paper anniversary

my one year anniversary was this past monday, and my hubby and i decided to stick to the traditional anniversary gift guidelines - the first year is paper - with a budget of $50. enter shannon rankin, also known as selflesh on etsy. i have been in love with her work since i joined etsy (i included a piece of hers in my winning entry for the poster contest), so i commissioned an original embroidered map collage for my husband. i was so thrilled with what she made, i just had to share...



the top hand is a map of oregon, with portland (my husband robin's hometown) at the base of the ring finger; the bottom hand is a map of new jersey, with mount holly (my hometown) at the base of the ring finger. each of the hands has 9 blue threads (robin's favorite color) radiating outward, symbolizing the month of our marriage (september). in the center is an anatomical heart cut from a map of maryland, with college park (the place we met) at the center. two blue threads, one from each of the hands, join together here, and 22 orange threads (my favorite color) radiate outward, symbolizing the day of our marriage (the 22nd). how perfect is that? thank you shannon, you are amazing!

here are a few closeups of shannon's lovely work.







xoxo,
lesley