The "Vera" Christmas Tree

December 19 would mark my Mom's 92nd birthday...it's hard to believe she has been gone from this earth for over five years now.  Mom liked to accessorize back in the day with larger-than-you'd expect earrings.  It was a BIG deal for her to get her ears pierced once all the kids left home!

(You might like to know that my sister sneakily pierced my ears when I was an 8th grader and she was home on college break...and the holes are a bit off-kilter to this day.  What can you expect from a black marker dot on the earlobes with a hat pin acting as piercing device and ice cubes numbing my ears before the procedure?)

Here's Mom on her 85th birthday.  Do note her festive crown and costume jewelry gold earrings.  We also decked her out with a hot pink birthday ribbon which she has attached to her necklace.

Sadly, most of her earrings were not exactly my style and taste.  They sat in a box and waited for my inspiration on how to use them.  And, this Christmas season I figured it out.

While out shopping, I stumbled upon a green fuzzy-coated Styrofoam cone shape.
Hmmm...

I think I can poke Mom's earrings into that.  The earrings won't be destroyed as they have the posts still attached to the earring fronts.  Maybe my tastes will change after a few more years of life and

eccentricity?  No worries!

So, I started with pinning on a necklace of Mom's to act as tree garland on the cone shape.  No harm came to the necklace, either.  A long, gold (fake) chain was looped around the tree next.  It was in Mom's collection, too. Now came the time to just poke the earrings into the tree.

See what I mean about the style and sizes of the earrings?

 

 

 

 Here's how the whole tree looks:

 It won't win any awards for beauty or design, but my "Vera" Christmas Tree is certainly special to me.  Each time I see it, it makes me smile to think of my Mom and her collection of accessories.

She would really really not like to see all the fuss over her pierced ears.   

Sorry, Mom!  I always was a bit of a stinker.

Love you and miss you.