Sunday, August 29, 2010

Names, Naming, Who are you?

Names are important.  We each have one, whether we like it or not. We usually grow attached to our names as we get older.  Don't you find it annoying to be called "hey you" ? I do. 


Psalm 147 says "He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names."  Even the stars in the sky have names.  


It happens that at work we wear name badges.  It helps those who don't see us often remember our names.  When I see a worker somewhere wearing a name badge, I will call them by name. It lets them know that I realize they are more than just "that girl at the checkout counter."  
We all have a story and our name is part of that story.  Some people change their names for various reasons.  I use my middle name, not my first name. It happens that I also use the shortened version of that middle name. 


Oh, I got lost....so what does this have to do with sewing or art?  If I say "Mona Lisa" you immediately know what painting I am talking about, right?  If I say "Ricky Tims" or "Eleanor Burns" or "Pat Sloan" you know which quilter I am talking about also.  


However,   this post started just so I could show you what I made yesterday.  Then I got lost in wonder about names.  (not my first time pondering names by any means) 
So, yesterday I made lanyards for the name badges we wear at work.  My friend, Stephanie, (HER BLOG)  showed some she made and I oohed and ahhed over them.  She kindly sent me a couple.  SEVERAL people at work ooohed over them when I started wearing them. Hmmm......
Yes I can make them too. 
Here are my first few for you to see.



Lanyards
Wouldn't that ABC one in purple be great for a first grade or kindergarten teacher?
These also have a breakaway safety feature, thanks to my friend who works as a Safety Officer and said "Everyone needs a breakaway on a lanyard."  Because I said, "you don't really need one in an office setting"
Okay, I was wrong and so I added them.
Hey folks, wear your name proudly AND safely, okay? Why? Because I like you and "You are NAMED, you ARE.*"  Your name is important.

P.S.  I added an "About Gene" tab at the top of the page. It tells more about me than you want to know.

*A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle

9 comments:

Pat said...

Love the lanyards you made and am now going to find out more "About Gene" :)

Barb said...

I wear my scissors on mine...never knew what they were called until a few months ago.

How did you do that tab? I tried and tried but couldn't get it to work...okay...so I am a tard???

Anonymous said...

Love that each one is one-of-a-kind, just like a name and the individual it belongs to!

Tangos Treasures said...

LOL cool!!

deborah said...

Very clever for a way to show your individuality!

ooglebloops said...

These are very cool!! A breakaway is a good idea - one I never would have thought of- altho, horses have breakaway halters- but they are always getting into mischief!!LOL I suppose if you leaned over to fix the copy machine( or some other ornery office machinery) and it decided to eat your name tag- breakaway would be a good thing. The bright colors help brighten a sometimes mundane workday too!!!

Rhonda said...

Too cool Gene.
I love your thought about names....will have to read more about.....my friend Gene!!!
Take care.

Pat said...

Never knew what they were called. Thanks for the info, Gene. Those are just beautiful.
Happy Quilting.

Anonymous said...

Very nice! What a great idea and what a fantastic gift idea.
I don't quite understand what you mean by a 'breakaway'...