A Few Charms

Sunday, 24 July 2016

Forever Paris Contest: Pandora fans are not Grinches

Pandora recently held a contest on Instagram to win a limited-edition gold Eiffel Tower charm. Fans were asked to, "Share a photo and write why you are a true Pandora fan." I submitted a photo and write-up on five of the six days that the contest ran. And one of my submissions won! This was my entry for June 24.

For your information the contest details are at the end of the post.

Pandora fans are not Grinches

"It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags." (Dr. Seuss' version)

Clearly the Grinch was NOT talking about Pandora. And he was certainly NOT a true Pandora fan!

"Pandora's not just about bracelets. It's not just about rings. It's not just about necklaces, charms or ear rings." (my version)

Pandora is about being part of a community of Pandora lovers. For over four years now, I have been part of a Pandora community on Facebook, and more recently on Instagram. We buy and sell charms from each other - new, preloved, retired, or hard-to-find. Sometimes we even swap. We help each other with promos or the latest gift with purchase. We send each other display boards, wrapping paper, gift bags, and display decorations.

Small gift bags

Large gift bags

I try to do my part by sending ribbons, pouches or catalogues. I've helped ladies around the world buy Disney pieces that they don't have in their country, retired charms I've discovered in my city, or charms exclusive to Canada - usually taking advantage of the free bracelet promo. I'm in a group that swapped Christmas ornaments with friends around the world. I've been in a support group that grew out of a selling page. I've even been in a photography group with friends who met through Pandora. And I'm in a wonderful group that does Secret Santa, exchanges birthday gifts, and are there for me during the ups and downs of daily life.

Pink travel box (plus chocolates) from a friend in Australia
Valentine's backboard from my local store

We've shared photos of our charms and bracelets. We've admired each other's creations. And we've shared stories about the meanings of our charms. With the support of my Pandora friends during my recovery, and with their feedback on my stories, I even started a blog.

VD - Valentine's Day
Ch - Christmas
MD - Mother's Day

Pandora fans are NOT Grinches. A true Pandora fan is kind and generous, is never jealous of someone else's collection, and is pleased to see the happiness that Pandora brings to the lives of her friends. I am a true Pandora fan.

"We collect ribbons.

We collect tags.

We collect packages,

boxes and bags."

(inspired by Dr. Seuss)

My Forever Paris dangle on one of my favourite promo items, the "Love is Forever" music box.

Only my second gold charm and it does glow!

A surprising find: the four feet of the Eiffel Tower are hearts - little gold hearts in this case!
How cute is that? Even my sales associate hadn't noticed this detail.

Related Posts:

Forever Paris Contest: grieving the loss of my mom - the winning story and photo, now with more photos of my mom's trip to Paris and the surprise I discovered; my submission for June 21, 2016

Forever Paris Contest: using Pandora charms in my recovery - a story about the role Pandora has played with links to stories about some of the charms; my submission for June 22, 2016

Forever Paris Contest: the meaning of Pandora's box - a story about how Pandora has helped me and what it represents, now with photos of my Pandora's box charm and the bracelet it's on; my submission for June 23, 2016

Forever Paris Contest: Ode to Pandora - a silly poem I wrote about Pandora, now with a photo for each stanza as well as a photo of my whole collection to date; my submission for June 26, 2016

Here is Pandora's description of the contest:

"To celebrate summer in the city of love, Pandora has created a limited-edition 'Forever Paris' dangle charm, and from June 20 - 26 you can win it in our #PandoraForeverParisContest. Each piece is beautifully crafted from 14K gold and features two diamonds.

"Because they are true collector's items, only 500 have been produced. Each dangle charm is engraved with a unique number (from 1-500) and they are only sold in selected stores in France but we have kept 10 for you!"

Contest rules were available on Pandora.net.

The charm was valued at 599 € (approximately $860 CDN/$665 USD)

Forever Paris Contest: the meaning of Pandora's box

Pandora recently held a contest on Instagram to win a limited-edition gold Eiffel Tower charm. Fans were asked to, "Share a photo and write why you are a true Pandora fan." I submitted a photo and write-up on five of the six days that the contest ran. And one of my submissions won! This was my entry for June 23.

For your information the contest details are at the end of the post.

The meaning of Pandora's box

Although most of us are familiar with the expression of "opening Pandora's box" and it's meaning, that doing so may have far-reaching and dire consequences, or release ills upon the world, what most people forget is the most important part of the story of Pandora and her box: the gift of hope.

In the ancient Greek myth about Prometheus and Pandora, Zeus orders a woman be made of clay. The gods then clothed her, adorned her with necklaces and finery (Pandora's jewellery), gave her beauty, gave her musical ability, and gave her speech. Because each of the Olympians had given her a gift, she was given the name Pandora, meaning "all gifted" or "all giving," and derived from a combination of Greek παν (pan) "all" and δωρον (doron) "gift". In my house, by the way, in my family, regardless of the occasion, all gift giving for me is Pandora. Just sayin'. In the story Zeus gives Pandora a box (a jar really) but tells her to never open it. Pandora could not understand why Zeus had given her a wedding gift but not allowed her to see it. She could not resist the temptation to peek into the box. I can totally relate to that, especially when it comes to Pandora gifts.

As Pandora's mind was consumed with thoughts about what must be kept inside her box, my mind is often consumed with thoughts about sharing sneak peeks on Instagram. Just as Pandora could think of nothing else but opening the box and unlocking its secrets, there are times when I can think of nothing else but designing Pandora bracelets. Unlike the mythical Pandora, however, opening MY Pandora box brings me nothing but joy.

Being overcome by temptation and curiosity, Pandora opened the box, as Zeus had expected she would. Out flew all the evils of the world: misery and poverty, death and disease, and sadness, sickness and strife. Pandora was able to close the box, but all that remained was Hope. When the world is full of pain and suffering, Hope makes all the difference in the world. And if you suffer from depression or anxiety, the one thing you need is Hope. That's why I'm a true Pandora fan.

There were days when the only thing that would get me out of bed, and in the shower, was the promise of a trip to my favourite Pandora store. There were weeks when I could barely put one foot in front of the other, but Pandora had me looking forward to the next promo or gift with purchase. There were periods where I could not think beyond just getting through the day, and yet Pandora had me dreaming of one day getting retired charms from different countries. There were times when I was so overwhelmed I couldn't organize my thoughts enough to clean a room, but Pandora had me organizing an ever-evolving wishlist. There were times when I didn't know if I wanted to live until tomorrow, but Pandora had me believing I might still be alive come the end of August when the fall collection would be released. Pandora has given me so many things to look forward to.

There is always Hope. In the Pandora myth, Hope is meant to heal the wounds of the body and soul, and Pandora has certainly done that for me. When my life was consumed with sadness, grief, shame, fear and anger, Pandora gave me the gift of hope. I am a true Pandora fan.

P.S. Zeus actually sent Pandora as a punishment to men, and many a husband would tell you that their wife's obsession with Pandora jewellery plays the same role!

The Pandora's Box charm on my "Serenity" bracelet.

My updated two-tone "Serenity" bracelet with the chalcedony dangle, lavender cz and periwinkle star muranos.

Forever Paris Contest: using Pandora charms in my recovery - a story about the role Pandora has played with links to stories about some of the charms; my submission for June 22, 2016

Forever Paris Contest: Pandora fans are not Grinches - a story about collecting Pandora promo items and the community of Pandora collectors (with some Dr. Seuss inspired rhyming); my submission for June 24, 2016

Forever Paris Contest: Ode to Pandora - a silly poem I wrote about Pandora, now with a photo for each stanza as well as a photo of my whole collection to date; my submission for June 26, 2016

Here is Pandora's description of the contest:

Contest rules were available on Pandora.net.

The charm was valued at 599 € (approximately $860 CDN/$665 USD)

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My Affirmations

Gold heart T-shirt charm:

I love and accept myself, as I am.

#1 blue ribbon charm:

My health is my #1 priority.

Lucerne dangle and clips:
I deserve to be healthy and happy.

Elegant Embrace spacers:
I can't HATE myself to health; I will LOVE myself to health. I will “embrace” myself with compassion.

True Colours bracelet:

Don't be afraid to let them see your true colours.

Silver rose charm:

Just like the rose, you are perfectly alright as you are, at every stage in your development.

Wildflower Walk charm:

Walking is an exercise in heightened spiritual listening. We walk to shift our consciousness.

Gold tipped flower spacers:

Find beauty every day!

Camera charm:
Pursue my passions!

Sacred scarab charm:

Stop should-ing all over yourself.

Treasure chest charm:
Have an "attitude of gratitude."

Dove of peace dangle:

Let there be peace on earth.

Turtle charm:

Sloooooow down.

Teal studded lights:

Don't take life too seriously.

Open circle pattern:

Open your heart to the circle of giving AND receiving.

Aquamarine tulip dangle:

I am not perfect but I can be a good friend.

Mother-daughter dangles:

Remember what my mother would want me to say to myself: "I was a good daughter, and I am a great mother."

Celebration egg:

It's important to celebrate the little things as well as the big things.

Treasured heart:

I am grateful for that guy.

Treasured heart pendant:

I treasure the time with my kids.

Effervescence muranos:

I will be effervescent when I see my kids.

Let the kids "fly solo" and then congratulate them with, "You so totally rocked! Now gimme some fin!"

Sea star charm:

Be like the star of the sea: strong, flexible and resilient - a survivor!

Dolphin charm:

Face your fears and don't put off living - or chasing your dreams - until you are the perfect weight, shape, or size.

Making waves charm:

Don't be afraid of making waves.

Happy fish charm:

When life gets you down, you know what you got to do? Just keep swimming...

Ribbon flower charms:

Be still. Just float.

Ocean waves charm:

Feel the feelings and ride the wave.

Coral looking glass muranos:

I hope, in my recovery from my eating disorder, to see in the mirror (aka the "looking glass") what I saw on our wedding day, and what my husband sees, every day, when he looks at me.

Mr and Mrs Penguin

I love him and he loves me.

Everlasting love charm:

He will always love me.

Present charm:

Show - and tell our - our partners, "I love you just the way you are."

Rose leaf charm:

Marriage is like a rose garden. You need to dig up the weeds, and water and fertilize the garden, for it to grow and be healthy.

Row of hearts spacer:

Those little gestures of love help us feel closer to each other.

Lighthouse dangle:

The lighthouse can represent the persistence, diligence, and steadfast determination required to keep a marriage strong.

Love letter charm:

Remember to write each other love letters.

Hong bao charm:

We are financially responsible.

Flip-flop dangle:

The prescription for a happy marriage - at least OUR marriage - is foot rubs.

A Quotation for Inspiration

Somewhere over the rainbow

Way up high

And the dreams that you dream of

Once in a lullaby

Somewhere over the rainbow

Bluebirds fly

And the dreams that you dream of

Dreams really do come true

- Norah Jones

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

The Story of the Five Balls

Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health friends and integrity. And you're keeping all of them in the air. But one day, you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, I will bounce back. The other four balls - family, health, friends, integrity - are made of glass. If you drop one of those it will irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered. And once you truly understand the lesson of the five balls, you will have balance in your life.

- James Patterson

"Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas: A Novel"

Be a clown, be a clown,

All the world loves a clown.

Act the fool, play the calf,

And you'll always have the last laugh.

- Cole Porter

When you find a partner who is stable and committed, trust him/her. Believe that he/she is there for you forever, and will not leave.

- Jeffry Young

"Reinventing Your Life: the breakthrough program to end negative behaviour... and feel great again."

How fascinating, how compelling, how gorgeous the most ordinary thing becomes when you actually see it. How different the world would be if we walked through it seeing what's there. It would be like a wonderland!

- Geneen Roth

Strange isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?

- Clarence, Angel Second Class

"It's a Wonderful Life"

My Husband, My Lighthouse

He reassures when I am navigating difficult waters

He gives me light in the midst of darkness

He reaches out to me when I am drowning

He keeps me safe when I am in a storm

And he guides me home when I am lost.

- Sheila Holmes

A Few Charms

When we are depressed, or feel guilt or shame, we are living in the past. When we feel fear or anxiety, we are living in the future. We will only find peace if we live in the present.

Offer grace for the bounty of goodness. Raise the song of harvest home, the glass of good cheer, the heart overflowing with joy. We have so much for which to be thankful. So much about which to smile, so much to share... All we have is all we need.

- Sarah Ban Breathnach

"Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy"

The past is history. The future is a mystery. But today is a gift. That's why they call it the 'present.'

- Bill Keane (and Master Oogway)

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

- Maya Angelou

The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.

- Carl Rogers

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.

- Thornton Wilder

Above all, do not lose your desire to walk; every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and away from illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thoughts so burdensome that one can't walk from it...

- Soren Kierkegaard