LOVE TOKEN EARRINGS

I went to the park to gather a few seeds
from the Adenanthera pavonina tree.

They are perfect for this month's Le Challenge theme, "Single".

It's a practice here for single ladies
to collect enough of these to fill up a glass jar
then give them to the guy they like.

 

Why are these seeds used as tokens of love?

Perhaps it's their heart shape (squint your eyes) 

and vibrant red, the colour of passion.

 

 Love tokens made me think of old-fashioned courtship.

What came to mind was a vintage-looking pair of earrings,
something the heroine in a romance novel might wear.

"Something ornate, but not overly so, to frame the red seeds", I thought.
 

These leafy bead caps might work.

The points break up the expanse of red.
The texture on the metal contrasts with the smooth surface of the seed
and provide visual interest.

The caps were just the right size too and held the seeds in a warm embrace.

They were then glued to earring posts.

And I have a pair of vintage-y earrings I think will be worn often.

 

The red is striking, isn't it?

As a child, I was told this story about how the seed got its colour:

Once upon a time, there was a loving couple. One day, the husband was summoned by the king to go to war. The wife was sad to see him go. Every day, she climbed to the top of the hill in the hope of seeing him return. She did this for weeks, then months, and then years. He never came back. She cried and cried. One day, her tears turned into drops of blood. As they touched the ground, Adenanthera pavonina trees sprung up. When pods of the tree ripened, they burst open and threw out bright red seeds. Villagers said they were the tears of the heart-broken wife. 

***

See the brooch I made for last month's Le Challenge, "Wood".

***
 

~Ema N~

 

Linking up with Le Challenge.

Photos and text belong to the author of this blog, unless otherwise stated.

Please do not use without permission

 

 

 

ENGLISH PAPER PIECED TORTOISE

 

Please meet Ms Pearl, my new animal friend.

 

Can you see what she is reading?

 

It's the dictionary entry for "Slow".

 

Yes, she's my visual reminder to.....

 

.....slow down

 

.....breathe

 

.....smile.

 

 

I just had to add two felt flowers as her accessories.

 

So Frida Kahlo-esque.

 

The flowers are from the needle holder in my sewing box.

 

You might have noticed them in the first slow sewing post here.

 

Ms Pearl's shell is made by English Paper Piecing (EPP) scraps together.

 

Limbs, head and tail were machine-sewn, stuffed with polyfil.

 

Shell and base were hand-stitched together, body stuffed with scraps.

 

The pattern came from Cath Kidston's "Sewing Book".

 

Ms Pearl won't be a pincushion, though.

 

I cannot bear to stick pins into her :-)

 

She will be on my bedside table, where I have a spot for favourite things,

stuff that makes me happy when I see them in the morning and before I go to bed.

 

I leave you with another look at this stylish lady.

 

Linking up with Scraptastic Tuesday.


 

~Ema N~

 

Photos and text belong to the author of this blog, unless otherwise stated.

Please do not use without permission

 

FABRIC SHOPPING

 

Oh, it's the sale season and I cannot resist.....

 

These fabric came home with me because

 I like the colour, the feel of the fabric, the loveliness of it all.

 

These are good enough reasons, right?

 

Plus, they were on sale.

 

No concrete plans to use any of these yet.

The pattern of the first piece reminds me of
the La Passacaglia quilt by Willyne Hammerstein.
 

The flowery fabric above is a Japanese cotton, soft and silky smooth.

This paisley one is 30% cotton/70% polyester.

I cannot say "no" to paisley.



This next one looks boring compared to the rest.

 

But it'll work as something for the office.

It's the first piece of organic fabric I've ever bought.





Now for a cup of tea...
 

I'll be admiring these lovely fabric
as I sip the earl grey and nibble on a cookie.

 

~Ema N~

 

Photos and text belong to the author of this blog, unless otherwise stated.

Please do not use without permission