We are Two, We Are One, Nicho Mini Mexican Folk Art

Happy Anniversary to Ben and me! Two years. Feels longer...all good.

We wore cotton as per tradition, almost; we ate American; I gave Mexican, I used glitter in an art project, which I think is universal; the love was noted as galactic and beyond; and here we are already in our third year.

So I made Ben a mini nicho. I love folk art very much. I especially love Japanese packaging (food, etc.); African textiles and Mexican Day of the Dead stuff. So I fashioned a mini nicho for Ben, all wrapped up in mid-century sheet music (Corazon, anyone?) from Spain. The lotus up top is from a photo at Angela's lake house in MI. The eye is the I; the we is the we; the background is part sheet music (reads: "And your eyes told me all was well") and a colorful, nice looking piece of trash I found at Angie's house. There's a little bird hiding up top under the lotus, couldn't resist. The coiled wire is in homage to Kundalini; the screws are both screws and allusions to the metaphor of construction, which was heavy heavy at our wedding, and remains a decent way to consider the marriage and being married.

Foundation seems to be key. And good contractors.

I like that from "trash" -- valued, not, what IS trash anyways? -- comes bloom. I like that from bloom comes "eye", comes I. I comes we comes I. I like that from the tangled mess of coil, screw and lowest layers come stalk, stem and support for thousand petaled openings.

I mostly like the way this petite art project turned out. I am excited to make more, and from a strictly aesthetic stance, the more I make the less cluttery they will look. This is my hope. I'm forever fighting clutter. And I don't like seeing it creep into my designs, either. As within, so without, I attest. But oh yes! Less is often more.

But of course we got dessert. And giggled at the big bill presented to us al final.

We noted that we have spent the year heavily invested in my pregnancy, our new daughter, and a lot of individually tailored delvings...and while it was less focused on "marriage" per se than parenting, or growth, or ?, it ends up that the work isn't wasted, or lost, or diluted. We become stronger because of it all.

And I suppose being alive, being married, having a mess of kids, etc. etc. we do indeed get it all.

Must keep getting used to this. Life is indeed a prayer. Blessings to all of you who bless us! We have a box of them handwritten on origami paper from the ceremony, shining down on our dining table. And it is good...