Call me the happy pack rat.
Before a happy pack rat throws anything away, she asks herself: “What if I’ll need this in the future?” So many things stay because they have potential for transformation. There is that problem of storage and organization. But there is also the delight in rediscovering odds and ends after years of incubation. It’s like finding a lost friend, or looking at someone familiar with fresh eyes.
It’s a challenge for me to find some use for things that I keep. Sometimes it takes a second. Sometimes, years. But most of them get to undergo their metamorphosis. Hopefully, all of them will. There are times when I look at my workstation (B calls it my ‘showroom’), and I think, what will happen to you guys if I suddenly die? The thought of leaving things unfinished is always an effective form of motivation. Time’s a wasting. I’m not growing any younger. To quote the brave Bohemians of Rent, there is no day but today. So get on moving, girl.
I made this pendant about 20 years ago. I was just starting out my freshman year as a music major. We wore uniforms in high school so I didn’t have a lot of clothes. In college, I made up for that by making some out of hand-me-downs from my family, including my dad and brother. I made my own accessories from ordinary everyday things. I even made my own sandals. I was very brave in wearing the things I made. It was conviction that fueled my courage. Even then, I was an advocate for recycling.
She is made of . . .
. . . a couple of beads and a nylon string.
The earring was my aunt’s. She lost its partner then broke the hook.
The stop came from my mom’s empty perfume bottle. It was from one of those miniature versions that I’ve always found adorable.
The leather came from an old shoelace.
Everything was something most people would consider trash. But you know what they say about that. Someone’s trash is the happy pack rat’s treasure.
Man Hands Lizzie 