This is another one of my fun bracelets; it has some very unique charms. It tells a modern day love story;
let’s hope the story has a happy ending.

[these photos may be enlarged by clicking]

The marriage manual:

1. It all starts here with the apple. It opens to reveal the famous “original” couple they “swing: out on a hinge to face the world. Swingers, eh?

2. A Stanhope charm. I will do a blog about Stanhopes at another time. Suffice it to say there is a microscopic image in a little lens. Look closely, it’s Queen Liz! Maybe she’s been around since Adam and Eve. (This is not a plug for creationism, by the way)

3. An angel complete with Lyre. Well, this is Valentine’s Day week and the love story continues…could this be a case of limerance?

4. A mailbox for love letters

5. A picture frame for the beloved

6. Sweets for the sweet…what’s love without chocolates?

7. LOVE, plain and simply ornate.

8. Ah yes, he sends flowers

9. Another fabulous charm: open the heart and see the lovers in an embrace, they too, swing, and seem to be separated by a blob of old silver polish—a no-no.

10. Fall in love and bells ring, or so they say.

11. Little chubby cupid keeps them interested in…

12. LOVE. Blue enamel, I Love You. Ribbed heart

13. Another cupid

14. Red enamel heart one side, ornate silver work on the other

15. An “I Love You Spinner.” If you read my blog about why I collect, you will see
an allusion to an I Love You spinner. It was a beloved lost childhood charm. I’ve been buying them ever since. Each side of the disk in the horseshoe frame has a complementary letters that spell, I Love You. When you blow on the disk it spins and the mind perceives the words

16. Wedding shoe opens, the bride and groom are inside

17. The happy couple. Mechanical groom tips to the bride to give her the ring

18. Antique small heart, can’t have enough love

19. And here he is, the kid! The perfect mechanical self-feeding baby . Bottle goes up,bottle comes down. Cute, huh?

20. Mechanical bank, money in, money out. Sound familiar?

21. Our middle class couple finally get the house, but can they pay the mortgage??
they are trying to furnish it. Look into it from above—it opens so you can be a peeping Tom,
or look through the windows and risk arrest. There are 2 blue enamel chairs and a yellow enamel lamp on a round table between them. Look like they are maintaining the place, the door, windows and chimney are enameled. Wonder what the heating bill is like.

22. A final little angel to look over them. Will they keep the house or move to a condo? Stay tuned!

Peeping Tom views:

It all starts with that couple in the apple

The couple embracing inside the heart

I Love You Spinner, shoe opens, bridal couple inside, and all that comes after…

The wedding shoe, groom and bride, the drinking baby, the bank

The baby puts the bottle down, the house emerges

Our house is your house;
blue chairs through the windows, yellow lamp through the door

Comments from the Yahoo parallel universe:

• JacquiBB

Amazing charms on this bracelet. I would probably wear out all the little hinges opening and closing them. Beautiful. So how long do you collect charms before you have enough for a particular theme like this one? They seem all totally unique.

Saturday February 16, 2008 – 08:46pm (MST)

• SansSouciBlogs
  

I haven’t been active in a while in terms of purchasing as I was getting addicted–just one more bracelet.
It all depends on what comes up on ebay. Gradually you start collecting in a theme and eventually it all comes together.

Saturday February 16, 2008 – 10:57pm (EST)

• Cheyanne

Such a lovely bracelet with a lovely story. You answered my question with Jacqui BB. I thought you might frequent antique shows and shops for your charms. It’s something for me to think about in terms of my jewelry venture. Do you make the wire part of your bracelets?

Sunday February 17, 2008 – 12:01am (CST)

• Tee b

How did you ever FIND these charms???
I loved the wee little cottage with the light in the window!!

Sunday February 17, 2008 – 08:09am (EST)

• Tee b

Ahhh….eBay!! I just read your comment up top. Good ole’ eBay.

Sunday February 17, 2008 – 08:10am (EST)

• Frani

I don’t come across people wearing charm bracelets anymore…At least not like this one. :~D
I’m blown away, Sans….I’ve always wondered what all the charms dangling from a bracelet mean to the one who wears it.
NOW I KNOW! What a fabulous presentation about on strikingly beautiful piece of jewelry!

Sunday February 17, 2008 – 08:40am (EST)

• Frani

Oops! What a fabulous presentation *on a* strikingly beautiful piece of jewelry!

Sunday February 17, 2008 – 08:43am (EST)

• nemo4

little bits of memory

🙂

Sunday February 17, 2008 – 08:53am (EST)

• * Stefany

Another amazing work of art! You should have a show. You are so incredibly talented!!! Your work speaks volumes.

Sunday February 17, 2008 – 09:37am (EST)

• Joann

Sue, you alwaystop your own storieseverytime,you bring me back to what is real,I remember folks with Charm bracelets when I was younger, I love them!My daughter gave one to m yGrandaughter, she was thrilled with itbut you dont see them lik eyou use too!I love your bracelet!Merci!

Sunday February 17, 2008 – 10:43am (EST)

• the butler

Your bracelets are so amazing! I love reading the commentary you so entertainingly provide, too! Thanks again!

Tags: creartive sunday, charm bracelets, charms, love

Prev: 160. Friday Fluff: The Post Valentine’s Day Analysis of Crazy Love: Is there a Lime in Limerance?
Next: CreARTive Sunday: 2/17/08: What I do, What you do~the tour starts here

reply philsgal7759 wrote on Feb 16, ’08 Clever and quite lovely

reply starfishred wrote on Feb 16, ’08 Oh how wonderful and unique

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Feb 16, ’08, edited on Feb 17, ’08 starfishred said Oh how wonderful and unique Thanks! I have been enjoying making a visual record of what I have, but it takes hours to get the settings correct and then to post–I started this last Tuesday! It’s like the journey starts with the collection of the charms, the idea for the bracelet, the choosing of the bracelet, the laying out of the charms, the attaching of the charms. The photography (I actually have figured out a way to use my scanner as a camera!), the Photoshop adjustments in size and resolution, the code getting and embedding, and the writing of the “tour”of the charms. It goes on and on. A production!

reply asolotraveler wrote on Feb 16, ’08 creativity personified!

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Feb 16, ’08 So Adam and Eve were swingers, eh? Well, you learn something new every day What is a Stanhope charm ? Great post. I can see all the hard work you put into it.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Feb 17, ’08, edited on Feb 17, ’08 lauritasita said So Adam and Eve were swingers, eh? Well, you learn something new every day What is a Stanhope charm ? Great post. I can see all the hard work you put into it. I have a small collection of Stanhope charms: I’ll be doing another blog about them. They are charms that have microscopic pictures embedded within a lens. You hold it up to the light to see a picture. You can see the heart in the first closeup; there is a lens in the center, look closely and you see some art work. There’s a photo of Queen Elizabeth in the design! FUN!

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Feb 17, ’08 Wow ! I can’t wait to see your post on that !

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Feb 17, ’08 lauritasita said Wow ! I can’t wait to see your post on that ! Hmmm, I’ll try to get something together, it’s an idea.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Feb 17, ’08 I KNOW I should wear them, and even though the special jump rings are like iron, I am always fearful I’ll lose something. Can’t really work on the computer with one on, so it’s really a go out thing. For now they are like poems in boxes.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Feb 17, ’08 For Kate: this time I stored the photos on Multiply, rather than an outside host. I think it expands the ability to zoom in here. Just took me some time to figure it out.

reply hurricanekate wrote on Feb 17, ’08 You know I am so in love with your bracelets, this is no exception, but it is exceptional!!! Each one is so unique. you amaze me girl. you really do.You know I still use flickr. I’ve got so many over there…… now back to this bracelet. I love that, “they are like poems in boxes”. What a prefect description. I well know what it takes to put together a long blog, I can appreciate the effort you put into these. I truly can. xo

reply strongwilledwoman wrote on Feb 17, ’08 Lovely, just lovely.

reply shoppingfreedom wrote on Feb 19, ’08 This is sooo UNIQUE !!! I love it. And my fave charm would be the embracing couple inside a heart. Sooo ROMANTIC !!! I always enjoy your charm bracelets, Sue. They’re always so mesmerizing. You really know how to create them. What a talented artist you are. Great job !I’ll be waiting for your next one. BTW, there were some people asking me if you’re selling your charm bracelets. I told them that you wanna keep them as your private collection, not for sale.

Have a wonderful week there, Sue (^_^)v