a collection for my aunt donna.

i had big dreams of posting about this when i was actually in florida, but i was too busy sunbathing, hanging out with my family, eating junk food, sleeping, and meeting local celebs that i never found the time to do it. so here is a belated post that is near and dear to my heart:

my aunt donna is a very special person to me. she is one of the most hospitable people in the world -- a person who just radiates love for everyone she meets. she takes a genuine interest in people, which is probably why she has so many loved ones in her life!

(here she is, modeling a hair treasure)

it has been a hard year for her. first her mother-in-law (my mema) passed away, and then her mother passed away. even in the midst of this painful time, she has still managed to remain the same aunt donna we all know and love, which is a gift.

as a special project, she sent me some of her mother's jewelry and a list of family members (sisters, nieces, and grand-nieces on her side that i've never met), and asked me to create hair treasures for each of them.

(some last-minute crafting in our seaside condo before the big delivery.)

she sent me a list of names (and ages) and assigned specific pieces of jewelry to specific people, along with pictures of everyone. her descriptions were really helpful, and it was fun to try to design pieces based on such little information. according to aunt donna, i hit the nail(s) on the head!

(going through the pieces with aunt donna for the first time)

i'm so glad that i was able to do this project for my aunt donna. she told me multiple times that she will treasure these pieces forever, and it warms my heart to know that i had a part in preserving her mother's jewelry in a unique, creative way. here are all the hair treasures i made as a part of this collection:

family is the most important thing in my life. i hope the same is true for you. tell your family you love them today, and go visit them sometime soon if they live far away. they miss you!