Friday, July 9, 2010

Handmade Pick--Little Lion Designs

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It has been awhile since I last featured another crafter/artist, and this time I've chosen a very special shop not just for the beauty of the art, but also for the beauty of the story behind the art. Stephanie with Little Lion Designs creates the most amazing repurposed fabric and textile art. When I first came across her shop she won me over with the fact that she's concerned about the carbon footprint she is leaving on the Earth. She uses scraps of fabric from thrift stores and quilters, makes her own starch, and uses child safe glue. When I hear that someone is trying to keep things out of the landfill and use environmentally friendly products in their art/craft I do a little happy dance! Then I took a look at her shop. I was blown away! See for yourself.


But just looking at her art wasn't enough for me. I had to read her profile too. This is where the story behind her art moved me so deeply that I knew I had to feature her work here. You see, Stephanie lost her infant daughter, just 34 days old, to Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. As a parent, there is nothing more heartbreaking than reading about the loss of a child. Oftentimes I can't bring myself to read these types of stories because they are so deeply saddening, but this one time I couldn't stop myself from reading on. That's when I came across this very special blog post by Stephanie. It is a tribute to her daughter, Kaia on the one year anniversary of her death--her first angelversary as Stephanie called it. It is truly the most beautiful and touching thing I have read in a very long time.

Stephanie's story is one of a mother who loved and lost and then never stopped loving. And as we all know as mothers, our love for our children is boundless. It was through the death of her daughter that Stephanie was inspired to create again. And her work speaks volumes about the beautiful inspirational spirit behind it. I couldn't make it through Stephanie's tribute without tears streaming down my face and I couldn't keep my eyes dry for hours afterwards. And although I felt deep sadness for Stephanie's loss, I also felt a sense of peace and admiration for the human spirit. Even in the face of tremendous loss peace, beauty, and love can still grow.

I hope that you will take the time to visit Stephanie's Etsy shop and facebook fan page. She is an amazing artist and a true inspiration! Thank you Stephanie for sharing your story.

2 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness. This is so beautiful of you! You made me cry. Thank you for sharing Kaia's story and my work. It really means the world to me to know that it touches people. I'll be sharing this on my blog too. So, hopefully you'll get some of my followers coming to see your items, as well. Thank you again!
    Stephanie

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  2. Oh, dear! I certainly didn't want to make YOU cry!! It was my pleasure to share Kaia's story and your work. In fact I felt compelled to. Your tribute to Kaia was beautiful and I feel that you opened a window into your soul. Maybe that's why I responded so strongly to it. What an amazing woman you are!! :)

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