Art heals the broken pieces of my heart...

I don’t often talk about my mom, good or bad. It’s often easier to ignore the hurt then to face it head on. You see, in April 2016 my mom lost her battle with cancer. The first week after she passed away was sunny and warm, so, I spent my time planting flowers in my backyard to honor her memory.

My mom loved gardening and anything that turned something plain into something beautiful. She even painted flowers from her garden from time to time. If you asked her, she wouldn’t have ever admitted that she was an artist, but my childhood was filled with homemade crafts, quilts, dresses, costumes, and many other homemade items. There were several years where we made Christmas ornaments as gifts for our extended family. Partially we made the ornaments because it an inexpensive gift, but it was also a fun project to complete together.

When I was 10 or 11 years old I remember seeing a picture of miniature wooden furniture made from twigs, in one of moms many craft magazines. For the next several months I was obsessed with taking twigs from our white birch tree and using our new miniature hot glue gun to create my own set of miniature furniture. Looking back it seems so silly, but mom encouraged and helped me if I got stuck. Then she kept my finished set of furniture on display in her room for years. If you knew my mom, you would know that she got tired of clutter quickly and just threw stuff away without a thought. So you can see, her keeping it was a HUGE deal in my house. I believe that experience, as well as other similar experiences, have lead me to Thystle Design.

My mom has never seen one of our clocks, but she is part of every one. Before she died she made me a small clock with a picture from our wedding on it that hangs in our office. We made our first clock in May of 2016 and every time we make a clock I want to text her a picture because not only would she like the design, but she would love that it is useful and not just more clutter. I miss her every day, but she is always the voice in my head for better or for worse. There are many stories I could tell about her or even about my grandma who was an amazing seamstress and cook, or I could tell you a about how Anthony’s mom is also an inspiration to our clock making. We will save those stories for another day. Today, I hope you are reminded of an important person or event in your life that inspires you through the good and the bad times. Until next time, keep on creating!

Tell us who or what inspires you. Who’s the voice in your head? What heals the broken pieces of you heart? We all have a story and I would love to hear yours!