Feeling nostalgic, in my opinion is one of the absolute best feelings. And when that feeling is invoked about one of your own family members who is no longer with you, it’s even more heartwarming.
My grandmother Alice, my mom’s mom, passed away when I was a teenager. One of my favorite personal memories of her was that she always wore funky matching jewelry. I’m confident my own love of original jewelry came from her, so I was ecstatic when my mom gifted me with her jewelry collection as an adult. I’ve turned some pieces into their own unique cuff bracelets and I’ve worn many of my grandmothers jewelry pieces, as is, on regular occasion.
It often saddened me though, to walk past the jewelry box and know that there were so many beautiful pieces of costume jewelry inside that were not being appreciated regularly. This sparked my desire to create an original item for my mom in which she could display her mother’s jewelry collection. I came across many ideas, all of which were beautiful and creative, but most included encasing jewelry behind glass in a sort of shadow box. I’m an incredibly tactile person and I fully believe that the majority of a memory comes from the ability to use our senses to experience an item. Therefore I wanted my mom to be able to run her fingers across my grandmother’s jewelry and also to still be able to smell her perfume, which emanates on every piece to this day, some 25 years later.
Enter the jewelry wreath! I purchased a foam wreath form from Michaels, as well as fabric swatches and E6000 industrial adhesive. I began by cutting the fabric into approximately 2 inch wide strips that wrapped around the wreath. I folded the strips in half and then overlapped them around the entire wreath, adhering them using a hot glue gun. Once dried, I began to meticulously yet haphazardly arrange the jewelry pieces by placing the larger pieces first and then filling in with smaller ones. For aesthetic purposes, I only wanted to cover about 2/3 of the wreath, just to add some uniqueness to the piece. However after I began attaching the jewelry, it ended up covering more like 3/4, but it works. I initially adhered the jewelry using hot glue and then further stabilized them using the E6000 adhesive to ensure they would remain intact. The result is a fully original, one of a kind jewelry display for my mom to be able to appreciate her mom’s jewelry, and upon opening it, it brought tears to her eyes, a sure sign that it will fulfill its intention.
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