Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Memorial Bead: Lucy, Olivia & Kramer

I was honored when a dear friend asked me to make a memorial bead as a gift for her dog trainer. The bead was to contain the ashes of three of her beloved Dalmatians: Lucy, Olivia & Kramer.

She requested the bead be heart shaped, about an inch wide with a hole big enough for a ribbon. Blue and green were the color choices but she wanted a little gold heart to decorate the beads to symbolize the color of Olivia's eyes:

Olivia

I just love when a client sends me photos and details about the animal or person who is being memorialized! I knew when I saw Olivia's eyes that Double Helix' Aurae was the color to use!

I have a little photo holder by my torch that will hold 5 pictures and after reading all about these sweet Dals, I placed them on my desk to supervise the work!

Their mom was kind enough to include lots of details about their personalities too! Lucy was a mother to 12 and very talkative!
Lucy

Kramer was a father of 64, a clown and a food thief.


Kramer

But, I have to admit, that Olivia with the gold eyes really touched my heart. Aside from being a drama queen (you Creekhiker readers know I have my own drama queen!),  her mom writes:

Loved being the only dog, going on errands & peanut butter. We understood each other  & loved each other when others didn't.

If you've ever had a dog like that, you, like me are probably shedding a few tears right now! 

The process of making these beads is not always an easy path for a sensitive soul like myself. And, it's never just make a bead and mail it off! I have made as many as four beads in preparation, showing each to the client along the way. I made three this time.

The first attempt, I realized the aurae was too transparent for the background colors:
 So, I made a second small color test using white under the aurae. I left the mandrel in place to show the client so she could understand where the hole was. We decided the colors were right and to make it with a bigger hole.
 So this is the 3rd version with the cremains of the 3 pups. I LOVE how the creamains reacted with the reduction of the aurae and turned gold... Olivia's eyes showing off!!

It was an honor getting to know these pups and their mom!

8 comments:

vintagebyrachel said...

Amazing !!! Amazing Bead :) The story is Very touching. Its so beautiful when you get to work and hear this kind of lovely stories ... XO Rachel

nangatesdesigns said...

What a special request. The end result is lovely.

petitehermine said...

Aww, that is so sweet. That's a great way to remember those special dogs :)

Unknown said...

WOW! What a perfect way to remember such a beloved pet. I love the finished heart...though i will say that I didn't mind the first one either...it had intrigue!

MagicByLeah said...

Wow what a touching story, those dalmations are precious and you did an awesome job capturing their essence, especially Olivia's gold eyes, in the memorial bead

Linda B said...

The bead came out so beautiful, great custom item. I'm sure it's a terrific keepsake.

Cyndy said...

The memorial bead with Lucy, Kramer & Olivia's cremains is so much more beautiful than I could ever have imagined. It is so special and I love having them close to my heart. You are truly a very talented artist and I appreciate the care you took making the bead for me. I'm eternally grateful!

CreekHiker / HollysFolly said...

Cyndy, SOOO glad you love it! It was an honor!