Anchors Aweigh :: Finding True North

Back in July I saw a post from Rita over at Jewel School Friends for a blog hop. Boy has she been on a roll lately with some of the hottest hops of the summer! This one was featuring some cute little blue anchor beads from Diana of Suburban Girl Studio. 

So what do you call a hop about anchors? Anchors Aweigh of course. I was just a bit curious about the saying ... what exactly is to 'weigh' an anchor? 

Apparently it means to bring it aboard so that it is clear of the bottom of the sea. Therefore the ship is officially underway. I know, I know, I always get side tracked when I start looking for the history. But I'm just curious that way. The other thing I found was that it is commonly misspelled as 'anchors away' which actually means to drop anchor. So don't mix it up or you'll be stopping that ship short!

Ok, on with the hop. When I saw the post over at Rita's blog, I realized "oh hey, I have those beads in my stash!" Yes, I'd been hoarding them. Who wouldn't? I have an entire little chest of drawers full of artisan beads because, well I have a problem with buying every artisan bead I love. I personally don't see it so much as a problem, but my husband does. 

Since I already had the beads, I emailed Rita and asked if I could just join. She is so sweet. She is always expanding her hops to include more people. Love that about her. When I pulled out the beads they of course shouted out to be earrings. But that just didn't seem like much of a challenge for this hop. What I really wanted was to create a piece with a bit of a story .... some well, ahem ... history to it. Yeah, yeah I hear you all laughing.

I remembered these great wood focals that I had from Marie over at Skye Jewels. The ones I have are maps, but I was thinking wouldn't it be great to find a compass? Quick trip to her Etsy, and there it was, and in blue! Check, check! 

I went nautical with shells, pearls, anchors and my newly purchased compass focal. My anchors have a little sway to them. I suppose real anchors shouldn't 'swing' exactly .... but they are 'aweigh!' 

I decided to name my piece True North which depicts navigation through life. So many times we find uncertainty in our journey, but leaning on friends can help steady us when we need it most. The full definition goes like this: True north differs from magnetic north, which varies from place to place and over time due to local magnetic anomalies. A magnetic compass almost never shows true north. In fact over millions of years, magnetic north wanders considerable and occasionally reverses so that the magnetic north pole has been near the geographic south pole at some periods in the earth's history. In the arctic region, a magnetic compass is not very useful. To find true north from a magnetic compass you have to know the local magnetic variation and how it is varying over time. Hence the metaphor. In life's journey we are often uncertain where we stand, where we are going and what is the right path for us personally. Knowing our true north would enable us to follow the right path.

Rita told us to 'let nautical inspiration be your guide as you navigate the end of your summer journey.' That is exactly what I did with this piece. Now for the rest of the hoppers in this challenge:

Guest of Honor and Featured Artist: Diana Ptaszynski  
Diana's Shop: Suburban Girl Beads, Diana's Blogs: Suburban Girl Studio and Art Jewelry Elements

Hostess: Jewel School Friends

The rest of the participating artists: Bobbie Rafferty, Chris Eisenberg, Heather Richter, Michelle McCarthy, Kathy Lindemer, Dini Bruinsma, Cynthia Machata (that's me), Kathleen Breeding, Linda Younkman, Robin Reed, Marla Gibson, Gina Hockett, Renetha Stanziano, Marianne Baxter, Christina Miles, Marybeth Rich, Shai Williams, Cheri Reed, Monique Urquhart, Jennifer Reno, Shirley Moore, Tammy Adams, Melissa Trudinger, Jill Bradley