Bracelet Give Away









Bracelet Give Away

When people see jewelry that I make, they kindly ask if I sell my art. I don’t. But I give it away as gifts. It’s made with love and given from the heart.


I’ve worked on a new design for a Christmas bracelet and after I made it, I thought, “What about this being a Christmas Give Away on my blog?” I’ve seen GiveAway/Contests on other blogs, but never attempted one of my own.

The bracelet is made out of Swarvorski Crystals and Seed Beads. It is a hand woven flat-spiral design using thread and needle. The toggle clasp is a Peyote stitch, both round and tubular. The picture doesn’t capture the sparkles of Swarvorski crystals, but believe me it makes a festive and lovely show!

Ok, here are the rules:

1. Visit my website. Leave a comment describing your happiest holiday memory (even though it’s a Christmas bracelet, the entry is for any holiday that made you happy). This is one entry.

2. Double Your Entry: Blog about this giveaway in your blog with a link to it. Include the url to your blog in your entry comment for verification.

3. Giveaway is open to all. The Give Away will run from today through November 10th at 11:59pm. Winner will be chosen at random and will be notified via email and announced on my blog. The winner must respond within 3 days or a new winner will be picked. Winner must provide name and mailing address.

Please be sure to leave your email address so I can let you know if you are the winner ~ so, this means anyone who isn’t a blogger is still eligible. If you don’t want to leave your email in the comments, you’re welcome to send an email to me at: aleta.grimball@gmail.com

Greg can’t participate in the give away, but he does have a funny Christmas memory to share.

When he and his siblings were young, they loved to decorate the Christmas tree. All of the lights, the tinsel and ornaments were up. Bonnie, Greg’s older sister, wanted to put the star on top of the tree. It’s one of those special honors, to put the star up. She had the star, reached up high and…. fell INTO the tree, knocked the tree down and a lot ornaments broke. They laughed and now, it’s tradition every year, Bonnie puts the decoration on top!

Comments

Lilly said…
Poor Bonnie. She will never live that down for the rest of her live I daresay.

Your bracelet is very lovely Aleta and perhaps you may have an Etsy Shop in the future? Great idea for a competition!
A New Yorker said…
I'm so in. I love crystals and that bracelet is beautiful. I have to think about my story.
ZONE F DG TEAM said…
Love the bracelet... please count me in.

Favorite holiday memorie.... having people pop out at the kids on halloween. Priceless.

daldak01@yahoo.ca
Ugich Konitari said…
What a lovely bracelet. (My daughter just saw the picture and went "Wow!")...

I need to dig out a story from my bag of holiday memories.....
Anonymous said…
Claps !!!
Lo said…
My favorite Holiday is Thanksgiving! As much as I LOVE Christmas, it's soooo busy and getting presents for a large extended family is always expensive and a bit of a shopping nightmare....hmm... is there really such a thing as a shopping nightmare ;) Anyway, Thanksgiving is a day that begins with the Macy's parade (ooooo this is giving me blogging ideas ;) followed by loads of cooking with my MILove (love that woman) The kids and cousins play all day. Finally, we sit down with a HUGE dinner and a have a heart felt round table prayer where almost everyone is moved to tears by the thankfulness we all feel at being so blessed and lucky to all be together. Then stuffed, we all roll in to watch football! Last year's memories are especially poignant because we lost my FILove soon after the new year and MILove had just found out she had pancreatic cancer. We were all just so grateful to have that day. That moment.
Anonymous said…
yikes. i so don't work well under pressure but so would love that bracelet, so here goes:

i would have to say that my most favorite holiday memory is of halloween or i should say shortly before halloween.

i think i was probably only in grade 4, say 8 years old or so.

our class was going on a school trip to saunders farm (a local pumpkin farm /petting zoo) and each parent was asked to send in $5in for each child to buy a pumpkin.

right before getting on the bus to come back to the school that afternoon each child picked out a pumpkin.

of course, i had to pick out THE biggest one ever, so big in fact that the bus driver (not the teacher) had to get off the bus to carry it on for me.

this is where a little guidance from the teacher may have come in handy.

i was one of the kids who walked home from school. although i lived a good 20 minute walk from the school, they deemed us too close to take the bus. so i walked too and from school everyday and also home for lunch i might add.

anyhow, i kicked the pumpkin home the entire way. by the time i got there, it was a mix of greys and blacks. if it weren't for the stem on the top you'd not have known it was even a pumpkin.

i picked up absolutely ever small stone, rock and every little piece of gravel along the way.

this is my greatest memory.
Unknown said…
Came over from Raino...that bracelet is totally gorgeous :)
♥ Boomer ♥ said…
What a gorgeous bracelet, Aleta! Thank you for sharing! Let's see ... favorite holiday memory....

We have a special tradition that started years ago when I was just marrying and copied a teacake recipe at my aunt's home. Every year, I started making teacakes at holiday time (Thanksgiving and Christmas)(I'll share the recipe on my blog).

Favorite memory is of my parents first, sitting at the table, covering the shaped teacakes with icing of different colors and sparklies.

Memory grew more special as little grandchildren came along. They got to spread the icing, too, and not always on the teacake!!

Though my mother is no longer with us, I keep up this 4-generation tradition with my father, my children, and their children.
Teri said…
Such a pretty bracelet. I just found your blog. (I'll be back, for sure)

My favorite holiday memory is when I had my first real Mother's Day. I had waited so many years, and when it finally happened, I was beside myself. It just better when my second then my third children arrived.
Lindsey said…
Aleta, that is simply gorgeous. I'm so jealous of crafty people!!
Debbie Y. said…
I want that bracelet. Sooooo pretty.

My favorite holiday is Christmas.
I am a bit of a sneak. I have always hunted for my presents before the day. My mom warned me if she found out that I was snooping she would take back my gift(s). As I was peeking in the closet, I found a small wrapped package the size of a ring box. I carefully undid the wrapping and found a beautiful garnet ring, my birthstone. I carefully wrapped it back up and put it back where I found it. Christmas morning I looked everywhere under the tree for my ring box, but alas it was not there. My mother chided me for snooping when I shouldn't. She said I would not be getting the ring for Christmas. I was sorely disappointed, but learned a valuable lesson nonetheless. And guess what I got that ring for my birthday in late January.
Anonymous said…
i dont really have a favorite holiday memory....i guess just eating a lot on thanksgiving is something i love and look forward to--the smell of food cooking from early in the morning.

i so want the bracelet.
GypsiAdventure said…
What a beautiful bracelet - I just love your work!!

Hum, now for a holiday memory...well, it was a very long time ago and I was little. We lived in a very tiny town and there weren't many people who were 'financially well off' at that time. This is not to say that we were any better, but my mother was a little betty crocker and would make all kinds of canned goods/tamales etc. for us to deliver on christmas eve.

I have to admit, it is one of the few memories I actually cherish...traveling door to door delivering these hand made goodies to people who didn't have much. What we gave them wasn't much, but the appreciation was there - people doing what they could to help other people....enough to have me believing in the spirit of christmas and the kindness of humanity.

Have a wonderful weekend!!
~K
jennifersusan said…
What a gorgeous bracelet! I have a lot of happy holiday memories. I've got a lot of fond memories of easter egg hunts in my parents yard with my children, and of course the Christmas my daughter was born is a super special favorite holiday memory too.
Queenie Jeannie said…
Ohhhh! What a pretty bracelet!!!

Fondest Christmas memory:

Hands down it was Christmas 2004! My youngest daughter Isabella was born in August of that year. Her first three months were awful - in and out of PICU and we weren't sure if she was going to make it, and my husband was about to deploy on his second year long tour in Iraq. Can you say STRESS??? But by December, her health issues had been addressed and medications were finally adjusted. She was healthy and happy! And for the very first time, on Christmas Eve, she slept allllll through the night!!!! I woke up Christmas morning nearly "drunk" with sleep (new Moms know what I'm talkin' about *wink*). So I was able to enjoy the whole day with my older children and husband, do the presents thing, bake and cook and just enjoy the day without dragging my butt. It was, and is, a cherished memory we all shared while my husband was away.
Anonymous said…
Good Morning Aleta; I'm a SITSter! I am quite impressed! Normally I don't care for beaded bracelets but I'll tell you, that bracelet is gorgeous!

I think my favorite holiday memory is the one as an adult when my mom finally gave me a ballerina jewelry box. I had asked every year I was little and she thought it was just another on the list. When I told her what I would like for Christmas that year, she cried and said she never knew..That year, at 27, I got the little girls jewelry box. It meant just as much. It was simply that I wanted it from HER.
Sukku said…
The bracelet looks lovely and I guess what matters is your thoughts and the love and labour you put in doing it...I am happy that you are offering it to our fellow bloggers...and I would like the congratulate the eventual winner....
Unknown said…
In my family I am not known as the chef. I am the "single one" and I don't cook for myself. About 10 years ago I decided to host Thanksgiving. I did everything myself, except the desserts. Everything came out perfectly, and at the same time. Everyone loved it and I was able to send leftovers home w/ the older guests. I was so proud of myself!
I am amazed by that bracelet and definitely want to win!
N2ATIVEONE said…
Your bracelet is very pretty!

I remember when I was about five years old, we lived in a 2-story town home. My bedroom was at the top of the stairs. It was Easter and I came home from somewhere, and when I stood at the bottom of the stairs, I noticed a big sign on the door to my bedroom. I could not get to the top of the stairs quick enough. Once I got there, I saw a sign that said the "The Easter Bunny Was Here". I threw open my door and found a gigantic Easter Basket full of goodies.
Cassie said…
Gorgeous bracelet! I love how many crystals you used in the design.

My favorite Christmas memory, is the year that I got my first real grown up job! I was able to take my own money and go buy presents for my family. I had two little baby nieces, so it was extra special!
Nicole said…
What beautiful artwork you do!

One of my favorite holiday memories:

Before we had kids and still libed in Germany my husband and made xmas cookies (Plaetzchen). And while making them whe ended have a flour fight. Last time it happened here with flour our kids looked at us like we are crazy.
Sometimes you have to be silly.
Jennifer said…
My favorite holiday memory(ies) is having Christmas Eve with my parents and my sister (and now our children). We eat steaks and then open presents while listening to Christmas music.

The bracelet is beautiful!

jls_wss2003 at yahoo dot com
My favorite is on Christmas when everyone was able to get together. Thanks!

akblessingsabound[at]gmail.com
Mindy said…
Oooh what a gorgeous bracelet that is! I'm totally in =)

My favorite holiday memory is being Santa for my boys. They start writing their letters in June =) And then they revise and update them right up until Christmas Eve. I love the challenge of getting the gift that they truly want, so they are excited and bright eyed on Christmas morning.

Thanks for letting me share! I also enjoyed reading the other posts. Fun idea!!
Rhea said…
I think that bracelet is beautiful and what a great holiday gift!

My favorite Christmas memory...hmm...that's tough. Each one is so special because I get to spend time with family, and I love that. Our last Christmas was our first in our new home, and that was pretty amazing. I think that's my favorite.
Gutsy Living said…
I'd like to share a story, which is my most "unforgettable" Christmas, in a strange way.
Imagine celebrating Christmas on a tropical, humid island with multi-colored bulbs dangling on palm fronds on your coffee table.

Grandma, (my husband's mom) and her 80-year-old sister, who both hate traveling and are as pale as snow, flew over to our island in the Caribbean for a 2 week stay.

They longed to see my 3 sons, 17, 14 and 10, and put up with bugs, iguanas and rainwater for quick showers.

Four days before Christmas the two sisters got in a verbal fight, and refused to talk to one another for ten days. They sat as far away from one another and turned backs on one another. Worse yet, they shared a bed downstairs, and one liked to read half the night, the other to turned the lights off at nine. They both whined separately to us.

The austere feeling rubbed off on the kids, and finally on Christmas day, I blasted disco music around the house, to liven myself up as I cooked a Belizean turkey. At least the kids were in a good mood, and my husband and I laughed, as the women chose to continue ignoring one another.
Bebe said…
Hi Aleta,
What a lovely bracelet!! I came over from SITS and it is nice to meet you!

My favorite holiday memory is when I was a young girl. My family and I took a vacation up into the mountains and I actually got to see some snow on Christmas (we don't get that down here on the GA coast).

Hugs, Bebe :)
Unknown said…
What a gorgeous design! Poor little Bonnie. Bet she never lives that one down.
One of my favorite holiday memories is when we went to DC to visit my SIL and her oven went out so she was borrowing a friends who lived two bldgs over. The bldgs were all conected. So she asked me to bring something over to her and told me how many hallways I needed to go through and how many doors from the entrance. Well, there I was all dressed up for the day, carrying ingredients and knocked on the door and let myself in only to be faced with a Korean family of 5 watching tv. They all looked up at me. I made my apologies and backed out the door closing it behind me. I then marched back to my SIL's apartment and waited for her to come looking for me. Mmm...mmm...mmm. How humiliating. She and the rest of our family and friends had a good laugh at my expense. I can laugh now but then I was horrified. DC is not the safest place and to just walk into a strangers house.
tlsprinkle@yahoo.com
Ginny said…
Pretty bracelet, I blogged ~ http://momcontests.blogspot.com/2008/11/bracelet-giveaway.html

My favorite memory is getting this big Glamor Girl Cruise ship for Christmas :)
Rachel Ann said…
I love this bracelet..you are very talented!

One of my favorite Christmas memories is the year we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Christmas with all my cousins there...I was probably 7ish. And who should appear? Santa Claus!

None of us kids realized that our Uncle Kevin was missing from all the festivities and then popped back in about 45 minutes after Santa left!
larkswing said…
Beautiful bracelet!

Favorite holiday memory . . .gosh, this is harder than I thought it would be!

I think it would have to be Valentines Day 2002. Will and I had been dating 5 months so it was our first valentines. My ex husband had never been the type to celebrate pretty much anything, so I did not know what to expect.

At 6:45 a.m. as I was getting myself ready for work and boys ready for school, the doorbell rang. There was Will with a chocolate rose, valentine balloons and a batch of warm blueberry muffins! It was great and so unexpected! We have had many more fond holiday memories, but that would have to be the top!

Lailani
Queenie Jeannie said…
I hope you feel better soon!!!!!

Jeannie
Ripley F. :-) said…
That bracelet is gorgeous...I hope I win!!! I have so many great holiday memories that it's hard to choose one as my favorite. I love Christmas and birthdays, especially!!
S Club Mama said…
You know, my favorite holiday memory (so far) was July 4th of 2007 because my son was born 3 days prior on the first. I was (and still am) such a proud mama. He really has given me a different perspective on life and a new goal in life: to be the best mommy I can be for him. :)

I posted about your contest on the sidebar of my blog under Contest Corner. My email address is ra.schmid@hotmail.com
Darlene said…
Please enter me for your beautiful bracelet giveaway!

One of my favorite holiday memories is when we had Thanksgiving at a relatives ranch. We would stuff ourselves full and then go hiking and fishing and just roaming all around on their acres of land....just so much fun!
Aleta said…
I just wanted to leave a quick note. I'm fighting a winter cold right now, so I might not be as active as I'd like with getting back to everyone. But I wanted to say, "Thank You" ~ I can't tell you how much it means to me that ya'll like the bracelet! I was nervous putting it up as a give away, because when you make something, you know what you like, but you never know what someone else will think of it! Ya'll have warmed my heart. I'm excited for whoever wins the bracelet!
Tabitha Blue said…
Oh how sweet!! I think my fondest memory is one of the most recent. Last Christmas with our baby girl... she just loved the tree and lights and decorations. It was such a sweet time, I can't wait for this year because of it.
Anonymous said…
beautiful colors! :)
grace said…
you made that? i'm terribly impressed!
meanwhile, i don't think i have one particular holiday memory, but i can tell you this--the older i get, the more the time i get to spend with my family means to me. :)
Kavi said…
That sure is some offer !! Some offer !!! Now will think about it well !!
Laurel said…
Like many kids, my sister, brother and I liked to shake and examine our presents, trying to guess the contents. Occassionally, we were known to gently peel back a section of paper to get a glimpse. One Christmas season--it was after my brother had started driving--my mom and I had decided to go shopping. We found a bottle of cologne on the front seat, the very one my parents were giving my brother for Christmas and the same one my mom had assumed was in the still wrapped box under the tree.

Aleta, have you ever thought about selling or donating pieces for charity?
Big Girl said…
Beautiful bracelet. I'll have to think about my happiest holiday memory. It seems since I've had The Little Miss all my holidays seem so much more magical.
Missicat said…
Very pretty! Can see the sparkle even in the picture.

hmm..one of my favorite Xmas memories - heading to the mall with my twin sister to take a picture on Santa's lap. When we were 38. hehe
My happiest holiday was Thanksgiving of 2006. It was the first time I had actually made my own turkey. Who knew it was so easy when it just seemed so daunting. We were all together as a family - and sometimes that is the most precious thing of all. Because the Sunday after the holiday my father fell while shopping and passed away. Happiest. Yet bittersweet...
Jennifer said…
The bracelet is beautiful--I want it!

I have to say that last year was such a happy Christmas for us--just a great day where everything went right. We had an amazing dinner with my mom and sister at a fancy hotel and we had a private dining room--it was perfect!!

Thanks for the giveaway Aleta!! My email is on my blog!
Nicki said…
Beautiful bracelet!!

One of my favorite memories of Christmas is the anticipation I would get on Christmas Eve! :) My family always opened one gift on Christmas Eve, and a lot of times it was pajamas to wear that night. :)

nicolekennington@gmail.com
I am not officially entering the contest because my hubby and I have an agreement that I can't give my address out on my blog...bummer! But just wanted to say that I love the bracelet! It is very pretty!
Carrie
Heather said…
what a beautiful bracelet!

my favorite holiday memories all involve our christmas tree farm...and selling those trees at the lot every year. the year my dad passed away, my sister and i took over and to have so many people tell us how much they would miss my dad and how much they loved him was really special, and much needed at a time when we were really missing him...
nikkicrumpet said…
WOW...what a gorgeous and generous gift you are giving away! I would love to be in on this one! My favorite Christmas memory was when my brothers and I were really young. My parents bought both of my brothers a "fort Apache" It was this giant fort set that had fortified walls made out of pretend logs that were sharpened at the top...and lots of cowboys and indians. They decided it would be a good idea to set the whole fort up so the boys would find it that way come morning...my brothers however decided to sneak upstairs and see what Santa had left...they didn't turn on the lights and so my oldest brother stepped on one of the sharpened walls and impaled his foot. I should have felt sorry for him....but I guess I was just a mean sister who wanted them to get pay backs for all the teasing and tormenting. I still kid them about that to this day. Thanks for the great prize..and good luck to everyone...especially ME!
The Blonde Duck said…
It's gorgeous! You should sell your art! It's beautiful.
Kellan said…
That's a beautiful braclet - I love it! My favorite memory is all the mornings when my children were smaller and they woke up to see the gifts that Santa left them - the smiles of joy and amazement on their faces. Alexis and Billy are still small enough that they have that same excitement!

Great contest, Aleta - hope I win!!!

Kellan
Holly said…
Oh WOW - you MADE that! It is beautiful! I have no doubt the photo doesn't do it justice!
Melissa said…
ooooooh! Sparklies! I'll de-lurk for sparklies!

The one that immediately comes to mind is the year my sons set up a video camera and motion detectors to try and catch Santa. What am I saying, that was LAST year! I'm hoping they're still up for it this year.
Anonymous said…
Oh My Gosh! You MADE that!? I saw it on another blog and thought "that is soooooo pretty"...I didn't realize you MADE it! You are so talented!

Okay, my fav holiday memory is my brother and I having a pact every year for Christmas morning to try to wake up as early as possible and to go wake the other one up. One year it was at 1am and my parents yelled at us to go back to bed. I didn't know then that they were "santa" and had probably just gone to bed from putting together our presents!
Karen said…
Wow that is one sought after bracelet and why wouldn't it be? It's lovely and so festive. If I win I promise I will wear it on Christmas Day.


I have many fond memories but the one I think I got the most pleasure out of was one Christmas when I was still in High School. Some of us volunteered to put together some Christmas care packages for the elderly in the local area. Then we hired a big open bed truck on which we loaded all our packages. We dressed up in festive clothes draped in tinsel and topped it off with Santa hats. A dozen of us piled onto the back of the truck and we visited as many retirement villages as we could and sang a few carols at each one.


The looks on the faces of these beautiful elderly people was something I will never forget. For many of them it would probably be the only gift they would get. Many of them had tears in their eyes and they were so humbled that young teenagers would bother to come and see them, nevermind sing for them and present them with a small present.


I think we all got just as much joy out of the experience as they did. I know it stayed with me for a very long time.


My email address is dancingwithdestiny@gmail.com and I will let you know when I have posted about your contest on my blog.


I hope you feel better soon Aleta. I'm sure your lovely Greg is taking good care of you.
Kristi said…
The bracelet is LOVELY Aleta! Maybe you should think about Etsy - you can do as many or as little as you like that way, depending on when the creativity hits you.

My favorite holiday memory is a Thanksgiving spent by myself on a sailboat in the middle of the ocean. I started off feeling very sad and sorry for myself, and left that holiday so grateful to just be alive in the world. It was one of the best gifts I have ever given myself.
Candid Carrie said…
I have a favorite Christmas memory that always makes me smile.

Our first dogs (over fifteen years ago) were two shih tzus named Ming and Leo. They were poorly bred specimens but they made up for beauty with enthusiasm.

Now, we had gotten these little puppies when my twins were about five years old, Travis was a healthy little horse but Madeleine was chronically ill and we new her time with us was nearing conclusion. She had twenty four hour nursing care in our home with three shifts a day.

Anyway, our family had never had a real tree, ever! We had always favored the artificial type, no needles or watering, no sap ... I had about three hundred reasons why we never had a real tree.

Our third shift nurse thought this was a horrific tragedy that my kids never experienced the wonder of a real tree. So the Friday after Thanksgiving our nurse "snuck" an eleven foot tall Christmas tree into our living room. Yes, it was a big house with twelve foot ceilings and yes, our bedroom was located in an area where someone could haul a tree into the home without us knowing.

She rearranged the living room furniture and hung candy canes on the tree, it must have been fabulous.

I say must have been only because the first glimpse I had of the tree was Ming and Leo next to a toppled tree eating candy canes. Leo was a dark cocoa brindle and was a sticky sticky mess, but Ming was as white as a fresh December snow and she looked like she had been mutilated! She had gobs of red candy cane stuck all over her.

And this massive tree was "sapping" on my coffee table, my couch, my carpet, and my life. I never smiled so big or laughed so hard. I have been grinning while I typed this entire story.

Thanks for affording me another opportunity to relive my favorite holiday memory!
Oh that's a GORGEOUS bracelet!

Wow, I have so many happy moments, but the one that pops to mind first is when we got to bring our baby home from the NICU after her EARLY start to life. She was born 9 weeks early and had to stay in the NICU for 7 LONG and hard weeks. When she came home it was like I was living a dream and did not want to wake up. My hubby and I cried all day that day. :)

~melody~
Sam said…
what a very pretty Christmassy bracelet! My favourite holiday memory? Well now, let me think....I have many favourites but the one that springs to mind right now is the Christmas after I'd passed my driving test and I drove over to my Grandpop and Grandma's house on Christmas morning in order to bring them back to our house in time for breakfast so that they could spend the whole day with us.
hahamommy said…
Ooooh, thanks for making me a bracelet ;)

The first time I visited NYC was the weekend before Xmas & wanted to see St. Patrick's Cathedral. I stood in line to see the nativity set, alone, as my boyfriend & his family had seen it 1,000,000,000 times and they wanted to light candles instead. Fine. So I wait. The line is long and slow. FINALLY I get to the front and --OMG, Baby Jesus is GONE!!-- I had visions (because I'm from a small midwestern town where trust of New Yorkers is NOT common) of a creepy man in a trench coat, sidling up there and snatching the baby and running for the door! In a panic, I found Joe & his dad and blurted out "Someone stole Baby Jesus!!!" The laughter was loud, contagious and seemed to last for hours... then they told my protestant self that, indeed, "He ain't been born yet!" oh. So we watched him be "born" at midnight mass. While Joe told the story to the gathered clan.
I can admit, now, that it was pretty dang funny ♥
Sandy said…
That bracelet is beautiful!
I have to tell you, all my holiday memories are very much the same. We have had the same traditions for is long as I remember. But, my most memorable time was when I got to celebrate all of the holidays for the first time with my first born. Thanks so much for bringing me back to that time, sometimes life moves so fast, those memories get pushed aside.

Thank you for visiting my blog:) I hope to see you again sometime!
Karen said…
Hi Aleta

I just wanted to let you know I have posted about the bracelet. I hope you are feeling much better now.

http://thethemepark.blogspot.com/2008/11/winners-losers-and-opportunities.html
Bear said…
I would very much like to win this beautiful bracelet for someone very dear to me.

Living in Australia means that our summer holidays and Christmas occur in the same period, and is every Aussie child's favourite time of year.

In my young teenage peer group (13 to 15 year olds) we had a guy with one and a half legs. That’s because one was cut off at the knee, however I can’t remember why now. His nickname was Horse because he was hung like... well no need to go into that here.

Anyway we would all spend most of our summer holidays at the local public swimming pool. It had a wading pool for toddlers, a kid's pool of about a metre deep, a full size pool and a large diving pool. This municipal swimming complex attracted crowds of locals during our long hot summers.

My group of friends would meet at the pool in the morning and spend as much time as possible there getting into mischief. Whilst swimming, Horse would leave his prosthetic lower limb under his towel on the lawn and hop down to the pool to swim.

One day a couple of us were sitting on the edge of the kids pool eating a ‘pie and sauce’ whilst Horse and a couple of others were just bobbing around in the pool where we were. Now an Aussie pie is a hand sized pastry filled with a thick mixture of minced ‘meat’ and gravy and was very much the snack of choice in the pre hamburger franchise store days.

So do we have the scene?

I am eating a meaty, gravy filled, tomato sauce smothered pie at the edge of the kids pool surrounded by kids and parents enjoying a swim, with Horse in the water right in front of me.

Then...

All of a sudden Horse reached up and grabbed a handful of the meaty brown and red mixture whilst screaming at the top of his lungs “SHARK... SHARK... IT BIT ME...!!!” and with that he raised his half leg out of the water as high as he could and grabbed the end of the stump with the hand that had my pie filling and tomato sauce in it and continued screaming. With the fact that his hand and stump were both wet and the meaty gravy saucy substance oozing and dripping through his fingers and the fact that he was screaming that a shark had bitten him AND the fact that half his leg was missing... you’ll understand the wave of panic that went through all the people around us as kids jumped out and parents leapt into the pool, fully clothed some of them, to save their kid from the man eating shark that had somehow found its way into the municipal pool.

Needless to say parents, kids and in particular, the manager, were not amused. We all thought it was hilarious but, alas, we all got kicked out and banned from attending there ever again. In that one summer holiday I think we managed at least 5 ‘lifetime bans’ from that particular municipal pool.

:)
Brandy said…
The bracelet is beautiful - I blogged about it here
http://imnotyouraveragesoccermom.blogspot.com/2008/11/you-can-be-winner-too.html

I'm still deciding on my favorite holiday memory...
The Blonde Duck said…
Next time you come to SA, you'll have to let me know so we could meet for coffee or something! That's where I reside in "my pond!"
Not your average soccer mom sent me over...so here I am, and oh my gosh that truly is an amazing piece of jewelry...ART is right!

Hmmmm holiday memories...How about New Year's Eve on the Brooklyn Promenade..waaaay before kids but with my only married for one year hubby, FREEZING cold watching the fireworks in the East river...ahhh those were the days...

Carissa @ mommygossip-gno.blogspot.com
Bear said…
...oh and I forgot to include this;

http://tubby-bear.blogspot.com/2008/11/your-chance-to-win.html

:)
Anonymous said…
Okay-Bonnie's story totally reminded me of the movie Elf w/ Will Ferrel where he jumps to put the star on the tree....HILARIOUS!
Margaret said…
What a pretty bracelet.

My favorite Holiday memory is at Thanksgiving. When I was younger my grandmother lived behind us. Including my mom she has 16 kids, so our holidays are huge when everyone gets together (which isn't as often anymore). My cousins go in sets. It usually goes by age group and who we see the most often. There are 5 of us that are close in age. Two are older than me and two are younger. One Thanksgiving the set that my sister is in (I know the whole set thing seems weird, but that is just how it is with so many of us) helped me and my girl cousin lock the boys out of the house. We had one of the windows open, and took the screen off it. When they would run by we would shoot them with silly string. It was lots of fun. All the adults were at my grandma's house.

Great giveaway.
Margaret said…
I just put a post on my blog about it too.
Unknown said…
That is a beautiful bracelet. My happiest holiday memories is having all of our family together for a big meal and lots of laughter.

Thanks for visiting my blog
Vikki North said…
Wow! Seventy-two comments! That's what you get for offering your beautiful jewelry for free. Even if you were charging $10 (worth much more!) per bracelet- you'd have made about $700, Aleta.

I have to many wonderful Holiday memories to pick just one. I just wanted to say I love the bracelet, sweet girl.
Vikki
GingerJar said…
Love love love the bracelet. You are so talented! Yes, I want to enter!!! Oh, and thanks for your comment on my blog!

My favorite holiday memory:

It was 1965, I was eight. We were living with my Grandma and Grandpa in Oklahoma right after my momma and daddy divorced.

It was around the first week of December and Deer Season was in full swing. Grandpa had been hunting all morning and it was very cold. He had not shot at a single thing (and I was glad, because I didn't want him to kill a deer!). He decided since the hunting wasn't working out so well we would just go across the road and into the woods and find us a Christmas tree. The woods were very thick and filled with pine trees and cedar trees.

We all dressed very warmly and Grandma made sure we all wore something red so we wouldn't get shot at by any hunters "poaching" on the property. We went out and tramped around and found so many "perfect" trees. None would meet with Grandpa's approval. It seemed like we were tromping around for hours, it was getting dark...then Grandpa found the perfect tree: Misshapened, round at the bottom, thin at the top, with at least three competing peaks and a hole in the middle of the side. To my little eight year old eye it looked perfect, but momma hitched her one perfect eyebrow and looked at it with doubt.

So, we cut down and drag this little Charlie Brown tree home, where we decorated it with lots of lights and tinsel with Grandma correlating the whole decorating tree. The tree was turned this away and that trying to hide the thin places and finally the crowing moment...Grandpa put the Star on the "top" of the tree. He kept trying all the points that were near the top trying to figure out which was the best. When it was all said and done the tree looked like it would fall down from the weight of the decorations. We all laughed and declared it the best tree ever! I still have a picture of that perfect tree in my picture box.

I sure miss my Grandparents and every Christmas me and my mom talk about our Charlie Brown Christmas.
A New Yorker said…
This is actually a tough one for me. I honestly don't have one story that sticks out relating to a holiday.

I know for me I love to give gifts and I am usually one to give an unusual gift that is very thoughtful.

Last year I gave my father a Mets lunch bag. It wasn't expensive but I knew he would love it. I knew it would bring him joy. Another time I bought him a special Mets shirt when they won the series. He professed how he would not wear it or use the lunch box but set it aside in a special drawer.

I laughed about the lunch box and told him to use it please and enjoy it. Life is to be enjoyed and that it it got dirty I'd buy him another one. The man is 63 and doesn't want to dirty his lunch box. Too funny.

I'd love those crystals more than any other of your readers though. Crystals are wonderful healing tools. I'll be posting your giveaway soon. Good luck.
jen721 said…
Nice Bling! I love working with Swaravski crystals!
Rush said…
this bracelet is totally cool.Love it!!!

Adding ur blog on my daily visitpage.
Cass said…
My parents actually gave me the Willow Tree nativity set a few yrs ago! I LOVE IT! I have about 25 other figures besides my nativity, so I am all about Willow Tree's! Thanks for stopping by again!
Rick said…
I like that braclet Aleta - even though I am a guy (can you tell?) Maybe my wife would like it too.

Put me down from one entry.

The e-mail address is on the blog, but in case you're too lazy (that wasn't nice Rick) here it is...

green_rick@juno.com

Merry Christmas. I'm working on a Thanksgiving doodle that I think you will like.
Ndinombethe said…
Wow that's gorgeous. Was passing through to say hi cause I've been awful at visiting lately and hey presto you have a gorgeous bracelet giveaway. You are incredibly talented.

Favourite holiday memory - not that mother's day is really a holiday - BUT anyway - Stinker woke me up at 5:15am one mother's day. He was 8. "Mum come outside" I was not impressed with the time but could tell something was up.

I walked out to the living room and he stood by the table with a "ta-da" one hand in the air, one pointing to the table - there on the table was scrambled egg on a plate, a glass of juice and a card he'd made. I don't think I even got toast.

Apparently my mother was supposed to help him make breakfast for me that morning, that was the plan. But he woke up way before her so he did it himself.

One of my favourites.

Will link to you tomorrow so everyone can see your talent BUT IT HAS TO BE SAID - by linking to you I reduce my chances of walking away with that lovely bracelet :(

Happy belated birthday. Have been catching up on your posts. Will be back soon.
Anonymous said…
Great story! You always hear about that kind of Christmas disaster, but I never knew anyone before who it actually happened to. Guess some urban legends are true! Very nice creative jewellry, BTW!
Ndinombethe said…
Okay my sieve-like brain defeated me for a few hours but I have just remembered and linked to you on today's post.

Still love the bracelet.
Trac said…
Wow! That is beautiful.
You need an Etsy shop!

I have come here via Tash who very generously has reduced her own chances of winning it. :O)

One of many favourite holiday memories is when my oldest son was not quite two years old, he entered a childrens' competition, where the mainly adult audience got to vote the children off.

All they had to do was stand on one leg. But all the other kids were a lot older than Sid.

He was rubbish at it!!!

But no one could bring themselves to vote him off because he looked so cute and he won first prize.

Funnily enough, now, if Sid was one of those older children, he would think he was being seriously conned by losing to someone who couldn't do it!

But he was very pleased at the time! :O)

I'll stick your competition in my side bar right after this.

Cheers!

tracflower@hotmail.com
Rachel said…
What a great giveaway!

And yes, I have read the Sookie books - love them! I wish I had HBO now. Maybe they will come out with a DVD set?
the Bag Lady said…
Aleta - that bracelet is simply gorgeous! Hmmm, holiday memories. There are so many, it's hard to chose.
I guess my favourite memory is the Christmas Eve that the Rancher proposed to me. Took me to town, stopped at the jewelry store and chose a ring for me.
The next day, at his mom's for Xmas dinner, I didn't tell anyone, but made sure I was waving my hand under her nose. Practically had to punch her with it before she noticed! She finally saw it, screamed and grabbed me in a big hug - it was hilarious!
Connie said…
And so why haven't we met before and wy haven't you ever sold your work before is all I'm wondering? I love the braclet ... serious talent you have there.
Thanks for stopping by and let's try not to be strangers anymore!
♥ Boomer ♥ said…
Aleta, I sure hope that you are feeling better! Drink lots of water, use VICKS Vaporub, and sleep as much as you can!!!
Beautiful bracelet! I am with Lilly! Get a shop! You would do so well!
feather k said…
found you on SITS...what a beautiful bracelet! My favorite holiday memory is being in Washington DC on the 4th of July. We were sitting on the Capitol lawn watching fireworks...felt so patriotic...
Kimberly said…
Sorry, I've fallen behind in my blog reading, stumbled across this one that I missed. Sheesh! It's probably done now!!

I didn't realize you made jewelery. It's beautiful! You're very talented!

Let's see... Holiday memory ... I think my favorite one has to be my eldest son's first Christmas. That year, not only did the cat knock over the tree, but so did my son. Both were entranced with the twinkles and ordaments. But, the best part of it all, was that the day after I again, put the tree up, we came down to find every present opened. Every last package was strewn across the floor, contents opened and played with, and in the middle of it all was my baby boy playing with, not the toys, but the paper and bows. Sticking them to himself. And he wore the biggest smile I had ever encountered!
Of course I lost ordaments, present surprise and an enormous mess, but to this day, it was the happiest and most surprising Christmas ever!
memphisdonna said…
Gorgeous bracelet!!!!!
My favorite Christmas was 1971 (yeah, I'm a dinosaur).
Hubby was in Vietnam and we had a 2-yr. old son.
Hubby's orders changed and he was sent home 3 days before Christmas - totally surprising us!!!
We were able to spend Christmas together as a family, with our precious husband/daddy safe and sound!!!
rassdk2004@yahoo.com
Tabitha Blue said…
It's almost time for the giveaway!!! Can't wait. Oh and I truly love watching my family open gifts on.... Christmas Eve!!
Anonymous said…
Beautiful bracelet....my wife would love that and it might even actually get me "lucky"?

Ok, my favorite holiday memory is Christmas, 1979.

I got a dirt bike.

My family was ooing and ahhing over it.

When my sister checked out the front of it, I promptly let off the clutch and ran over her.

Oh, she's fine....no serious side effects. She was crazy before it happened so no major damage done.
Da Old Man said…
Beautiful bracelet. I've made some jewelry, and nowhere nearly as inticate as the one you made. I can't imagine the time, love, and craftmanship that went into it.

I don't have a specific holiday memory, but we had some unusual traditions, mostly involving food that we only had on Christmas Eve.

Little pieces of Lebanon Bologna with cream cheese, Nabisco "Chicken in a Biscuit" (do they even make them any longer?)
pineapple chunks with maraschino cherries
pepperoni
It was a weird snack eaten while opening presents and no one even knows how this wacky combination even came about. It had no significance and we never ate these things any other time.
Grand Pooba said…
Hi! nice to meet you, thanks for visiting my blog...

...My favorite Holiday memory is sort of a combination of all holidays. My family has a tradition where my mom makes us sleeping caps (just like the old days) and pajamas. So every Christmas eve we do a treasure hunt to fing our treasures and when we do, we change into the pjs and caps and cuddle up and watch a christmas movie, love it!
Anonymous said…
That bracelet is truly amazingly beautiful. Aleta you are very talented. Good luck to the Winner. Thanks Aleta
Brandy said…
I've been thinking of my favorite holiday memory for days. It's impossible for me to narrow it down because the holidays always meant a lot to my family so they were all special.

When we were little I would stay with my Granny and wake up to a room full of presents...the best being the year I got a bike and before that a Barbie house. Last year she was in the hospital at Christmas so we visited but waited until she was released to have a Christmas party. In January we had a small party with presents, food and decorations to make sure she got to spend "Christmas" with us.

She passed on a couple weeks later so I will always treasure the last Christmas I had with her.
Anonymous said…
My favorite memory is always making Christmas cookies together as a family - 1 type each day the week before the 25th.

celeste@mail4me.com
Emily said…
Your bracelet is absolutely beautiful! I would love to have it.
But wow, there are many beautiful stories...
Here is my semi lame attempt at one. My husband and I had been married for 4 years when he changed jobs and we had our sweet little baby Hannah (who had no idea it was even Christmas, she was just interested in the next feeding). When he changed jobs, I was on maternity leave and going back to only part time and we were DIRT POOR, it was sad. But we decided come heck or high water we were going to get our little girl a present...well, I have not a clue who did it, but we went to get the mail and there was an unmarked envelope in the mail and it had inside it a $10 GC to Target and man that felt like we won the lottery! So, we so proudly and humbly gave our daugther her very first Christmas present on Christmas morning, the leapfrog learning drum and she didnt pay too much attention to it but we didnt care. That was the only thing under the tree that year besides the cats of course, but I LOVE how the holiday time can bring out inate kindness of someone. Someone who just happened to think of us and just happened to give us a Target gift card that just happened to be the only way we were able to get her a little gift.
We still dont know who did it, but thank you to whoever you are and for making the Christmas spirit a little more tangible.
The kindness reminded us that it wasnt about the gifts it was the fact that someone thought we were deserving of something, and we were forever greatful.
Hope you liked my story, good luck to everyone in the contest!! What a great idea!
I shall link you at once!
MissRebecca said…
Hi there, hopping over from Emilylynnspeaks! Gorgeous bracelet, I would love to have it to:P Here is my holiday story:

I was not sure how CHristmas 2004 was going to go due to the fact that my husband, Preston and I had just lost our second baby and it was followed by a mess of surgeries and questions and to top it off, Thanksgiving day was when it all happened.

Well, Christmas was steadily approaching and I was having trouble getting into the spirit, I was looking so forward to spending my first Christmas pregnant and I was sad. But then a few days before Cristmas something happened, I am not sure about the moment or time, but at some point I remembered the reason I loved Christmas so much in the first place, it becuase there was an uncommon joy amongst people and a love for one another that seems to be amplified at that time of year and I was going to take advantage of that. All of a sudden, I was filled with so many thoughts of the blessings that surrounded me, my wonderful husband, my twin sister and her beautiful 6 month old baby, Hannah, who Em had ALWAYS made me feel like she was mine as much as hers. I just could not stop thinking of all the wonderful things that surrounded me. CHristmas Day was wonderful and I found that joy in my heart that I had been missing since we lost the baby. It was actually one of the best Holidays ever, it is rare to be able to really see what you have as opposed to what you dont have. Also that day, my husband and I talked and prayed together and talked about the fact that we knew we would be parents one day one way or another...

After all was said and done we celebrated Christmas 2005 5 months pregnant with our first child Kaiya, her name means long waited child. And to our amazement, spent Christmas 2006 wiht out bueatiful 7 month old and we were 3 months pregnant with our second child, Cassie!!

I believe children are proof that God does exist.

The perspective was wonderful. I wish all of you a happy holidays!!! Thanks for listening and letting me participate.

Rebecca
Rashikaps said…
The bracelet is beautiful! You should start your own label, Aleta.. You can..