Shiny

This week's Illustration Friday prompt is shiny. And I don't usually say that on this blog. I'll be saying it on the other blog later today, though, assuming that I think of something to doodle for it. Click the other blog link above to look at previous week's stuff if you want to until then, but keep in mind that I've been dealing with a sprained wrist lately so the last month or so hasn't exactly been wonderful in the artsy department.

Anyway. Thinking of ideas for the prompt plus continuing frustration with my father's computer (the hamster wheel's definitely slowing down these days) has kind of blocked the blather for me, so I'm going to use the opportunity to post the photos of my non-jewels that my two fans will remember I was threatening them with last winter if things got dull, pointless-photoly speaking. Well, things got dull all right, but between the crappy photos and the fact that I rearranged the gewgaws after I took them, I kind of lost my enthusiasm for the project.

Erm, such as it was.

Here they are all at once, then, or at least the ones I hadn't posted already. If you're actually interested in a closer look (for some weird reason), click on the thumbnails. The photo quality is horrible, but whatever floats your boat in the end, I suppose.

Incidentally, in some cases the photo quality is horrible on purpose, because while I did take photos of everything that was in my jewellery case (and another couple of boxes that I keep things in), some of it was really not the internet's business.

I know, I know. In that case, why take the pictures in the first place, right? Well, I guess I was in the mood to be thorough.

Besides, I think it does all of us a bit of good to go through all of the inventory every once in a while, right? Or in my case, I guess it's more like... um... every thirty years? Seriously, when I was going through this stuff I was feeling like a hoarder in miniature. No toppling stacks of magazines here, but every pair of junky earrings I've had since I had my ears pierced? Oh. In that case, revise that thirty years figure up a bit, since I've had pierced ears since I was in Grade One.

And by the way, who lets their kid get pierced ears that young, Mom? It was my choice. I remember that. But my mother wasn't the type who let her kids do everything they wanted. Why she was ok with the ear piercing is kind of beyond me.

This post is going to have a lot of anyways, I can just tell.

For this particular anyway, I'll say: anyway, some of the stuff you see in these photos (actually, more of the stuff that was in the earlier photos, since those drawers were the least used. And if for some reason you missed the earlier photos and --oddly -- want to see them, just click the "box" link at the end of this post. And don't mind that I'll be thinking you a bit weird for it) has gone home to the dustbin, finally. Taking everything out to take pictures did give me the chance to have a why-the-hell-are-you -keeping-this moment and get rid of some things that were just taking up space.

I should take a second here and say, now that we've hit the chain section, that most of my chains are of genuine precious metals. That's unusual, when it comes to me and jewellery. I have no hesitation wearing completely crap earrings, but for some reason I've never been all that happy wearing junky chains. As a result, nearly every chain I own is very fine (as in tiiiny) and not at all suited for pendants, as I found out after I bought some neat pendants a few months ago at the Centre's Rock and Gem Show (and I wrote about that at the time, so if you're desperate to know more you can find it in the archives). Pendants with no chains necessitated a dive into my mother's and grandmother's jewellery boxes here at dad's place (which I blathered about too. Obviously I'm hard up for material sometimes). I did find a few chains that do, but is it awfully shallow of me to admit that I wish they were gold or silver rather than base metal? I mean, it's not like anyone cares, so why does it irk me?

Anyway, last photo so I should wrap up for now and go find some lunch. If anyone wonders, there are a few treasures hidden in amongst the vast pile of cheap you've just seen. Some of them are treasures because of family history, some very few of them are treasures because they actually have some value, and some are just memory treasures that won't mean anything to anyone once I'm gone.

You know, like anyone else's long-neglected jewellery box.

The funny thing is, between going through the boxes (mine and the others) and buying the three pendants, I've kind of got more interested in wearing a bit more of my jewellery than I have in years. I'm not saying that I go out completely adorned -- I work at a nature centre after all, and it would look weird -- but I have been making an effort to change things up a little at least a few times a week. Considering that I spent years going to work in the same pair of joined-up gold earrings (joined up because I have two holes in each earlobe. Long story, and I'm sure I've already it here. Probably more than once), wristwatch, and silver ring (and no chains at all, since I'd been wearing my nerdstick on a lanyard instead), actually thinking about what I might like to wear is quite a departure.

Now if I could only be bothered to go out and get a haircut...



Oh, but that's another post, so I'd better save it. And I think I finally have an idea for the IF prompt, so it might be worth checking the other blog later after all.

If you're into that sort of thing.

But that probably goes without saying.





Didn't I say something about lunch ? Later, then.