoyed some awesome Florida weather, and some quality time with my parents.  Hubby and I took one of our grandgirls with us for this visit and it definitely was one of the best vacations I've had in a few years.  I didn't keep a calendar...make a "to-do list"...nor did I bring a work laptop with me and log in remotely to the office.  Of course, I did bring some jewelry-making supplies with me, but that's just not "work", if you know what I mean.  Yes, I made some jewelry pieces, but I actually laid on a float in the pool and read two and a half books on my Kindle.  And I have a great tan!

Since yesterday was our last full day in Paradise, we decided to take a trip to Bathtub Beach to enjoy the ocean and collect some shells.  It was a hazy day, so the sun was not scorching us.  I walked along the sandy edge and the waves were pretty strong compared to other trips to that beach.  While I was looking for shells, I noticed that my toe ring felt somewhat loose and I had to keep adjusting it.  This was my very first sterling toe ring I had made earlier this month...which I posted about in my last blog entitled "Happy Feet." 

I stopped shell-hunting and decided that I might want to join my hubby and granddaughter, Lucy.  They were swimming and having a great time trying to body surf on the bigger waves.  It looked like so much fun...but something that I need to convince myself to do since I think I might be a bit too old for this type of activity. As I stood in ankle-deep water with waves coming in and going out at a rapid pace, I noticed my toe ring had moved to the top of my toe.  I bent down to take it off and had my fingers on it at the same moment a wave hit me, and I lost my balance.  You guessed it...I didn't actually have a good enough hold and it slipped right into the ocean.  It was gone...it all happened so fast.

As I stood there trying not to be upset, Lucy came over to me.  I asked her if she would use her goggles to see if she could find it.  She was more than happy to help recover my lost toe ring.  Little did I know right before that happened, my hubby had a similar experience with his college ring that he has worn for the past 40 years.  He's lost so much weight, his ring slips off easily. While he was swimming in the ocean, it fell off his finger. He quickly used Lucy's goggles to find it again, which truly amazes me!  How much more meaningful was his college ring compared to my first-ever sterling silver hammered toe ring? I was SO happy for him!

Lucy said, "Don't worry, Mimi, we can get you another toe ring."  When I told her that I had made it, she said she thought I could make another one.  So I sat on my towel on the beach and tried to design a new toe ring in my mind that I would like better.  I was sad but only for a brief moment...there are so many things in life that aren't replaceable and I just couldn't allow myself to dwell on something as simple as a lost toe ring. We even joked about the fish that would come and swallow it up, and then the fisherman who will catch and clean the fish only to discover a nice piece of silver in its belly!

Of course when I went back to my parent's house, I took out my silver wire and started bending and hammering.  It came out different than my mind had designed, but I just never know how any of my pieces will actually look until it's all done.  I put it on and showed Lucy.  She said, "Oh Mimi, that one is much better than your other one."  I just love that girl's heart!

Here is a picture of my new "Tootsie" ring:

Yes, one ring was "lost at sea", while the other, much more important and sentimental ring was "recovered" from the bottom of the ocean.  I still have "Happy Feet" and a very happy hubby!

Moving forward and enjoying the important things in life!
Carole

Happy Feet!

Thank goodness it's sandal season...love, love my sandals! Whenever I uncover my sore feet from the dreaded winter shoes and boots, my feet cry for some pampering. While I've been wearing sandals for a few days now, I got a really good view of my feet when I sat in the dentist's chair this morning getting my teeth cleaned.  For the record, that is my least favorite thing (dental chairs) in the whole world!

Anyway, as I was reclining in said chair, I had time to study my sandals, feet, and toe rings. Love, love toe rings! I was not impressed with how my rings had fared the winter...dull and very old looking. I couldn't get too bothered by it since they didn't cost a lot and I felt I did get my money's worth.  I was trying to picture what kind of rings I wanted to replace them with and then I instantly had the idea that I could make myself new rings!  So rather than let my blood pressure sky-rocket as it typically does whenever I go to the dentist, I sat there trying to design new toe rings!  What better way to pass that kind of time?

Before I knew it, forty-five minutes had passed and my dentist came in to check my teeth with the hygienist. I laughed when his first question to me was, "Now I know I'm not really current on fashion and nail polish etiquette, but is it okay to have one color polish on your fingers and another color on your toes?" The hygienist quickly pointed out that the nail polish on my fingers matched my necklace, but my dentist couldn't get past the fact that my pink toe polish didn't match my aqua finger nail polish. What struck me funny about his question was that after I had painted my nails aqua yesterday, my hubby, who barely ever says anything about those sorts of things, asked me if I had ever worn that color before. When I said, "No, I don't think I have," he then said, "I mean, you have never, ever worn that color in all of the years I've known you." My interpretation? He hates the color! ;o)

You might have already suspected that when I came home from my dentist appointment, I went up to my studio and began working on toe rings!  Yes, I have pictures of the "before" and "after"...but not of my feet...that would be an awful picture to post!

If you look closely, the ring on the left is split...it broke when I took it off.  I guess I knew it was time to let go of the old...which is a current and on-going theme in my life right now!

These "Tootsie" rings are made with 16 gauge hammered sterling silver wire.  (The one on the right is softly hammered and the one on the left is boldly hammered.)  I did make a third ring, but it ended up as a pinky ring...it has an aqua bead wired to it that matches my aqua nail polish! ;o)

To refer to my last blog post, inspiration can even come while sitting in the dental chair.  I wonder if they will look at me funny when I go to my November cleaning appointment wearing sandals. 

I think my feet are very, very happy...
Carole