Twisting to the 60's!  What a great blog hop topic for those of us who have so many memories of the 1960's......  I'll be sharing  only a few of my memories, as this was quite a decade with many highs and lows..... way too many to write about.  I do remember twisting to Chubby Checker and Joey Dee with my Brother as we listened to the hi-fi in the living room! 

 

My usual thank you goes out to Madame Samm for always bringing great hop topics that inspire us to get out the fabrics and begin creating.  And for this particular hop, my thanks also go to Mary for organizing all of the participants and cheering us on each day.  Thanks Madame Samm and Mary!

 

After you have visited my blog, I hope you will pay a visit to the other bloggers that are joining me today on our trip through the 60's!

 

                   Gracie Oliver Arts (You are here)

How ART You?

Creatin in the Sticks

Sew Peace to Peace

Meadowbrook

 

I'll start off with a few items that I have hoarded stashed away for many decades. 

 

The peace medallion in the center is vintage and I bought it in a head shop in the 60's.  I wasn't a druggie, but I loved to frequent the head shops for great jewelry, clothes, and art work.  I could always find a great treasure.  Trippin', man.....

 

Of course, Kennedy was the "Man for the 60's".  That particular pin changes pictures as it rotates and has a portrait of Kennedy for the other view. 

 

I made the macramé choker, along with tons of other macramé items, in the sixties and seventies.  I still have a large macramé wall hanging out in my garage and can't bare to part with it.  I made lots of jewelry, purses, and even a vest or two.   

 

Lastly, I have my POW/MIA bracelets to show you.  I wore-through the first one after wearing it for more than 12 years, never taking it off.  Many years after that, I found a place that still made them and I ordered a duplicate of the same soldier that was on my first bracelet.  To this day, he has not been accounted for. 

 

 

 

 

Here's a newspaper article from 1965 when I headed off to Chicago to see the Beatles!  I went with two girlfriends and their parents and had the time of my life.  I remember that the tickets cost $5.50, which my parents thought was outrageous considering that amount of money would also get you into an Elvis or Frank Sinatra concert.  The Beatles were expected to be only a short lived "fad". ;) Even so, Mom bought me a new dress (yes, a dress..... that's what everyone was wearing to concerts in those days) and gave me spending money for the day.  Our seats weren't that close to the stage, but we kept thinking that we were actually breathing the same air as the Beatles!  What a rush!  I still have my ticket stub, the program, and a few souvenirs from the concert.  It's a great memory to this day!    Here's a link if you'd like to join me at the concert, 48 years ago..... (when I found this link... I shed a few happy memory tears)

 

Beatles Concert, August 1965!

 

Well, after that picture above, my hair grew out and never saw a perm again!  I believe this picture was taken in the early 70's, but I wanted to show you my VW bug.  It was brand new and a bright, sunshine yellow.  My boyfriend drove a beater pea green bug, my parents had a pea green bug, and my Brother had a drab, army green VW bus.  They weren't fancy, but they were hardy and dependable. 

 

 

I hope you are still with me.  On to my project for the hop.

 

As I said earlier, the 60's were full of ups and downs.  Turbulent, tumultuous and full of riots, demonstrations, and war .... a decade of contradictions.  I'm heading to that dark side now.  Toward the latter part of the 60's, my Brother joined the army and was deployed to Vietnam.  In those days, there was no email, no Skype, no cell phones, and no way of communicating except snail mail, which could take weeks to get to the US.  We never knew where my Brother was located and if he was OK.  As a Green Beret medic, he was always in the middle of the most dangerous action and it was a terrible time for my entire family.  I'm happy to tell you that he did make it home in one piece, even after being shot and living through more trauma than I can begin to imagine.  

 

This wall hanging is dedicated to all of the service men and women, in all wars, past and present, who have put their lives on the line for our freedom.   

 

I chose the typical hand peace sign, but added the POW/MIA bracelet to remind us that thousands of military personnel are still unaccounted for.  The blood drips are to remind us that wars are never really over.  Someone is always hurting, remembering, feeling the loss of loved ones, and knowing the pain of war.  The wounds of war never really heal.... thus, the constant open wound and the constant search for some form of peace. 

 

I chose a crazy patch design for my borders, as the 60's were crazy times ten!  I also chose some of the darker batiks.  I did batiking in high school and I often ended up with very dark fabrics as I would paint the wax resist, dip in dye..... and do it over again however many times it took.  Often, my fabrics were very muddy.  I couldn't find any fabrics from those days in my stash.  Most of them were made into purses and skirts and they are long gone.  You know how it goes..... just about every style comes back someday.... should have hoarded kept those too!

 

 

 

On a lighter side, here's Oliver in his peace vest.  I couldn't get a cute picture because the emblem was on his back and I couldn't get him to look over his shoulder toward the camera.  I bought this for when the power goes out in the winter and it gets chilly in the house.  He's only had to wear it a few times for a few hours, but it gives him some extra warmth.  He's one groovy (and toasty warm) cat!

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed my trip down the sixties memory lane.  As I've said, it was a great decade, full of so many momentous events and occasions.  It was a decade full of life lessons that took me from a young girl into a young woman.  Good and bad.... I cherish those memories.

Here's a little giveaway for you.  I've got three bright fat quarters for one of you.  They aren't from the sixties, but they kind of have that feel.  Just leave a comment and you are eligible for a random draw.  I'll make the draw on Saturday, October 5th, and will email the winner.  If you are a no-reply commenter, I will draw again...sorry.

Thanks so much for visiting today and please visit the other bloggers as they share their Twist to the 60's blog hop projects!