February Piece Finished

Here is my February piece finally finished.  (If you would like to read how this piece started, go can back a couple posts to get up-to-date.)  I had many challenges, and maybe some personal revelations, while creating this one.  As you can see, these are not traditional Valentine's Day colors (much to my little Sara's chagrin).  I was inspired by the colors in the pendant, and after all, I am a little less than traditional in a lot of ways.  I make my own way about things and don't necessarily beat to the same drum.  Well, I did put in some hearts for the traditional Valentine's Day (although in amethyst and copper), but I wanted something a little different to express what my love for my husband and children was like.  I was happy to find a wonderful assortment of elements at Artbeads to embellish with, and I decided to go with flowers.  They start out as little seedlings, they need water and nourishment and attention and then they slowly grow more beautiful each day.  Maybe the large heart pendant is like a sun looking down on the whole thing, shining love over it all.  Or maybe that's a little too corny.  I don't know.  These things all crossed my mind as I was stitching away.

I had 10 amethyst hearts but for some reason I only wanted to use 6 in my design.  Then it dawned on me...as I was making my little fans that look to me like pretty flowering bushes, there are 6 of us in my family, so there is one to represent each of us.  I almost didn't use the antique copper hearts, but at one moment in time they begged to be put on, so I did, but only two.  They are solid, weighted beads...they are not cheap, flimsy little things (I highly recommend them).  And I thought it was like me and Jeff...we are solid in our relationship and very grounded now.  There was a time when we weren't (which is a whole completely different long story), but now we are at a very good, solid place.  And that's what these copper hearts made me think of.

And then there were a series of pathways, each leading in a different direction, but isn't that really how it goes?  And the different little patches surrounding the vines and flowers reminded me of a birds eye view of the landscape.  So, to me this piece represents my family, our love, our paths, our growth, our roots, both at eye level and from up high to look down on the whole picture.  I'm afraid this sounds so silly and sappy, but I'm being honest with all the thoughts that went through my head as I made it.  Sometimes when I look at it, it's all cohesive, and other times I look at it and it seems complicated.  But I guess that's just how life is.

Your comments and feedback are always welcome and appreciated.

Love Blossoms

You can click for a larger view, too.   Happy Valentine's Day everyone!