Ornament Thursday - Live Free

Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils.

-General John Stark

Welcome, once again, to Ornament Thursday! This month's theme is "Independence". To be perfectly honest, I never intended to use a red, white and blue color scheme for my piece at all. I created the fine silver "live free" charm with the intention of doing something non-traditional with it, replete with a flaming heart and a lot of black stone and glass. However, last week I had an appointment with my opthamologist whose office is fortuitously located a mere two blocks away from one of my favorite local bead stores. Could a stout heart resist temptation? Well, I certainly couldn't. Despite being able to see virtually nothing (my eyes were still dilated), I took the opportunity to browse around there and, after much squinting and swanning around, I found a cup of these cute star-shaped pearls. So, I tossed out the flaming heart idea, hauled out some garnet and lapis lazuli instead and created this rather traditional-looking star-spangled piece to celebrate this month's theme. (You can click on the photo for a closer look at the necklace.)

I am sure you will recognize my quote, if only by virtue of the fact that the first half of it is used on the license plates for the state of New Hampshire. When I was in law school, I remember studying a case in which the Defendant, a New Hampshire resident, decided that he did not want to "live free or die" and obscured the "or die" portion of his license plate. (The Supreme Court later ruled that the state could not prevent him from doing so.) I decided to side with Defendant on that issue and created a charm incorporating only the rather uplifting words "live free".

As I mentioned on the Art Bead Scene blog last week, to me, right now, independence means having creative freedom. The words "live free" are a reminder to continue to take risks creatively, to reach beyond my current capabilities and to continue to grow. It's a very positive statement, to my mind.

To view the other interpretations of "Independence" by our talented Ornament Thursday crew, please follow these links:

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Craft some red, white, and blue drink charms from vintage wartime posters. They'll make a big bang at your 4th of July cookout!

Art Bead Scene
Field of Poppies bracelet project from Heather.

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Celebrate the Independent Spirit

Hurray for Red, White and Blue
Lisa takes a shot at teeny tiny beads for a change

Independence Jewelry!
Beading Help Web has two easy jewelry projects that you can put together just in time for the July 4 holiday!

Linda at BeadStyle Magazine
Childhood memories of Independence Day's past inspired this necklace.

Michelle's take on Indpendence
Over at http design, Michelle has scuplted a piece which gives a different perspective on independence.

What is America to Me?
Michelle's favorite words on our country...

Thanks for stopping by!