So I haven't been online and blogging much lately and I have been making vague references to sadness and illness but I didn't really feel much like sharing. My Zoey doggie had been very sick for the last few weeks and I was busy taking care of her, which was very difficult emotionally. Last week, her health finally got too poor to manage and I made the hard decision to say goodbye to her. She was at least 12 years old and was such an amazing friend to me for all of those years. She had such a personality and made so many people smile and laugh.
It was hard to say goodbye, but it is also a relief. I didn't want to see her suffer, and seeing her not want to eat even her favorite people foods was heartbreaking. We had a nice last few days, with many of her favorite people coming over to visit her and give her pets and kisses.
The day after she died, Alex and I went to Tandy Leather and I picked up some supplies to make myself a pair of cuff bracelets from the leather collar she wore for many years. I cut the collar, added snaps, and riveted two of her dog tags to the bracelets. The leather is so soft and smooth, a feeling that only comes with long time wear and age. And for the past few months, wearing thick leather bands on my wrists has been a bit of a signature look for me, so I feel really good about having these to wear close to me to remind me of my Zoey every day.
I enjoyed thinking up this idea and learning to use these new supplies. I think it helped me to have a special project to work on to work through my sadness. I guess it is unsurprising that with the way I live my life immersed in art, I would use my art/craft to help me grieve as well.
Melanie is an artist, blogger, writer, and ceramic beadmaker at Earthenwood Studio. Her beads and components can be found at her Etsy shop and her jewelry can be found in her Etsy Galleria. To comment on this post, visit the original post at the Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Blog.
