The "Bless Your Heart" spoon bracelet

Last week, I decided to visit the Marietta Antique Mall, where I ran across this wonderful booth of jewelry that included a style of spoon bracelet I had never seen before. I've had a fancier silverplate spoon bracelet made out of a teaspoon and adorned with pearls, but I like this one even better—and yes, I would proudly wear it to tea!

The "Bless Your Heart" bracelet greatly  appealed to me, although I must admit I *almost* got one like it that said "Sweet as Tea," but I liked the color of the band on this one better. And if you look at that flat edge at left, you can tell the silver part was once a spoon! When I got home, I checked out the Facebook page of the designer, and the page is at Kristian Noel Creates if you're interested. I love that she upcycles materials for her jewelry, and her display was absolutely charming! Next time, I want some of her pretty earrings that are packaged in small cork-topped glass bottles. For some reason, it fuels my writing creativity to see other kinds of artistic creativity, and of course I love knowing that a spoon is part of my bracelet's design.

Funny enough, the evening before, I was at an event where a friend and I had a fun discussion about the phrase "Bless Your Heart." That phrase is often thought to be something southern women say only when we're being catty (and yes, we do that sometimes), but to be honest with you, I think we say it and mean it in a positive sense the vast majority of the time. I've never forgotten the day we buried my maternal grandmother and returned from the funeral only for me to get a phone call letting me know that my pastor, whose family I was very close to, had just died unexpectedly of a heart attack. It was almost too much grief to bear, and when I told my mom, who had just buried her own mother, she gave me a big hug and said, "Oh, bless your heart." I've never forgotten that in her own grief, my mother still had room for mine. But that's what mothers do, don't they? And if I find out someone is sick or has had something bad happen to them, I am very likely to say and mean, "Well, bless your heart." So I hope this brief lesson in the usage of "Bless your Heart" has blessed your heart—really!