Thursday, August 7, 2008
A friend at work gave me a lovely bouquet of flowers when I moved from one department to the other. It was so sweet and I so appreciated the gesture. I asked her where she got the vase and she told me she found it in the kitchen on our floor (there are two small kitchens on each floor in our office, where people can keep their lunch in the fridge, wash a dish, and microwave food. The vase (pictured below) was one of those plain, clear glass vases you get when you order flowers. I told her to thank her for her gift I was going to decoupage the vase for her. I've been teaching some decoupage basics at work, and Laura was one of my most interested students! She was thrilled.
I told her she could pick out any theme and she picked flowers. I brought in all the paper cuttings I have of flowers and she picked out all the pictures she liked.
Here's the result!
It took me so long to get started, but I finished the vase over a 2 day period and Eric varnished it for a few days, and I was finally ready to bring it to work to give to my friend.
Just between us, it’s not my best work, because when you make something custom for someone you have to do what they want and it might be something you wouldn’t necessarily do.
She wanted these vines on the vase, and I didn’t like how they looked and probably shouldn’t have used them and just told her, but I was afraid to disappoint her, so I used them and I don’t like how it came out. It’s not horrible but, like I said, it’s not my best work.
Anyway, it’s a good thing it’s a gift, because if she was paying for it I’d be riddled with guilt!! I worry so much about how someone will like something I’ve made, which I guess happens with every artist. You always wonder how your audience will react, whether it’s a song, a photograph, a painting, or a vase.
Luckily, she absolutely loved it and proudly showed it off to many of her co-workers. I was so happy! I hope she will treasure it and use it whenever she is lucky enough to receive fresh flowers!
