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| Centeotl , the Aztec Deity of Maize |
Welcome to "My Country, of Thee I bead" blog hop hosted by the lovely Nan Smith of Wired Nan. Today, we are beading or jewelry making in honor of our country.
I'm a Latina, but most specifically, I'm a Chicana. A Chicana is a Mexican-American woman. A third generation USA born Mexican-American, my grandfather came to the United States longing for education. He became a farmer, and learned English by listening outside the door to University classes. His seven sons all became college educated professionals: doctors, professors, business persons. His dreams were actualized through his children, and his courage is a legacy for all my family.
Orlando, Florida!
Orlando is known as "The City Beautiful"! Florida is full of sunshine, warm and blooming all year long. It is a tropical paradise with palm trees and flowers and sunshine galore!
My home, the city of Orlando, Florida, is a world-beloved vacation destination, and a wonderful place of diversity, abundance, affluence, jobs, beauty, warm climate, sunshine and happiness! The sunshine lifts spirits and almost everyone is happy here. People from all around the world come to Orlando to visit Disney and Universal, and people from all over the U.S.A. move to Orlando. It is certainly the wonderful "mixing pot" that America is known as; I feel grateful and I belong here.
For my country, of thee I Bead, I'm celebrating being a Chicana American living in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. by using color. I created jewelry to reflect the Sunshine State and my childhood memories of farming corn.
A-MAIZING-ING MAIZE and Sunny Florida!
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| Mochica Corn: 400 A.D. Larco Museum Collection (Sculpture in Gold) |
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| A Minnesota water tower painted to look like a cob of corn, or maize. Farm country celebrates maize :) |
In Mexico, almost every dish is made with maize. Maize is at the center of Mexican food. Virtually every dish in Mexican cuisine includes maize! Maize is the main ingrediant in tortillas, tamales, tacos, qusadillas, enchiladas, tostadas. Below is a photo of Mexican corn cakes by Martha Stewart Living. Follow the link below the photo to try them. I recommend tweaking the recipe by adding a salsa of avocados, cilantro and heirloom tomatoes to the cakes.
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| Martha Stewart Living shares a recipe for Mexican Corn Cakes made with masa harina, Mexican corn flour. |
My Chicana celebration is based on gemstones: yellow labradorite from Mexico. An unusual, glowing gem, yellow lab is a form of traditional labradorite. However, yellow labradorite is considered an exotic, often cut and faceted as a fine gemstone.
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| My treasured yellow labradorite rough, spiral wraps, drusy quartz. |
The gold chain becomes rosary chain made of special edition Swarovski beads and Czech champagne rondelles.
Thank you to the talented Nan Smith for hosting this fun and thoughtful blog hop! Making Chicana jewelry is completely new to me, and I'm so grateful for the inspiration! The Mexican gems, the briolette drops and the rough yellow labradorite wraps, and the gold maize motif is all very uplifting and happy. Beading as a Chicana, in honor of my North American and my Mexican ethnicity, has been a joy. Gracias, Nan!
Enjoy the other countries to whom we bead! The participants are:
Nan Smith (host): http://wirednan.blogspot.ca Canada
Liz E/ Pitcairn http://www.beadcontagion.blogspot.com/
Mischelle/ USA: http://micheladasmusings.blogspot.com
Crysalis Jewelry Design Denmark ( Canada)
Beccy Peterson Sweden (USA)
Laurie Vyselaar/USA: Lefthandjewelry.wordpress.com.
Toltec Jewels/ Mexico-USA: www.jewelschoolfriends.com <<<< YOU ARE HERE :)
