As the 6-month anniversary of the death of my dear Bebe approaches (April 18th), I find myself thinking more and more about her. The almost-perfect Mother In Law. I miss her terribly; miss picking up the telephone to chat about what I found at the antiques store, what I made today, what beautiful new blog I discovered... she was my crafting soul-mate. Always supporting, always inspiring, always there for me.
I finally got enough courage to starting incorporating bits and pieces of her ribbons, her buttons, her laces, etc., into my crafts. I have to confess that I am skimpy with their application, as I am afraid to run out. But she had such beautiful things that it seems like a shame to let them just sit in storage and not use them.
... the hat was recently acquired at a thrift store... not old, but definitely used (made in Australia!). I fell in love with it's shape and structure; but needed a little something to spruce it up. I made this rosette, which includes burlap, beads, buttons, and laces from Bebe's stash.
... shoes (especially Victorian-era) were one of Bebe's favorite things... I remember when I purchased a few shoe forms and had a conversation with her about what to do with them... we were both heavily into our Decoupaging Stage and decided to apply that technique using old catalog papers.... aged it a bit with ink...
...the ribbon is silk Midori (also from Bebe's stash)...
One of her many talents was making silk ribbon flowers... she made it look so easy!
A couple of weeks ago, I found this ribbon flower rosette (spied at a local antiques shoppe)... it was tucked in a cup on a bottom shelf, but the pretty pink drew me in. As I held it in my hands to admire the handiwork, I realized tears were flowing down my checks. And then, I turned it over to look at the finishing on the back and was awed... there was a velvet leaf and a cream ribbon which was stamped (or printed?) with the creator's name. It read "Luna."
Luna is the name we gave our German Shepherd puppy (our gift to my husband this last Christmas). Luna was born (we realized after adopting her) just 4 days before Bebe's death; the last day of Bebe's life in which she was actually awake and aware, before succumbing to cancer on October 18th.
Coincidence? Fate? Karma? It doesn't matter if you believe. I do.
The rosette came home with me.
(I blogged about some of Bebe's beautiful things in August 2010, click here.)
May you enjoy your Pink Saturday... love your family, treasure the moments you spend together. And don't forget to give your Mother-in-Law a hug.
I'm sharing my "Bebe-inspired Pinks" with Beverly.
A very sweet and touching story. Perfect for Pink Saturday.
Warmest regards,
Michelle
Posted by: ~Shabby Delights~ | Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 06:00 PM
Hi
There are tears in my eyes. What a touching post, the words and beauty of the photographs.
I definitely believe you were meant to discover that flower, it certainly wasn't coincidence that it caught your eye.
Although you don't have your soul mate to show antique and thrift shopping I am sure somewhere she will keep a watch over you and knows the pleasure you have from finding treasures and also incorporating her own treasures into your creations.
Wishing you a Pink Saturday filled with beautiful memories.
Lynne
Posted by: Lynne M | Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 10:22 AM
Oh you are creative. Pretty! Happy PS! Mine is up.
Posted by: gengen | Friday, April 15, 2011 at 11:33 PM