Something Old for Something New

I adore gifting. There is nothing like hunting down the perfect gift and being rewarded with an enthusiastic or emotional reaction from the giftee.  Unless it is stumbling across something so perfectly suited for a loved one you must give it to them long before a suitable gifting occasion arrives. I especially love giving original wedding gifts.  Thanks to the wedding registry, people often get duplicates of the towels, sheets, flatware, etc. for which they registered. And then they have to return some of those duplicates. Blegh. Nobody's returning my gift.  If I get you towels, they WILL be monogrammed.  If I get you a silver toothpick dispenser it WILL be inscribed. Maybe its the southern belle in me. Okay, it is a little bit the southern belle, but more than that, I'm pretty sure gifting is a competition and I fully intend to win. Always.

For brides I especially adore, my favorite gift is a one-of-a-kind, handmade garter. Store-bought garters are so...so...so-so. No thanks.  I remember making one with a pocket for my cousin. My grandmother had given her the sixpence she'd worn in her shoe for good luck when she (very romantically) secretly eloped with my grandfather some 60 years ago.  My cousin was distraught because there's no way her strappy sandals would allow her to walk down the aisle with that sixpence. So, I made her something that would be new, blue, and could hold something small, old and precious. I remember also making crystal studded number for my friend Katie Forest. I love doing it. So when I got the invitation to Cat Walton's wedding, I immediately offered to set her up.

I needed the perfect focal point. Cat, is understated, but stunning. She appreciates pretty things and fashion, but hesitates to sport "girly" clothes, herself.  She's also very kind and funny. And there is her AMAZING hair.  I digress.  My point is, I wanted to make something that captured her quirks and her beauty. Peacock feathers. And sparkles. And purple.
Tada!

The white one is for the garter toss, while the purple one is meant to be a keepsake.  Despite her ties to the military, Cat is a townie with an incredible system of friends and family right here. Still, I included the broken clasp from my Grandmother Dee's pearls to give the garter that something extra.

I'm thrilled to finally put that clasp to use and I think Cat was appreciative of all I was trying to tell her about what she means to me.