No, it's not my birthday, it's Jo at Serendipitous Stitching's birthday!! If you're not familiar with Jo's blog (and WHY AREN'T YOU?? Go fix that right now!), she hosts the most fabulous Blog Hop parties throughout the year. So what better way to celebrate her birthday than with a blog hop??!?
We who are hosting hop stops were assigned a year from Jo's life, and she shared with us a piece of her Life Story. I was assigned
1980!!
Ah, the 80s, when my hair looked like this:
No, that's not really me...
Well, actually, it was much later in the 80s when my hair looked like that...I was a little young in 1980 to support that much hair spray on my head. Here's what was going on in Jo's life in 1980:
Jo was 14. Jo's final school holiday was a wonderful trip to France, specifically the Normandy D-Day beaches and Bayeaux for the tapestry. Jo's Dad went along as a Parent Helper and was very popular with the boys as he regaled them with stories of his army days.
In September Jo started High School, a vast mixed comprehensive. After swap day Jo wrote in her school book "My first impressions were how old the pupils were. I did not know if they were children or teachers". As it was the tail end of the 1970s there were still old-school punks there with the mohicans, ripped jeans and studded jackets. They were obviously NOT teachers, Jo decided.
There was only one guy in my high school who ever had a mohawk, and I think he had to get his hair cut like that because he lost a bet. But I did go to a very conservative high school...we were not even allowed to hold hands with our boyfriends in the hallways!
Jo requested that we share what either 1) what happened to us in our assigned year, 2) what happened to us at that age, or 3) what happened when we had that life event.
I can't remember anything outstanding happening in 1980; I moved in 1979 (in the middle of second grade!), so I was still trying to make friends. I am sure I saw "The Empire Strikes Back" as soon as it came out!
As for starting high school, I mentioned my high school before. It was a very small school...there were only about 2000 students in grades K-12! The elementary school was on the same campus, just down a dirt road about 200 yards. Junior high (grades 7-9) was in the same building as high school, but the building was split in half, and junior high students were not allowed to cross the invisible line that ran down the hall outside the cafeteria! I was allowed to go over to the high school side once a day in eighth grade, because I was taking Algebra a year early. Thank goodness, because in 7th grade math(s) we were reviewing long division and I was bored to tears!! As a result of being in the same building, starting high school was no big deal. There was one great thing about starting high school, though...I finally made the cheerleading team! I had a blast being a cheerleader (and being the only one that the band members would tolerate cheering in front of them at pep rallies!)
Finally, we are supposed to post something we stitched that we think Jo will like. I know she has been stitching some lovely garden designs lately, and I also know that she loves Halloween designs. So here are some long-leggity garden beasties!
This is a box designed by Rae Iverson of Moss Creek Designs. I stitched it quite a while ago, and it was a challenging piece for me at that time. Each critter is composed of different specialty stitches, and the only cross stitch is over one!
I hope you have enjoyed this walk down memory lane. Now go wish Jo a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
18 comments:
What a great post. I had big hair, too.....back in the day. Love your stitching and stories...
xxx
What a fun post! I won't say how old I was in 1980. I did manage to avoid the big hair fad though. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for shoulder pads.
OMG that hair is awesome!! I was so disappointed that it wasn't you though.
Thanks for taking part in the Birthday Blog Hop. I love the invisible line! I am sure people were very aware of it though.
The Hallowe'en Cube is incredible, it's the most enabling thing I've seen so far! There has been a lot of spookiness shown, funnily enough!
I would have needed scaffolding to hold my hair up like that,it is so fine no amount of hair products would have got that effect!
I was in my twenties by then and a mum,no spare money for hair does of any sort:)
I love your spooky cube,great post.
I remember girls running around with their hair like that. My sister did. I didn't because my hair was short and wavy. I do remember getting a perm and that ruined me for a whole year. I haven't done it since. Thanks for the fun memories of High School.
What a cute cube. You did a wonderful stitching job. It must have been tedious doing it all over one.
Your stitching is really awesome Heather! I loved learning more about Jo and you!
So glad my hair was never that big!
Your box looks fantastic, so cool!
Oh no .... I thought that was me in the pic, I had hair just like that in 1980 lol.
Fun post - thank you. In '80 I was 30, so wasn't interested in a hair do like that, but I remember watching the girls come out of high school and shaking my head. LOVE the stitching piece, that is gorgeous.
I have several pictures of some of my aunts with an hairdo very simialr to that one... I was only born in 85... so such style never reached me. But is interesting to read how school was back then and with such differences.
And the box is gorgeous; I can definitely tell it was ton of work on the speciality stitches, but oh so worth it to get that stunning effect. Big congrats :)
Love the box you stitched! It's beautiful and so well finished. Didn't you send that down with T for one of our guild displays? Or was that T's?
I'm quite sure my big hair wasn't that big. I can remember buying a product called Stiff Stuff that helped my hair reach great heights and remain there! I wonder if they still sell it?
o man I am, like, 95% sure that is what my sister's hair would've been like LOL. I am so glad I missed that particular styling time ahaha.
That is a fantastic little box; I'm gonna guess Jo hunts it down for her own collection soon!
Great post! That box is amazing and I remember that hair...
This is a great post. I love your stitched box..
I'm hopping along on the blog hop. What a fun post. Thanks for sharing. I LOVE your finished piece. What a beauty.
That hair is just hilarious. Great birthday post for Jo.
I am slowly hopping through the birthday blog posts. I enjoyed reading your very interesting post. This is such a nice thing to be involved in.
Oh, the days of big hair - whatever were we thinking? Great post, my dear and your cube is just amazing - stunning stitching.
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