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Winning Stories

Every charm bracelet tells a story.

Rembrandt Charms invites you to read the stories from our monthly winners of The Story of Your Life contest and to see their winning bracelet design. I hope these stories touch you as much as they have touched us. If you become inspired, you too can enter The Story of Your Life contest.

September 2008, Bill Fortenberry, Rome, GA: Far too many times we navigate this life without taking time to be thankful for the blessings we have. The biggest blessing in my life is my wife, Lisa. She wouldn't write her own story...

August 2008, Lynne Farina, Allison Park, PA: I have always wanted to start a charm bracelet. As a small child I was always interested in family air looms and things that told a story. My aunt has a bracelet that was given to her by her great grandmother and it has everything that her grandmother stood for on one bracelet...

Soldier's Stories 2008, Lanette Rasmussen, Bismarck, ND: My name is Lanette and my husband is Sgt. Carey Rasmussen with the North Dakota (charm #3615). National Guard 957MRBU. The day he had to leave for Iraq...

July 2008, Michelle Cousineau, Lansing, MI: I have been longing to create a charm bracelet for several years, after receiving my grandmother's charm bracelet from my mom. I cannot think of a better way to start than winning this contest! My grandmother's bracelet is so precious to me...

Travel Adventures 2008, Casie Redden, Five Points, AL: My travel adventures would have to be titled "A Precious Memory" The very first vacation I ever went on was when I was 5 years old. My mother and father decided that they were going to take my sister and I to Florida...

June 2008, Jacqueline DeStefano, West Orange, NJ: This month, I am turning 40 which I consider a gift to be celebrated. I have lived a happy and blessed life which I am very grateful for...

Wedding Stories 2008, Jacqueline Williams, Manhattan, KS: My fiancé and I are schedule to get married October 2009. We met in Iraq. He is a Warrant Officer (Blackhawk Pilot) and I am a First Lieutenant (Medical Service Officer) in the US Army...

May 2008, Kristen McLane, Romeo, MI: When my daughter Megan was born I started daydreaming about a special gift that I could give her when got older. I would love to present her with a special charm bracelet...

Mother's Life 2008, Rebecca Gagnon, Taunton, MA: When I was growing up, I was started on a charm bracelet. I was taught that only the most important things go on the bracelet, and it grows and matures through life, just like I do. I feel that charms are abstract and powerful memory triggers...

April 2008, Mary Grigg, Lowell, OH: My husband and I became foster parents in 2006. We had never been parents before that. My charm bracelet will have one charm for each foster child we have cared for. A firetruck (charm #3680)...

March 2008, Justine Talaie, Madison Heights, MI:  A Charmed Friendship In the twenty-two years I have lived on this planet, it would be impossible to sum that life up in just ten charms. I started this story hours and hours ago and now I believe I have finally found a way to describe my life through these ten charms...

February 2008, Amanda Vail, Niagara Falls, NY:  The story of my life is something hard to write down since there are so many important memories and people that I know and have grown to love that have impacted my life...

January 2008, Flora Presley, Milan, IL:  Twenty-eight years ago a young woman decided to take a chance and married a soldier she had only known for a month.  He was on his way to Germany (charm #6549---map of Germany).  There they had their first child and established a home...

December 2007, Kathy Collins, Antelope, CA:  First of all I think your charms are all very special each charm holds a special meaning in peoples hearts and memories. I feel it is a good way to always remember life by looking at each charm...

November 2007, Angela Lavis, Barberton, OH:  This bracelet would sum up everything that has made me the strong person I am today.  I do believe everything happens for a reason.  Including why I visited this website...

Think Pink 2007, Darlene Hermann, Roanoke, VA:  Memories of my mother- her beautiful quilts (2340-quilt) and her love for me will always be with me. Our friendship was a special one and her death from breast cancer was fresh on my mind when I was diagnosed...

October 2007, Janey Oltz, Magnolia, DE:  The story of my life represented by Rembrandt Charms starts with charm #0216, Praying Hands, engraved with "Mommom". She gave birth to and lovingly raised my mother, Sharyn (as well as 5 boys!)...

September 2007, Corina Bair, St. Anthony, ID:  Wow to sum up all the important times in my life with only 10 charms is impossible.  When I first started, I thought "will I find enough charms?" and as I went on so many memories came to mind...

August 2007, Suzanne Medcalf, New York, NY:  I have read a few of the winning stories, and find them all to be so inspirational - here goes mine: I call it, Things I Will Keep - At 24, I am not yet an adult exactly, but I am getting there...

July 2007, Lisa Rhude, Alpharetta, GA:  My life story can't be condensed into a short story based on ten charms.  I have chosen to write about one of the happiest parts of my life.  That is my ten year marriage to my husband Jody...

June 2007, Marnie Schubert, Rockledge, FL:  The story of my life begins in Florida, the state where I was born, and no matter where the travels of a military family took us, where I have always called home...

May 2007, Erin Black, Algonquin, IL:  Once upon a time, January 12th, 1985 to be exact, a little girl was born. (birth certificate #4763). That little girl was me! Little did I know at that moment in time, twenty two years later I would have quite the story to tell...

Mother's Life 2007, Katie Morien, Lakeside, CA:  My mother, Patricia Ann, was born in Merrill, Wisconsin on January 5, 1945 (for which I chose #3331, "Birthstone, January") to Arthura and Emil Krembs. The fourth of five children, she grew up on the picturesque Lake Pesobic in a home that had once...

April 2007, Brenda Welc, Muskegon, MI:  It was a snowy January morning when I arrived here into this world. My mother held me for a brief moment and gazed into my eyes (#4424) and then she released me from her arms with a tearful goodbye...

March 2007, Maryann Way, Hilton Head, SC:  As a toddler, I always had a need for exploration, however, when choosing an after school activity, I chose the mellowest of all, ballet (#0448 Ballet Shoes). I just loved the feeling of the music (#0263 music staff)...

January 2007, Cara Gresham, Ruther Glen, VA:  When I was 11 years old my parents bought us our first pet, a schnauzer dog named Kitchi #1305. Although he belonged to the family, he was my dog...

December 2006, Maria Weber, Lyons, IL:  From the time I was a little girl until I was in high school, I dreamed about becoming a wife and mother. As I think about writing my life story and how I would commemorate...

November 2006, Shauna Comes, Cuba, NY:  1. (#2663) A Day To Remember – I was born on August 14, 1980 and was the first of three children. 2. (#0872) Bear – I earned my nickname early in life, and exactly where it...

October 2006, Melissa Strite, Pandora, OH:  This charm bracelet represents my sweet Grandmother. Grandma always made sure that no matter what we did as a family or just her and I that it would always be remembered...

September 2006, Kerri Bryant, Metairie, LA:  My life has changed ever so much in the past year. Sometimes change is good, and sometimes it's bad. Either way, there is always a lesson learned. Here is my story...

August 2006, Kristi Tolman, Elmhurst, IL:  When I was a little girl my mom gave me a silver charm bracelet and told me I could start collecting charms to fill it...

July 2006, Shirlee Hill, Iron Mountain, MI:  My parents died in a car accident when I was only 7 months old and I was raised by my grandmother. Grandma always told me that my parents were like a couple of lovebirds...

June 2006, Natalie D'Addona, Bellevue, WA:  I was sitting alone thinking about things to do while online when I came across "The Story of your Life contest." When I saw it I knew that I had to submit mine...

May 2006, Stacy Jipson, Sabattus, ME:  As I sit to type "the story of my life", I can't help but wonder if I will remember it all. It's a mystery isn't it?  I see a big question mark yet I know there are so many things worthy of mentioning...

Mother's Life 2006 - Paula Daeon Harris, San Antonio, TX:  My mother, June Bartlett Harris, was born in 1942 on a cotton farm near Lubbock, Texas (tractor charm # 6565). She grew up like many girls in the 40s and 50s...

April 2006, Melissa Freeman, Smithfield, NC:  When I discovered this contest I was excited to actually take the time to look back on my life thus far and decide what my life story is now and what I want it to be...