Keys to the Past

I try to make the 45 minute drive to Mobile about once a week to visit with my family. Usually these visits consist of me helping with the nieces (homework, eating dinner, baths, brushing teeth, staying in the bed, discipline, and generally giving the other adults a break.) However, occasionally the planets align and the girls are with their dad. This means I get to visit with my mom and grandmother (and step-dad) solely. These rare visits give me an opportunity to have REAL conversations with them. Last week just happened to be one of those golden opportunities. We talked, and I got the chance to show Mawmaw (what I call my grandmother) some pictures of the jewelry I've recently made. When I showed her the flower and key one, she got excited and asked me to go get the bandage container out of her dresser.

Returning to the living room with the tin, I dumped the contents onto the coffee table. And, what to my wondering eyes did appear but a horde of wonderful keys.

 Several of them were vintage skeleton keys

 There were tiny keys

 and a mix of other house and car keys, old and new(er)

I couldn't believe she had all these. In fact, I had JUST bought some skeleton keys from a bead store, paying a pretty penny for them. And all the while, my grandmother had saved these treasures!

I do have a distant, faded memory of this box of keys from when I was a kid. But, it's rather fuzzy and I never dreamed she still had them. As I examined each key and gushed over my love for them; Mawmaw explained that she had been collecting the keys for as long as she could remember, picking them up off the street or where ever she found them. Some of them might have even been keys to my great-grandmother's house. Those memories make this collection of keys all the more special. Mawmaw repeated over and over that she couldn't explain why she ever kept this box of old keys all this time. But I knew why. . .she was saving them for me.

Before, I get too sappy (and I absolutely can) about my grandmother and the treasures our elders can share (more than just the physical ones), let me go ahead and move on.

First off is the new bracelet I listed

Fancy Pants Bracelet

~*Christmas Craft Links*~

• 40 edible gifts
• I'm not sure if I've shared these yet, because I KNOW I saw them last week and LOVE them! Glittered Christmas Trees 
• These map kissing ball ornaments are a layered petal-like paper ornament. I suppose any paper would do, but I do like the map she uses here.
• Borax crystal snowflakes - You need to see these to believe them!
• Make your own Christmas crackers!

Thrifty Thursday
(if the thriftiness of a full box of vintage keys wasn't enough for ya!)

• When thrifting, I do tend to grab up any zippers I find. Zipper projects like these are the reason why.
• DIY  makeup remover

Lastly, here's a reminder that Lorelei's newest Michael's Jewelry challenge reveal is tomorrow. Here's a sneak peek at my completed challenge necklace.

Not enough for you? Come back tomorrow for the full reveal.