Papillon

As a student of Interior Design, there are certain very important questions about the adoption process that haunt me. Such as, how am I going to do the girl's room? I knew what colors I wanted to use. I felt I needed a theme. One day early last spring I saw these storage boxes, and I knew I had found it.

The pink fabric is some heavy-duty cotton/linen I picked up from fabric.com late last winter for their duvet covers, at $1.99 a yard, and 90" wide, so it was a true bargain. My other anchor color is a light apple green (not sure of the real name, since I bought a gallon of it---Sherwin Williams---at the flea market for $3.00) I was not planning on incorporating blue into the scheme, but after finding these boxes, I knew I had to find a way, so I will. I also will be using the botanicals, as I have lots of those kinds of prints and want to get them out of my living room. I have so much to do before I actually get to that point it's ridiculous. I have to move my son out of the room he's in now, and I'm working on getting his new space ready. That is another feat in itself. Interior design is really about working with space. The decorating is just the icing on the cake. So I am grateful to be putting my education to the test. When it is all said and done, this place will hopefully be a study in efficient, tiny house living. That will probably last for one day after the girls get home. But I will be sure to get the pictures for the one perfect day!

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At any rate, about "papillon". I know butterflies are very overdone right now, but they hold so much meaning for we humans that are amazed by them, they are irresistible. And universal. I took a card of inexpensive earrings with me to Haiti last month, that had 3 sets of butterflies, and some matching crystal posts. I thought the girls would go for the crystals, but immediately W said "papillion!" and picked out the pair she wanted. She wore them the entire time. Sadly, I tried to put a pair in L's ears, but her piercings had healed. I think she already knew that, because when I could not make it happen for her, she just accepted it. W also ran across the hall to give another pair of butterfly earrings to Mim, who also wore hers the entire time.

It confirmed in my mind I had made the right choice about my theme!

In Culture (Wikipedia)

Art
"Artistic depictions of butterflies have been used in many cultures including Egyptian hieroglyphics 3500 years ago.[46] Today, butterflies are widely used in various objects of art, and have inspired the "butterfly fairy" as an art and fictional character. "

Symbolism
"According to the “Butterflies” chapter in Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, by Lafcadio Hearn, a butterfly is seen as the personification of a person's soul; whether they be living, dying, or already dead.

The Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi once had a dream of being a butterfly flying without care about humanity, however when he woke up and realised it was just a dream, he thought to himself "Was I before a man who dreamt about being a butterfly, or am I now a butterfly who dreams about being a man?"
In some old cultures, butterflies also symbolize rebirth into a new life after being inside a cocoon for a period of time."

That just about says it all. This is a perfect symbol for our family.

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One of the most difficult things about art school that you have to get over in a hurry, is critiquing. Your work, along with everyone else's is put up on a regular basis for comments. I would say that most of the time it was edifying, and once I got over my initial fears, it was extremely beneficial. Also, you learn alot because you are looking at other people's work as well, and oddly, it teaches you to be autonomous in your art. You learn you have a voice. The instructor always gave the last comments. One time she told me (after looking at one of my pieces) that cultural icons, like "hearts"--- and also used the example of flowers---were best left alone because they were so universal it was difficult to do them well, or to make a statement. I would assume she also meant things like butterflies. I have to say, this is one time I would have to take issue. If no one ever attempted to depict these things in art, what a colorless and unimaginative place we would live in!

But, I will not be buying a ton of "butterfly" accessories for this project. I do find much of that stuff to be sorta garish. I have decided instead to do a mural. I will keep you posted on that. I'm pushing my timeline on all of this, so you can expect it to be done right around the time they come home!