Last Sunday evening, we got together with this group of people (and the un-pictured Slagle family)
to celebrate the birthdays of Amelia and Levi
and to have a little whole-family fun before this Darling Person (and her darling parents) moved to parts unknown the next day.
The Darling Person (and her darling parents) spent the night with us after the Mutual Birthday Party. And, so, as her darling parents were putting the final touches on packing, I got to play with the Darling Person. The thought of not being able to play with her at will (as I have been doing for all of the six months of her life) was a bit disconcerting. So…what do I do when disconcerted? I craft.
I had made the Darling Person’s aunt this hat.
This particular aunt mentioned that her sensitive skin would appreciate a little less scratchiness around the forehead area, so I commenced, the morning of the Darling Person’s impending move, to adding a little knit fabric to the inside of the aunt’s hat .
As I was retrieving the black knit fabric from our knit fabric scraps box, I found, strangely, a couple of cards of elastic cording. This was just the cording I wanted to use to make a simple button bracelet inspired by the one that Kaari Meng was wearing when she taught our Silver Bella jewelry-making classes.
And here, I pause, to interject a pertinent story. Family legend has it that once, during one of the many moves our family made during my childhood, at the height of the responsibilities of a moving day, while boxes and furniture were being hoisted around her, my mother was found sorting buttons. Ever since, when someone is circumstantially overwhelmed and resorts to a seemingly inappropriately trivial task to regain a measure of focus and control, we say that person is “sorting buttons.”
So, here I was, facing the emotionally daunting task of bidding a (temporary but lengthier that I would like) farewell to the Darling Person as she moved several states away with her darling parents and what did I begin to do? Right-o! I started sorting buttons! And the result of my sorting and stringing those buttons was this charmingly simple bracelet.
And I found in the button box, a little wooden bead with a smiley face drawn on it that the Darling Person’s mother made when she was in her Ruby Doll phase.
My advice? Next time you are overwhelmed, try sorting some buttons.
Abiding in the True Vine 