A Present for Pam...

Pam, or Pammy Wammy, as we teasingly call her, took wonderful care of us when we were in California for Jud's treatment. She cooked for Jud and I daily, while working full time (she is also Dr. Pam, a clinical psychologist).  She divided the food into "Suz' only" when I broke out in shingles across my face, concerned for my immune-suppressed husband. She took us for drives along the roads of Palo Alto, to help distract us from our worries. She had a series of movies at our ready, usually to watch at night, when Jud was not able to go out. She also had the menu of every restaurant around for the times that neither of us had the energy to go out for dinner. There is no way we could begin to thank her for all she did.

I wanted to make her a piece of special jewelry to thank her in some small way. For some reason, a bird theme seemed to fit. I had three little gold birds and let her chose the one she liked for the right side. She chose the one that is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. Her childhood Catholicism is still a heavy influence in her life. I found a necklace of big links at a consignment store in Mesa and took one out to encircle the bird.

Pam only wears gold jewelry, so I knew, from the start, to go with that.  It works well with her coloring. I chose the deep turquoise briolettes because the color is so pretty on her, with her beautiful auburn hair. The locket was one that I bought while at Silver Bella. I used some chain from home that matches the locket and looks equally "old."

Inside the locket, I put a picture of an egg and a picture of a soaring bird. The egg symbolizes the "mother bird" in Pam. She has already raised her two children to adulthood but truly took us under her wing when we needed a "mother hen." The picture on the right is a bird beginning to soar. Pam is making great changes in her life. She is soaring and fearlessly choosing a new life for herself. 

I wanted to use Ice Resin to cover the pictures, but the latch enters into the bottom picture. Instead I chose Diamond Glaze, which gave me more control. I bought a bottle of acrylic paint that matched the briolettes and put just a drop in the Diamond Graze. The small square charm that dangles from the end of the chain is a milagro of a house (a milagro is Mexican charm that is meant to have healing properties. It literally means "miracle"). I thought it was a fitting piece and exemplified, "mi casa es su casa,"  my house is your house.

Thank you, my friend, for taking such good care of us, for welcoming us wholeheartedly into your home and giving so deeply of yourself, both physically and emotionally. 

We love you so much!