Irna's Memory Box
We live 17 km outside town, and for 9 years Irna, who is a teacher at my childrens’ school, drove them to town every morning. She lives about 5 km from here on a farm. When my youngest child left primary school at the end of 2009, I made this memory box for her, as a thank-you gift.
I collaborated with her daughter (in secret!), who sent me some family photos, as well as Irna’s wedding album. I didn’t have much wall space, but I did include a wedding picture, as well as pictures of her son and daughter, and the three grand-children. I scanned the pictures, scaled it down in a graphics program, and printed it on photo paper. The smaller frames were made with half-round molding strips, painted black and then highlighted with bronze paste, rubbed into the painted wood.
The desk was made with instructions by Joann Swanson, in Nutshell News, June 1994 (The Adventurer’s Study). She used a combination of wood and paper, but I used wood only. I stained it with Wallnut stain. None of the chair patterns I had, looked right with this desk, so I stuck some woodstrips together until it resembled a chair. I covered the seat with thin foam and fabric.
The desk was made with instructions by Joann Swanson, in Nutshell News, June 1994 (The Adventurer’s Study). She used a combination of wood and paper, but I used wood only. I stained it with Wallnut stain. None of the chair patterns I had, looked right with this desk, so I stuck some woodstrips together until it resembled a chair. I covered the seat with thin foam and fabric.
I tried to add personal items to the desk. The white mug and pencil holder were made from jewellery findings, the pencils are painted sewing pins, the flower vase is a bead, the books are covered wood pieces, and I made the apple from polymer clay. The desk calendar is a scaled down wall calendar.
I scanned one of my daughter’s school books, and scaled down the front page which has the name of the school and the badge. I made the books from thick card, and covered it with brown paper and the scanned front. It made a very realistic stack of books (back left).
I scanned one of my daughter’s school books, and scaled down the front page which has the name of the school and the badge. I made the books from thick card, and covered it with brown paper and the scanned front. It made a very realistic stack of books (back left).
The framed Bible verse was scaled down from a full-sized picture that belonged to Irna’s grandmother. I made the frame from flat woodstrip, with a half-round strip glued to the outer edge. It was stained with Walnut stain.
On the right hand wall is a picture of their farm, the view from their house.