Another Trio of Boxes

I love doing trios, more so than single boxes. Now that Mary Jane, my sister-in-law, has received her boxes, I can post them! She called today to let me know they arrived. Yea!! I'm so happy. I had so much fun making these for her. These were the largest ones I've made so far, starting with a hat box.

Her and my brother divorced a long time ago, but we have stayed closer to her than with my brother, go figure. She is more like a sister to me than an in-law. I'm very fortunate that way with sisters-in-law. I count my blessings. She has two lovely children, Shaun and Kelly. Kelly is my niece who just had her third child, another boy (now two boys and a girl). Shaun is yet to have any. We're still waiting!!

I started with MJ's box. I found her high school photo that she had given to my brother and copied it and worked around that. Some of the papers and ornaments are from London. The pretty clay butterfly is from the Victoria & Albert Museum as is the flowered background to her photo. I found a pretty poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes:

For all the blessings life has brought,
For all its sorrowing hours have taught,
For all we mourn, for all we keep,
The hands we clasp, the loved that sleep,
We thank Thee, Father: let Thy grace
Our loving circle still embrace,
Thy mercy shed its heavenly store,
Thy peace be with us evermore.

I know she has been through a lot in her life and I know every mother can relate to it, especially single moms. My hat is tipped to her. She is an avid ladybug lover, and so I had to add the wooden ladybug at the end! The inside lid has the two children as butterflies. Yep, these were found in London, but it was a catalog for a music venue. I took several from a restaurant we were eating in (shhhh)--knew I would use them up quickly! And then, tucked away in an envelope, a picture of her and my brother a year after they were married. I tucked it there just in case she wanted to burn it or something, hehe. Covering the picture, I tucked two flower playing cards (yep, London, again) that I had "aged"--the Queen of Hearts (MJ) and the Jack of Spades (my bro). This way, if she does get rid of the picture, she will still know what the envelope represents. (Aren't I an evil little sister?!) The bottom inside, of the box, I put a picture of a child with a cat. MJ adores cats as much as I do--hard to believe, but she does!. Note the antique buttons I used from my little shopping expedition online, remember these? Again, I just knew I would be able to use them on a very special project. They are so pretty. And, they just happened to match the box. Funny! It definitely wasn't planned!! (As usual!)

When I did Kelly's, I tried to convey family and motherhood. Can you tell? I put the kids as butterflies--a paper butterfly book from London and lots of other papers on hers from London. Her saying was:

These are the years, the gentle years,
the soft and sentimental years
when wee little fingers
reach and touch
and little eyes gaze
with wonder and trust,
when you love so tenderly
and so so much,
these are the gentle years.
These are the years, the rainbow years,
the quiet, walk-on-tiptoes years,
the years of laughter and smiles and sighs
when both of you watch with misty eyes
the tiny beds where the cherubs lie,
these are the rainbow years.
These are the years, the tender years,
the blissful, sweet-surrender years,
when your little treasures
from above are the souls and purpose
and center of
your plans and dreams
and dearest love,
these are the tender years.

I wasn't too pleased with the inside top of the box, but it is of Kelly and her husband as angels. I'm sure her hub will love his head floating on blue angel wings! The inside bottom is of a mother with her children. I love this illustration.

When it came to Shaun and his wife's box, they have only been married for a couple 5 years or so--youngins. I worked around the young blissful couple. (hehe). Their colors seemed to come out the nicest. You never know with these things, do you? I used the paper dolls I bought at Pollock's and went from there. I was going to use "Fly Me to the Moon;" but as I started putting the dolls on, it just didn't fit any longer. I went with:

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs,
and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,
I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!
and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
--Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I'm so happy MJ likes them! Like I said, it was a joy doing them for her. She is a fundamental part of our family; and we all love her very, very much!! I hope she knows that. (She does now!)