POEM
In Loving Memory
Miss Kitty-Cat, why did you go?
Your time on earth was just so-so
in terms of length, because, you see,
there is no more of Miss Kitty.
If only she'd not been alone
while choking on that chicken bone
The Reaper, cruel and darkly grim
took Miss Kitty home with him.
But in my heart, she's always there
within this necklace that I wear
It's made with all her favorite stuff
to comfort me when times are rough.
Whenever I am feeling sad
I put it on and then I'm glad
that everything she held so dear
is always with me, always near.
Some photos of her happy face...
a tinfoil ball she loved to chase
The thread from where the vet had stitched
(a souvenir from being fixed).
The rug she'd always scratch and chew...
a canned food lid (the "Hearty Stew")
Her tail from when I slammed the gate
(that time they had to amputate).
Her favorite plastic jingle ball...
the catnip mice she loved to maul
A tuft of fur, so sweet and soft...
the chicken bone that killed her off.
And so, Miss Kitty, please don't fret
This necklace means I won't forget
I hope you'll purr and never cry
up in your Sandbox in the Sky.
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Close Up
Clasp Assembly
Vinyl lacing tied into a knot |
MATERIALS LIST:
Vinyl
lacing for the foundation. (I chose the "glow-in-the-dark" variety
so I could see the necklace at night in case I wake up pining for Miss
Kitty.)
Translucent plastic alphabet beads. Ingeniously, I strung them upside-down
so that I can read their heart-warming message anytime. Not everyone would
think of doing this. But that's why I'm a designer.
Heart-shaped plastic beads in pink, white and red, which signify my
enduring love for Miss Kitty.
A variety of colorful plastic pony beads. They are pleasing to the
eye, but not nearly as attractive as Miss Kitty was.
Round wooden beads. These work to add a sense of movement and vibrancy
to the necklace (also I ran out of pony beads).
Colorful safety pins, paper clips, twist ties and embroidery floss
as fasterners. Unusual, atpyical -- outrageously creative.
A tinfoil ball Miss Kitty loved to play with, held on with a paper
clic, the color of which matches the ball. (This skillful harmonizing
colors is known as design artistry.)
A wood angel expertly colored with markers and enhanced with glitter
glue, to watch over Miss Kitty while she flies around Kitty Heaven playing
her Kitty Harpsichord. I drew the face myself. I think it's quite good.
Miss Kitty's favorite jingle ball. Its deligthful tinkling adds a dimension
of souce to the necklace, engaging the senses in a way no ordinary jewelry
could. This aspect alone transforms a simple handmade design to one of
tremendous artistic excellence.
The actual thread used in the stitches when Miss Kitty was spayed.
Some of my colleagues claim it's repugnant to keep such a thing (while
others insist it's clearly a fake made by rubbing dental floss on a
brown inkpad), but there is no souvenir insignifcant enough to be overlooked.
A gold "happy face" charm adds to its classic appeal.
An endearing
photo of Miss Kitty glued onto an actual cat food can lid. (Can you
stand the ingenuity???) I punched holes around
the edge of the lid, strung beautiful fibers through the holes and
painted the rim gold. The alphabet beads spell "meow meow." Because
Miss Kitty said "meow" a lot.
Miss Kitty's precious tail. I try not to think too much about the
tragic circumstance that led to its amputation. But it was just too
cute to part
with, so I had it made into a keychain. Miss Kitty used to go wild
when she'd here my keys in the door.
Another fabulous photo of MIss Kitty. (Wasn't she just the most adorable
thing?) I glued the picture onto a plastic lid, cut it into a heart
shape and glued dazzling pink and lavender beads around the edge.
One fell off
somewhere, but that's okay; the missing bead doesn't detract at all
from the overall effect. In fact, I find the piece is much more vibrant
due
to this unexpected asymmetry. (If you don't know what "unexpected
asymmetry" is, may I suggest a good art course, perhaps at your local
community college.)
A bit of the carpet that once graced the living room of my apartment,
which Miss Kitty utilized daily for sharpening her claws. This particular
piece is especially precious; it still has the stain from where she got
sick after eating a cricket. (I scraped off the legs.) Now, as a hunk
of carpet isn't excatly the most attractive thing in the world no matter
how strong the sentimental attachment, I enhanced it with metal cat head
charms, a rhinestone gem, and the same yarn and alphabet beads used on
the cat food can lid. The addition of yarn and beads is particularly brilliant,
as communal materials can bind disparate elements together to unify a
piece into a cohesive, eye-pleasing form -- as any good designer can tell
you.
Two of Miss Kitty's treasured catnip mice, held to the necklace with
a colorful safety pin. I realize the pin doesn't match the mice as
it would in a conventionally well-executed design. However, I decided
in
this instance to "shake things up" by using a different color
pin. (This is known as artistic license.) I know you'll agree the effect
is riveting.
A dainty tuft of fur. Miss Kitty had a wonderfully soft, fluffy coat,
which she spent hours and hours grooming. I love to rub the fur on my
cheek and pretend it's Miss Kitty herself giving me a cuddly-snuggly-wuggums.
( don't care what Dr. Sidhari says. There is nothing wrong with this.)
A clear plastic sun-catcher depicting a sweet little kitten playing
with the ball. Normally one would render such an item in translucent
paints; however, I opted instead to adhere gift wrap to the piece with
a dramatic
American flag design. (Few knew it, but Miss Kitty was extremely patriotic.
She used to howl every time Proud to be an American played on the radio.)
I further honored Miss Kitty's memory by coloring the eyes green and
gluing on confetti letters spelling her nickname (which was "Kitty").
The actual chicken bone that led to Miss Kitty's demise. While some
have argued that this is a gruesome object to include in a piece of
memory jewelry, I contend it adds an essential sense of intimacy directly
proportional
to its former proximity to Miss Kitty's tender heart. In any event,
the clever addition of cheerfully colored glitter transforms it from
a melancholic
reminder of her ultimate fate to an object of delight and beauty (a "happy
bone," if you will, as opposed to, "instrument of death").
And finally, the piece de resistance (which, for those of you who don't
know French, means "resistance is futile"): a solid gold statue
of Miss Kitty with genuine emerald eyes. Okay, you caught me -- it's really
just plaster painted gold with green faceted beads glued on. Did I fool
you? Don't feel bad. Given my exceptional skill with a paintbrush, even
my friends and family can't tell the difference. This particular piece
is rife with symbolism. The gold paint is to signify that Miss Kitty was
good as gold. (Or, possibly, worth her weight in gold.) The gold wire
not only forms a hanger, but also serves to hold a "friends" charm
-- because Miss Kitty and I were friends. (Get it?) And the gold wings
convey her current status as a Kitty Angel. I realize not everyone has
the time or inclination to study a piece in such depth, but you will find
if you make the effort, there is no better feeling than when you can say
at last: "Now I understand what the artist was trying to do."
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