Monday, January 18, 2010

A Bit of Old Towne "Charm"!!

It's no secret... I LOVE Orange.
I love living here. I love the history that I see around me in its architecture, gardens and monuments. I love that we are 20 minutes from the beach and an hour from the mountains and deserts. I love that I lived in the same home in Orange until my husband and I were married and made our own home here. I love that my husband and 5 babies were all born in Orange and that my 3 littlest rest in a beautiful cemetery in it's hills.
It's charm is like no other... I could walk through Old Towne's neighborhoods every day and never see the same thing twice.
Last week I thought I'd make myself an "Old Towne Orange" charm bracelet, made of caps from sodas enjoyed in Old Towne itself! It showcases some of the plaza's most popular historic sights... the famous plaza fountain, old and new, two vintage postcards of the old orchards, the city's seal and an old painted advertisement on the side of one of the historic brick buildings.
I am really looking forward to wearing this bracelet around town... let's hope it draws the attention of other Orange natives, as well!


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Friday, January 8, 2010

"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be. "

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We all love to share our children. We share stories, we share memories and are always sharing their photos. And what a better way to share our children with people in our daily lives than by wearing one-of-a-kind, hand made jewelry that cradle images of those we hold so close to us.

Now, many of you know me... and know that my kids are everything. And most of you know that my family and I lost three beautiful souls, much to early in their lives. On April 11, 2007, I delivered identical twin baby boys, George and Henry, at 26 weeks into my pregnancy. They were born still, due to TTTS... Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome. It was the most devastating thing to ever happen to my husband and me, and a very early lesson in mortality for my young son and daughter. We learned to live life again, meeting many other families along the way who shared a sorrow that only a grieving parent could know. And in October of 2008, we found out we were expecting our "rainbow", a baby who is joyously welcomed after a lost pregnancy. Another boy! But, on February 20th, 2009, 22 weeks into my pregnancy, our worst nightmare had come true for a second time... quite unexpectedly. This time, we have no known cause for what took our 3rd child from us so soon... just confusion and a longing for our sweet Scot.
After burying each of our 3 babies, I find myself trying desperately to keep their memories alive. I grow gardens, display their photos, decorate their grave and promote pregnancy and infant loss awareness, with a ribbon on my car. I'm a proud mother of 3 beautiful angel boys, and I'm not shy about it either. I wear their names in necklace around my neck and their faces on a bracelet. They deserve the world and I want to share them with everyone in it. I wear it to create awareness, but most importantly because they are my children and belong on my jewelry, right next to their older brother and sister.
Like I mentioned above, I, sadly, am not the only one I know who has lost babies to stillbirth or other pregnancy complications. I have met too many other mothers who have been in my shoes, who have become some of my very best friends. They cheered me on this past pregnancy, wept with us when we lost our Scot, and have held my hand in the days that have followed.
The necklaces you see above were made, with gratitude, for some of the mothers I met and continue to be close with today. Some of the faces you see are "rainbows". Some of the faces are those of babies who were born sleeping. And some are of babies yet to make their appearance! All of the faces and names you see in these pendant necklaces are those of children who have brought the happiest of times and truest of all loves to their parents. To all the angel moms in my life... I couldn't have made it this far without each one of you. Hugs, bugs, lobster and lovers, Erika

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Charmed, I'm sure...

So, here they are... the latest design of Betsy's Drawers bottle cap jewelry.... the charm style bracelet! Now you have the option to add more than up to 7 custom images to your bracelet... perfect for large families or for grandmothers with with a gang of grandchildren! Swarovski embellishing is available upon request. Just send me your images, via email, and I will create a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry, sure to turn the heads of anyone who sees it... believe me... I am asked about mine daily! Just visit the Betsy's Drawers shop on Etsy for more info.

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Something Old, Something New....

Something leopard, something.... well, shoot... can't thing of anything that rhymes. Oh well! Doesn't matter... I got new things to put on the blog! So, it's been a busy holiday season... I've created a lot and posted a little. :( So, it's January... a fresh start to what will hopefully be a happy, healthy year, full of good fortune and all that stuff. Anyways... here are some new items that I have been working on. New to the bottle cap line are charm style bracelets and this neat little pre-linked gem I found, which will boast a whopping 6 caps, free of drill holes! More fun for you and me (and my fingers!)! So, hope you like em!

Oh... didn't even mention.... Betsy's Drawers is now open on Etsy!!! Maybe I should celebrate with a sale or something? Okay, done! Order any item on Etsy and take $5.00 off for each item ordered! Just mention the word "blog" in the "note to seller" section of the order page at Betsy's Drawers Etsy shop. So, pass the word around and more important, pass my blog around!

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