Dear Mom

I've been thinking about my mom a lot lately. Maybe it was the "Happy Mother's Day" signs that have been staring me in the face at every store we have been to for the last month. Maybe it's the fact spring is sprung and every spring (for Mother's Day) I would help mom fill her front flower beds with flowers. Mom passed away about a year and a half ago, and we were very close. As life continues on without her, I find myself thinking about her a lot!

Even with as much as I had been thinking about her, it surprised me when I started creating pieces for a canvas that reminded me of her. After creating a background with gelatos, I grabbed a stencil and masked off part of it to create what I wanted to be a "stained glass" or "mosaic" vase. I realized after I created it, the vase reminded me of my mom's urn. The flowers I wanted to fill it with were daisies, mom's favorite flowers. I wanted butterflies on it-Mom loved them!  It was then I realized how much I just wanted to talk to her and I guess creating the canvas was my way to do so.

So I turned my canvas into a letter to her.

Dear Mom,

Sometimes it seems like it was only yesterday you left, other times it seemed like it has been a million years since I lasted talked to you, seen you smile. I miss you so much. I see something you would like and I want to pick up the phone and call you, but I know I can't. I know you are so very happy where you are at! You are with the Savior of the world, with Jesus. Knowing that fills me with the hope that I will see you again and that is how I can face life! 

Love, Betsy

Supplies used: 8 x 10 canvas, Faber-Castell-Gelatos and Bead Gel Medium, Heidi Swapp-Colorshine, Ruby Rock-it-Butterflies, chipboard letters, Sharpie markers, Krylon-18k Gold Leaf Marker, Prima Marketing-flowers, mosaic stencil.

Something Only a Mom Would Do

As a mom you know there are certain things that only YOU would do. Saving a lock of hair from a first hair cut, or that first baby tooth that fell out, a sample of handwriting or handprints to cherish when your babies are grown. But would you save them on your wall?

My mom did. A large portion of this year was spent cleaning out my mom's house to turn over to be sold. While cleaning out the laundry room, imagine my giggle when I found this:

Yes that is my forth grade handwriting, on the wall, of the laundry room. I so remember writing that, but have no idea WHY I wrote on the wall. My mom's initials were MEP and mine were actually EAP but since everyone calls me "Betsy" I choose to initial it "BEP" to be like her. 

On the other side of the laundry room, were two handprints. I have to admit those were mine as well. I was in 4th or 5th grade and was asked to start a load of laundry and my hands were wet and wanted to see my wet prints on the wall, thinking it would just evaporate and not realizing there was just enough dirt on my hands to leave a muddy print. These too were still on the laundry room wall. The whole house has been painted several times, and as you can tell the walls got pretty grimy but mom choose to keep things "as is" vs. covering over her sweet little vandal. *grin*