My friend Truett, (she also happens to be my son’s, Corey’s girlfriend), turned 19 a few weeks ago. I have known Truett about 2 years, I first saw her in a Lincoln High School Production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” She played Judas, and in her solo song, she sang like no other I have ever heard. Voice of an angel. She will go far with that voice. Even now, two years later, when I hear her sing, I am reduced to a puddle of tears. I have never heard a voice that beautiful. Really. And I’ll get to say I knew her when.

Anyway, I wanted to make her something for her birthday, and I had staged a photo shoot with her and Corey a while back, with their hands touching each other, kind of like Michelangelo’s Hand of God giving life to Adam, from the Sistine Chapel. I knew I wanted to do a piece with this photo of their hands, but wasn’t sure what, but the inspiration came as Truett’s birthday approached.

Here’s the photo I started with.

Grabbed one of my many antique books, choose a paper, some lace , a frame,  that would work with what I had in mind.

Carved the niche, gilded the sides, started dropping, gluing, and affixing the elements.

I inserted vintage heart buttons and cabochons into the framed niche and enclosed with a transparent surface. They move around, like the little shaky games we played with as kids.  My artist friend Geoffrey commented that the shaky hearts were like those in a relationship, sometimes they stand still, strong and stable and other times they are shaky and turbulent. I love that analogy.

I used an antique vial of green pigment paint powder, sealed it up, and pasted the dictionary definition “amore” on the front of the vial. Anchored the vial to the book cover, attached the ribbon closure and vintage French rhinestone buckle- and it is just about done.

But I am not done. I can’t just put this in a plastic zip lock bag and give this to her, can I? No. Assolutamente not.  So, being the compulsive, obsessive perfectionist that I am, I proceed to sew a pouch/cover out of a few the of Cisco sample sofa fabrics that I inherited when we closed Urbino. I have about 46 drawers full of every kind of fabric imaginable, all in tidy 10×12 pieces, great for this kind of work.