"Wired Nan" is hosting her very first blog hop entitled “My
Country … Of Thee I Bead” and I, of course, not one to EVER miss a challenge it
seems, signed up. The rules are simple: create jewelry inspired by your
home country or a country to which you have an attachment. For me, that country is Serbia.
Both of my parents were born and raised in Serbia and I am the
first generation born in America. Growing up,
the Serbian Orthodox Church community was a home-away-from-home for them, and
in my teenage years I became a part of the church’s Sumadija Serbian Folk Dance Ensemble.
Best! Time! Ever!
I loved being a part of this group and learning new songs
and dances. I loved traveling to various churches and performing. I loved getting dressed up in our ethnic
costumes and listening to our jingly/jangly jewelry sing along as we danced to
the music. But most of all, I loved
performing each year at the Holiday Folk Fair.
Not only did we have an opportunity to share our Serbian heritage there, but we learned about others' through their music, dance, food and artifacts.
There are so many beautiful Serbian things to draw from for
my jewelry inspiration, but my dance costume will always be nearest and dearest
to my heart … so I made some earrings in honor of it. I love it when I find the perfect beads in my stash ...
Me getting ready for a Holiday Folk Fair performance at the
Mecca Arena in 1979.
Thank you for stopping by and for letting me share a little
snippet of my Serbian heritage. =)
Please go to Nan's blog to see all the other participants.
12 comments:
Lola, love your dress... and the earrings match your dress beautifully
i love what you created--it fits your costume perfectly. you can see how happy the dancing made you in the picture :)
I love your earrings and the inspiration behind them. A beautiful story!
These are gorgeous earrings and they completely match the colours of your costume. I love them.
Those earrings are lovely. The colors so beautiful!
Beautiful earrings and a happy story of inspiration. Thank you for sharing!
Lola,
I love the picture of you in 1979 in your beautiful folk costume ready for your dance performance and the earrings you designed next to the photo! Very nice. I was part of a dance group growing up too, and I still have fond memories and love for my costumes. Your Serbian costume is beautiful, as are your earrings! The beads and design are a perfect match to your dress for the Sumadija Serbian Folk Dance Ensemble. You created beautiful jewelry to compliment Serbia and your happy memories!
I enjoyed your links too. Thank you for sharing your happy post!
Happy Blog Hopping!
Love,
Rita
I enjoyed your story and your earrings are lovely.
I spent a week in Serbia a couple of years ago and loved it. Unfortunately, I didn't see any folk dancing. I enjoyed the mountains of Serbia and Montenegro.
Lovely motif. Never thought that fabric can be a good inspiration =)
What an amazing combination of the dress and the earrings! I agree with all the other comments here, it's very beautiful♥
Very lovely créations
Lovely earrings. They really say Serbia to me. The beads are perfect for your earrings. I spent some unforgettable months in Serbia in 1975. Best regards from Stockholm,, Sweden! Anna
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