A tribute to lovies

One of my favorite gifts, given to me as a little girl, was a stuffed dog. He kind of resembled Shoeshine boy, you know Underdog's secret identity...am I totally dating myself here? I remember the connection was immediate. My dad asked me, what I wanted to name him. I thought about it and responded, Clancy. The name stuck and Clancy became a constant companion.

Rosebeary is Grace's Clancy. There may be other stuffed animals that will win her favor for a week or two but Rosebeary consistently makes a reappearance. Rosebeary is always tucked into bed with her at the end of the day. Rosebeary is always an invited guest at our tea parties. Rosebeary is Grace's first love.

When you love a stuffed animal as much as I loved Clancy and Grace loves Rosebeary, they are not easily forgotten. Jennifer Maher, an artist I came across on pinterest, appreciates what these treasured childhood lovies mean and turns them into original toy portraits. Not only is this such a unique idea but her work has whimsy and depth bringing the love each toy has received to life.

You can see more of Jennifer Maher's portraits here.

I hope to one day be able to commission a portrait of Rosebeary for Grace but for now I'll elect for a poor man's version.

I used this picture of Grace and Rosebeary.

I cropped in on Rosebeary. In Photoshop, I selected filter, artistic and finally watercolor. My photograph was instantly converted to a more artistic version of Rosebeary. Though it may not compare to the hand painted custom portrait I ultimately want, I think my version does have character and an artistic point of view that represents the importance of Rosebeary.

Maybe one day, if or when Grace decides she's too old to have Rosebeary tucked into bed with her, she can display this a piece of artwork, representing the love and security this dear friend provided. That day, when hanging on her wall, or maybe hanging in the room of her own daughter, Rosebeary can to continue to look after her and remind her of the simple joys in life.