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[#1]

I imagine you are feeling like me at this time of the year; needing a change in the season to a more forgiving, temperate climate. This time of year always brings out my nesting qualities to clean out and reorganize my home. However, this year we are taking this task to a new level as we are about to embark on the monumental journey of cleaning the house out to sell it!

Monumental journey is an understatement for this house holds 25 years, a quarter of a century, of my life that is very special to me. It is the house where my daughter Kate was born, took her first steps and learned how to ride a bike. It was the last place that we had Christmas with my mother and father who have both since passed. It is the first house we owned; raised our family in; and together, made it a home that created so many wonderful memories. 

So you can imagine that cleaning out this baby is going to take some time, laughs and tears! One closet in particular took me back to my childhood. You know this closet very well. We all have one. It’s the one that holds our memories of those keepsakes from years gone by. Digging through the boxes took me back to a place that I remember as if it were yesterday. I rediscovered myself in the photos I found when I was a youngster and in so many things that meant the world to me so long ago.

Check out my very first charm bracelet that my parents gave to me on my 8^th birthday.  I couldn’t believe the way I felt as I went through the charms, one by one, a flush of those special days in my life almost became real again.  Each charm tells a story of the various ‘passions’ I had as a young girl. I ‘was’ a ballerina, a cheerleader, a painter, a musician, a tennis player, a skier, and had the spirit of the moon in my sights and the faith of my religion to guide me through it all. I loved getting new charms that noted something about me to add to my bracelet. Oh and then there is my favorite - the cat’s head. It has emerald eyes of which one winks when you pull the tassel below the collar! Since I am a jewelry designer, you know I didn’t stick with any of these activities! Although, I can say that each of those ‘hobbies’ that I dabbled in have helped form who I am today as a designer.

Revisiting my childhood charm bracelet has reminded me of the power of charms. Every charm made me feel like I was reliving the moment as if I were there with the same rush of excitement and promise. These little sculptures tell our story of those moments we cherish and of the things that are a part of us from our past, present, and the hope of a bright future. And they are so much fun to collect. That’s pretty great!

So I hope you will join me for coffee during my next show on QVC with my host, Dave James, on March 8^th at 6AM on QVC! We can reminisce with the launch of the first series of my charms to debut this year!  I can’t wait to share in the memories of our lives together.

See you then!

Ann King