![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBBstLQ2_Ds1oRss2HtOjqRwGXxZDvKfROz_hhNFWyO6HI6S8sh3aLuIhD-3SMnZMC4k-JTTqWH_3ddMh18YfnyluMmswJ74xXyy6JjKvdmbHXLOKTNgZRgE_QJjHtrqqJb182vi71c5r/s400/bell-box.jpg) |
bell box with note and brass rings, before being sealed shut |
The Bell Box
At the core of my temari is a "bell box"—a very small box crafted from heavy-weight watercolor paper—containing special items. Routinely I include a small note and brass rings in the bell box. A nod to my work in chain maille, the brass jumprings in the bell box create a subtle, pleasing rattle when the finished temari is gently shaken. Bell box rattles are traditional.
I also include a handwritten note with a meaningful thought or quotation, poem or haiku, or lyric. Every temari I have made, starting with the very first, has a handwritten note inside. Temari are often given as gifts, signs of deep friendship and loyalty; adding a note with a personal message or particular quotation — even small significant items like shells, beach glass, or pebbles — makes the gift all the more special.
As temari can be used as objects of focus for meditation, contemplation, or deep reflection, the note might be a quote, poem, or phrase on which one can meditate.
The photo above shows an overhead view of an unsealed bell box with the note and seven rings.