Brilliant idea #4 – life tassel

I checked out a book while looking for ideas for Christmas ornaments I could make, because all my ornaments collected since the time of my babydom were stolen during the Demented Debacle of December 2006, and while going through a particularly hideous book on how to make tassels I cam across this very intriguing idea.

The idea in the book was a kind of spiral design with ribbons hanging off of it, and tied to the bottom of each ribbon was an item the author had saved as mementoes of fond memories. I liked the general concept, but thought the tassel shown looked a bit fussy and cluttered.

I decided to make one out of a stick instead. While visiting Mongo with Dad and Kevin, Dad dug up a sassafras planting and I kept that for the basis of my tassel. I took it home and peeled all the bark off except for at one end. Then I sanded off the pointy parts and varnished the entire branch.

I took the branch to the guest room and placed it on the wall above the guest bed. I let people know I was looking for items to put on my tassel. Lynn in England was the first to respond, sending in a miniature rubber ducky with the number 10 adhered to the bottom and a cup hook in its head. I had to laugh at this poor little macabre-looking ducky. Lynn explained that the ducky was because of my rubber ducky fetish and the number 10 was because when we first started writing to one another we sent back and forth a lot of top ten lists. Top Ten Super Powers I Wish I Had, Top Ten Excuses for Not Getting Work Done, etc.

Then Jan sent me a scrapbook sticker of a cruise ship, in honor of the time she and I visited New Orleans and took a cruise from there to Cozumel and Playa del Carmen. Mom made something with a tartan ribbon and a charm from The Wizard of Oz, and Matty made one with an IPFW student i.d. and little bell. Marilynn made one which I adored and which I promptly dropped on the street and which got smashed under the wheels of a car. :( It was a tiny bottle with sand from the Dunes, where she grew up, and had a charm with an S on it and a little rock and was very lovely! (I still carry the guilt.)

So my life tassel acts not only as a very unusual and unique item for displaying trinkets and bits of things to remind me of good friends and good times, but also acts as a piece of original art! I like it! :)

5-26-08 update
Rosie gave me a beautiful ribbon for my life tassel. It has little books and she wrote words and it's very, very cool! I'll get a picture of it up here soon!

Chelle and Kevin, where are your contributions??? No pressure. :)


11-25-08 update
I have a few more items on my tassel now - yaay!