Treasures from the Past

First, thank you to everyone for the kind words. It has been wonderful to reconnect. I have missed you!

This year is not going as planned. My grandson shared his cold and it hit me hard. I've been battling a nasty cough and congestion for 9 days. Guess I needed to rest. I have worked on the first dress. Dipping the resin, as opposed to brushing it on, was a challenge. I think I am going to need to brush more resin on if I want to add anything to it especially at the top. The dress was too pale so I dyed it with strong tea and turmeric. I do like the way it looks. I am still undecided about adding wings, but not sure that as it is that it is enough so please share your thoughts. This is the medium sized dress/slip. It is 19 inches tall by 14 inches wide.

I was surprised by how many people reached out to me about their family treasures and their struggles. I think this is a great topic for us to explore if you are game. Perry has lots of family lace and wonders what others would do with it. I am sure she would appreciate suggestions as I did not have any. I was also asked if I feel any guilt about how I am using this gift from my mother-in-law and honestly, I don't. I feel gifts should not have strings and my mother-in-law never expressed more than she wanted me to have Carolyn's clothes because she knew I would care about them, which I do. I also feel that having them out in the world if even just on my blog is better than sitting in a drawer. So I look forward to being healthy again and hearing your thoughts. So is it enough? And don't forget thoughts on all of Perry's family lace. Also I would love to hear if you have also transformed a family heirloom/object.

Silent Meditation: French Knots

I don't know about you, but I have inherited many family items that hold deep meaning. Many I have had for many, many years and all carefully stored away. Over the years, I have taken out the handmade dresses for my husband's sister and I never knew what to do with them until recently. I also know that my sons do not and will not have any interest in them so passing them along is not an option. But before I share with you my plan, I want to tell you a little about the baby whose cloths I own because this little girl truly impacted my life even though she died long before I was born.

Carolyn was born just a little more than a year after my in-laws were married on July 30, 1942. She weighed more than nine pounds. My mother-in-law was at that time a tiny woman- five feet tall and less than 90 pounds. The birth was long and from what I was told Carolyn suffered birth trauma. My mother-in-law should have had a cesarian. Carolyn died on November 1, 1942. My mother-in-law grew up on a arm in a small town in Kentucky. My father-in-law was from Gary, Indiana. They met in college and after they married moved in with my father-in-laws parents. Just two days after Carolyn was born, her grandfather died.  I think all these experiences effected my mother-in-law more than she would ever admit. Getting any kind of professional help was frowned upon then and this opinion never changed with her. She was not an overly kind or giving person so when she gave me Carolyn's clothing, it moved me deeply. I want to honor that gift although I am not sure my mother-in-law would approve. I think she would be content to just having them in a drawer. I am not.

I have been playing with resin (more about this in future posts) in the hopes of getting all my "vices" in one room. My plans are to dip them in resin so that they are stiff and possibly paint them. I am still undecided about adding ceramic wings. I will be asking your opinion once I get to that point.  I am adding the knots for texture (which I love), but also to express the "knots" of grief. It has made me think a lot about my mother-in-law who so often made my life miserable. I always tried to remember that she was broken. It was not always easy.  I can only hope as I go down this new creative path that I can create something that will have meaning. What do you plan to do with those precious things that you keep in a drawer?