Trinket #41 - Year of the Rabbit

I'm a little past due on Chinese New Year greetings, but better late than never, right? This is the year of the rabbit. If that doesn't mean anything to you, have a look at the Chinese Zodiac and you can see how the cycle works. Each year has certain characteristics, and this one is supposed to be a reprieve from the rough times of the past few.

Spring Greeting Cards offers this outlook for 2011:

"According to Chinese tradition, the Rabbit brings a year in which you can catch your breath and calm your nerves. It is a time for negotiation. Don't try to force issues, because if you do you will ultimately fail. To gain the greatest benefits from this time, focus on home, family, security, diplomacy, and your relationships with women and children.  Make it a goal to create a safe, peaceful lifestyle so you will be able to calmly deal with any problem that may arise."

Sounds like good stuff to me! Obviously, the inspiration for this trinket comes from the rabbit - specifically my own house rabbit, Gus. When he's content and resting, he assumes this pose that we call "bunny loaf" because, well, he's loaf-shaped when all of his legs are tucked underneath him. I made this pendant from FIMO using Gus as a model back in December. Today, I made it the centerpiece of this necklace and added some silver seed beads and frosted glass beads to dress it up a bit.