Wednesday, August 03, 2011

The Wonderful-ness of Charm Bracelets!

I had a charm bracelet when I was growing up, did you? I probably got the bracelet when I was about ten years old. Maybe charm bracelets are terribly old-fashioned and girls today are more into other kinds of bracelets and trinkets, but mine is filled with little stories and the thing I've loved in my life. That's the wonderful thing about charm bracelets; they *are* a representation of your life, important events, special things that you love, things you've accomplished, or places you've traveled.

Here is a picture of mine with a green background - which actually makes it look a bit "old-fashioned". 

Yes, I've always loved old-fashioned things - even when I was 8, 9, 10, and 11 years old. All through elementary school, my best friend Starr and I played a game we called "The Olden Days". 
We dressed up in old-fashioned clothes, came up with a new name and persona for ourselves, and then acted out a story or a piece of history. Starr's mother had a box with dress-up clothes just for us.




Here is another picture on a blue-ish background:


Adorable and lovely, isn't it? 

Here are the items on my charm bracelet: 

1. A sweetheart "Heart" for my 16th birthday
2. A grandfather clock (because I love them) and I worked at a store that sold imported European grandfather clocks
3. A piano because I'm a pianist. And one day I dream of getting a grand piano.
4. A Flag for Patriotism and the love I hold for my country
5. A Christmas tree because Christmas if my FAV holiday
6. Tinkerbell because she is just SO COOL in the way she can fly and has a wand. And I'm a Disney-lover.
7. A typewriter because I've always loved to write stories since I was in 4th grade.
8. A San Francisco Cable Car. Because that's where I'm from and it's one of the prettiest cities in the world. 
9. An old-fashioned key because keys are mysterious and intriguing and I adore them!
10. Praying Hands - because I do that on a daily basis. 
11. A graduation cap - because, well, I actually graduated! More than once!
12. A pick and shovel which I bought when my family went to Death Valley for vacation one year. Turned out it was the last family vacation before my father died.
13. A darling kitty-cat because I've always had a cat as a pet my entire life. I was 3 years old when we got our family cat and she lived until I was 21.
14. A statue of the Angel Moroni because they're gold and sit on top of temple spires - and Moroni is one of my favorite scripture people. 
15. A covered wagon for Pioneers. Because I may have mentioned that I love anything from the "Olden Days." :-)
16. A telephone from the early 20th century. Because it's OLD-FASHIONED and I always wanted one in my bedroom!!! And now kids want cell phones. I mean - how can they even compare in coolness?!? 
17. A bar of music notes because I sang in choirs growing up and was even in a Madrigal group. Madrigals sing cool, harmony-filled songs from the Medieval Ages!  Which is like, um, old-fashioned!

18: And last, but not least, the NEW CHARM THAT I JUST GOT. A surprise from darling Milly. It's a *crystal ball*!!! Isn't it cool??? Here is a close-up:


And that crystal ball has a story. There's a reason Milly bought it for me. And the story will come just a little bit later right here on my blog . . . so stay tuned . . .

So do you have a charm bracelet? What is your favorite charm? Do girls still get them as gifts, wear them, cherish them? 

And the reason I have spotlighted my charm bracelet today? 

Because there is a very cool charm bracelet in this book!

And every charm in the book has a special meaning, and a story attached . . . 

Coming in only 57 days!!! 


5 comments:

Donna K. Weaver said...

I inherited a charm bracelet that was my mother's when she was teen during WWII. It's full of little war-related charms. She died when I was 14, and it means a lot to me, as much for the fact that the charms meant something to her as for being from such a significant time in our history.

Barbara O'Connor said...

I love this post!!! I love charm bracelets. I had one as a young girl and have one as an adult. They are like jewelry scrapbooks. I used one in Greetings from Nowhere and it was such fun.

Thanks for the memories.

Caroline Starr Rose said...

Kim, this is so fun to see after talking a few weeks ago. I got a charm bracelet from my Australian host family. It was filled with Aussie animals, and each Christmas they'd send me a new charm.

Now I know why we were such fast friends. Must be the Starr thing. ;)

Jeanette Larson said...

I have one that was my grandmother's. I remember her when I look at the various charms and think about why she had each.

Kimberley Griffiths Little said...

I adore all your comments and charm bracelet stories!

And what a keepsake and piece of history, Jeanette, to have your grandmother's bracelet.

My mother, grandmother, aunts, never had one - neither do my sisters, only me. I would DIE to have something like that. I saved my books and dolls from childhood, but never thought about passing along my charm bracelet to future generations until now - and when I wrote CIRCLE OF SECRETS, of course!

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