A Piece of my Mom's Garden

When I think of my mom not only do I think of her hanging hand washed Ziploc bags on the clothesline to dry, but I think of her in her garden. Flimsy foam visor on her head, smiling and excited to show me whatever had just started blooming or sharing her photos of birds and butterflies reaping what she had sowed. She often had ice cream pails of whatever specimens she was thinning out for me to plant in my own front yard. And her poppies were my favorite.

This is my story to tell. And I love any excuse to tell it because as an introvert I tend to keep my stories to myself unless prompted or given endless space on the internet to write to my heart's content. And here are both of those instances, so...

Coming up on a year means that the conversation of loss doesn't come up all that often. Not only is grief an uncomfortable topic, as time goes on the world keeps moving even when it feels like it came to a screeching halt. In fact, this milestone has felt daunting from the beginning. One year is enough time to move on, enough time to see some good amongst the hard, enough time to find a new normal. At least that's what I assume everyone else thinks.

And yes, I have seen some slivers of good amongst the hard and have found some semblance of a new normal. But one year later I'm still sad AF.

As I was navigating life as a new mom I was also preparing to lose my own. And those two things colliding helped me understand my mom on a whole other level. A way I don’t think was possible if she was still here.

I love that and hate it at the same time.

I’m thankful for the conversations we had- things I got to ask but never knew how to ask otherwise. Grateful for a warning that made our time together feel that much more precious. And I love how her response to being given a timeline didn’t prompt travel plans or completing anything extreme. Her only unfinished business was to be with her family and play with her grandkids even if it completely wiped her out. Intentionally watching her be a grandma set a high standard of how I want to parent my child, re-remembering all the ways she was there for me as a kid and wanting to give the same level of love to my loved ones.

She passed along an appreciation for plants when she passed along those ice cream pails full of bulbs. And in doing so, she also passed along a way to feel connected to her when I dig my hands in the dirt. Last year was the first year one of her beloved poppies bloomed in my garden and it felt like her saying hello from heaven but through the earth.

I’d love for you to have a piece of my mom's garden. And although there's no way to pass out ice cream pails to everyone interested, my dear friend Sam created a sticker as a way to continue sharing my mom's story and her flowers. It's titled "Dawn's Poppy" and for a few more days she's donating the proceeds to Solvay Hospice House where my mom spent her final weeks, eventually departing on her 70th birthday.

With the generosity of friends, family and strangers on the internet I think we will reach the hefty goal of raising $1500 if not surpass it

PRE-ORDER DAWN'S POPPY STICKER

Losing my mom helped me realize how much I inherited from her and I’m so lucky to let that shine. Even when no one asks for it.

Every Little Scrap Adds Up

This bag was made from the trimmings of pom poms I've been making over the years. Tiny little scraps of fuzz that seem like nothing on their own. But when they pile up, they add up.

And I love how this unintentionally turned into a metaphor for what I'm so passionate about. That alone, our actions may seem small. Saving one kiddie pool from entering a landfill feels like spitting in the ocean.

But even spit wads create ripples.

And when we all do our part, those ripples can become tidal waves.

Or in the case of pom pom trimmings- tote bags.

The Kiddie Pool That Changed Everything

A few years back I spotted a deflated pool in my sister’s garage. She has 2 young kids & like most families they average about 1 per summer. I knew that if it stayed in her possession it was destined for the roadside trash can & ultimately a landfill where it would sit until her kids’ kids had children.

Despite having zero plans of what to do with it, I loaded it into my car & brought it home where it sat in my garage for at least another year. It wasn’t until my husband threatened to throw it out (the same way I threaten to toss the ratty sneakers he’s owned since high school that have been living in our closet untouched) that I started to play around with it.

After all, tassels can be made out of anything flexible that won’t fray & kiddie pools meet both those criteria.

Lo & behold- pool party earrings were born!

And although I’m not sure if it was their lightweight style, the neon colors, the fact that there was finally a use for these fragile inflatables once they’d met their demise or that customers were insisting that complete strangers practically stroke their earlobes with every earring compliment- they quickly became a best seller.

But there had to be more to be done with the abundance of material, so the experimenting continued! Melting layers together, cutting out shapes, combining shapes with other melted layers, then cutting shapes out of the shapes… there have been more earrings, bags, wallets & keychains made from the dilapidated pools, floaties & air mattresses YOU have donated.

Although I can smile that I’ve diverged a handful of inflatables from being worm food (except I don’t think worms eat plastic), the amount of this stuff that still get allocated to the trash is alarming. And as much as I’d love to leave you with something actionable or a better alternative, I’m afraid I don’t have the best answer of how not to trash perhaps the best way to stay cool in the sweltering heat.

There’s a company in Australia making a biodegradable version & I do still accept a few donations throughout the year (neon colors, cool patterns & the occasional neutral). But as my stash continues to grow I can’t use them quick enough before the space to house them simultaneously shrinks (send me an email with photos & I’ll tell you if I’ll take yours off your hands!).

I guess all of this is to say that I am crazy grateful for your support of this goofy idea. Thanks for cheering me on, buying the earrings, donating the pools & encouraging strangers to lay their hands on them. Here’s to changing the world one holey inflatable at a time.

SHOP POOL PARTY ACCESSORIES