If you have kids or remember your own childhood, you know that kids tend to yank flowers (often weeds) from the ground and proudly present them to mom.  Their good intentions and exuberance sometimes result in just a petal or maybe just the bud… or in this case, just the stem of the pretty flower!  Thanks to all moms who smile and accept the good intentions behind the picked flowers of little ones!

Component Highlights:

1. The base is the bottom portion of a cigar box. I purchased the box from a charming woman named Liz at a flea market in Texas.  If you’re unfamiliar with cigar boxes, they include the thin pieces of wood that you see on the inside edges of the box.  I used a wood burning tool to add a checkerboard effect and stained the wood red.

   

2. The background is a photo of a flower that I took at the LBJ National Grasslands back in April 2020. I printed the photo on vellum and placed the entire piece on top of a dictionary page and striped paper.

   

3. The glass “jar” is cut from a bottle. A sewing pattern and portions of a math book were decoupaged on the glass.  Incidentally, the top portion of the bottle became a bell for another project.  Nothing goes to waste!
4. The little girl is a copy of a photo I picked up from my favorite antique store, Curiosities, in Dallas.  I darkened the image as the original was faded.

   

5. The arm came from my favorite find of the year, a jar of doll parts, also from Curiosities. It is likely a Madame Alexander doll arm.
6. The green stem was from my own garden, an out of control hydrangea that loves to take over my porch.  I spray painted it green.

Special Features:

The arm is jointed, so you can rearrange it as you wish.

If you have a favorite photo you can stick it inside of the jar.  Just carefully pull the glass from the lid.  Or keep the little girl!  She adds plenty of personality to the piece.

This art piece is available for purchase from my Etsy site, Empirical Whimsy.  Consider this piece for yourself or as a gift.  Check out my site for other unusual handmade items.

Be sure to follow Empirical Whimsy on Instagram.