Not long after I got married I lost my mom to a tough fight with cancer and I remember thinking "time heals all wounds". Maybe for some it does, but for me it just seemed to hurt in different ways. I was wishing more than ever she was here to get to know her amazing grandchildren and watch them grow. It seemed the memories were starting to fade and I just couldn’t let that happen. I was grasping at things that kept those memories alive. As we sat going through things I just wanted to hold on to everything. There was so much stuff! As I looked at these dusty old books, among other things, I remember thinking that I had no idea how I was going to proceed forward, but that I was going to do something to honor her memory
These books belonged to someone amazing. Whoever received these books would not know the story outside the covers. They sat in my craft room for a long time….not knowing what I would do. You see I was never that crafty…. I couldn’t sing or dance. I couldn’t sew or build. My mom…..she could do anything. Me, I just liked to scrapbook, I have enjoyed since the 6th grade. Then it dawned on me that a book was paper and if I knew anything (which was very little)…..it was paper. So I decided to make something that reminded me of mom. My mom loved loved flowers, so I thought I would try and get creative and try to figure out how to make a flower from the book. I had the toughest time thinking outside of the box (or the book). I came across some origami and though I failed miserably at the origami lily I tried the Kusudama Flower. I liked it…..but what was I going to do with 436 other pages?
This is were The Embellished Boutique began. I made my first arrangement using 142 sheets of paper. I was amazed at what I had created, all the history that could be captured within paper. It has been my mission through The Embellished Boutique to always capture that. I try to always incorporate a piece of my mom in all my work. Whether it is a ribbon or button to paper, she has been a huge part of what my passion is all about. Her memory is stronger then ever and such an inspiration! I have grown so much through this journey and I never thought coming from cardstock and stickers that I was capable of something this exciting. It was then that I realized all of us are blessed with our own unique talents and if nourished properly, they can flourish. It’s where I learned that all talents are amazing and that no talent is better then another. But it is truly up to us where our talents take us and how high we soar. May you all soar high!
God Bless,
Portia with The Embellished Boutique
