A Gift and A Tribute To Mom

I tend to be a pretty emotional and sentimental type of individual. All of the handmade items, pictures, letters, etc. that anyone has given me over the years I have kept. I've even kept all the cards that have ever been given to me, and my school papers, reports, etc.

I've also mentioned that besides crafting and making dolls I love floral design. Natural flowers, dried floral, and silk floral - it doesn't matter. I love creating with all of them.

Well, years ago my Mother wanted something bright and beautiful for Spring. Something that would remind her of sunshine. So I decided to create a floral wreath in her favorite color - which was blue. Something she could hang in her apartment in the Spring.

So, I bought a 14" round grapevine wreath, several blue silk and berry floral garlands, several small white and blue silk floral stems that I could place where needed, light blue and lilac wired ribbon for a bow, and thin and medium gauge wire.

I wrapped the garland around the grapevine wreath until I was happy with the placement and then hot glued it in place in different sections. I then cut the small white and blue silk floral stems down so I could insert them into the grapevine where needed and when happy with the placement hot glued them in place. I created a multiple loop bow from the wired ribbon and tied it to the wreath with the thin gauge wire. Then I created a loop out of the medium gauge wire and fastened it to the back of the top of the wreath for hanging purposes.

My Mother loved the wreath I made her (which is shown in the picture above) so much so that she hung it in her apartment year round. Well, when my Mother passed away I decided I wanted to hang the wreath that she loved so much where I could see it all the time and where it would remind me of my Mom. So, I decided to hang it on the wall in my family room.

My husband thought it would be nice to hang the bridal picture of my Mother that I had created years ago from my Mothers painted wedding portrait in the center of the wreath. I loved this idea and decided that was the perfect spot for the picture I had taken of her beautiful wedding portrait.

Years ago, after my Father had passed away, my Mother had kept a small picture of him in his military uniform on her bureau. I wanted to give her a small picture of her wedding portrait to place next to my Dad's picture and decided I would surprise her with this.

The problem was that her painted wedding portrait was large. I had framed it many years before and it was hanging up in my house and is shown in the picture below. So, I to decided to create a small 4x6 picture for her to put on her bureau. In order to do this I took a digital picture of her portrait, transferred it to my computer and enhanced it with picture software, then printed it out on matte paper.



I had always LOVED the painted portrait of my Mom in her wedding dress. When my folks were married in 1953 portraits of this nature were somewhat customary. Her dress had been made by my Aunt Mary, who was a seamstress and her colored picture had been painted over by a portrait studio in acrylics. It is an absolutely stunning picture to see - as you can see from the picture below.



Getting back to the story - I, of course, being the sentimental person that I am, decided to frame one picture for my Mother and frame one for myself. I put her picture in a frame that was made up of tiny pearls and tiny sea shells. Perfect for a wedding portrait - I thought. I put my picture of her in a simple white wooden frame. I didn't want my frame to overshadow her beauty. Simple. elegant, and beautiful - as was my Mother.

My Mother loved her wedding picture and it remained on her bureau next to the picture of my Dad until she passed away. My sister so loved the wedding picture in the pearl and sea shell frame that she asked me if I minded if she took it. I, of course, said she could as I had the original wedding portrait and the small picture was a beautiful reminder of my Mom on her wedding day. A sentimental reminder of a beautiful day in the lives of my parents.

So, now the digital picture of my Mother's wedding portrait hangs in the middle of the wreath that I made for my Mother - that she loved. It doesn't get more sentimental than that! A loving tribute to my beautiful Mother.