It’s been almost a year since we turned our lives upside down and moved to a much smaller home (and much simpler lifestyle.) With all the commotion at the time, I rented a 10’ x10’ storage unit and threw all of my art supplies and extraneous household materials into it. Little by little, I whittled away at the piles of boxes and stacked plastic tubs…8 months later I was able to downsize to a 5’ x 10’ unit. We only have 3 closets in our new compact space…a bedroom closet for clothes, a small office closet and an even smaller coat closet…I knew that I needed to keep purging and reassessing what stayed and what was jettisoned.

It was very beneficial to take a hard look at all we had accumulated…neither the Southern Man nor myself are spring chickens…and no one wants to deal with what remains behind after a loved one passes…I know I am not alone with dealing with decades of detritus from deceased parents. Two weeks ago I cleared out the 5’ x 10’ unit and moved what remained into a 4’ x 5’ bin here at our complex…and it’s not even jam-packed…everything fit neatly with room to spare.

I really wanted to hear hearty congrats on my accomplishment - the Southern Man thought it would never be cleared out and figured it would be an albatross around our necks forever. And then it occurred to me…why rely on someone else…I can be my own cheerleader! Which then led me to another idea, sparked by a post I saw on Instagram…why not create medals for our victories…why not Artist Amulets?

Of course, this quickly diverged into a search for any and all things that might be used in making such amulets. I decided that making them into a pin or brooch that could be worn would work…using a supply of large kilt pins, I went to work.

Everything possible was in the mix…old buttons, covers of Altoid tins, plenty of ribbons, tin can lids, metal jump rings, old keys, vintage garter clips, old jewelry, watch faces, metal hinges, fabric scraps. Here’s a trio of three amulets…not quite finished…still need a little extra umph…

One of the best things I like about creating something new is figuring out how it all is going to fit together…that tinkering and tweaking phase…I love problem solving.

These initial amulets will be for sale at K.Marie’s Ephemera Sale on October 6…whatever is leftover will be listed in my Etsy shop after October 11. And I’m sure I’ll be making more!

But whether you have an amulet or not…we can be our own best cheerleaders…and support those creatives in our lives who we want to succeed…even if it means just clearing out a storage unit…