the tree wall

Remember the family tree photo collage that graced the wall of my old dining room? It has appeared in many a family picture as the backdrop for craft projects, school days, celebrations and garden bouquets.  It was the one showcased in a Domino magazine web gallery (which is no more since Domino sadly went away).  It was the one so full of our most special photos, I nearly cried as I began taking it down to be packed up by movers, thinking I would never be able to replicate such a display again.
Well, I was wrong.  And I like my new "tree wall" oh so much more!

This time I created a tree theme, lending to it a collection of art such as the west Texas landscape painted by my dad, the pair of cherry blossom paintings found in an antique store owned by my elementary school principle, and in the center, an embroidered family tree. It couldn't have come together more perfectly but it will be an ever-changing work of art as we continue to add memories to it.

This week I added the beautiful trees made of birch bark and shells, a gift from our Ukrainian friends.  Every piece of that wall holds a special memory or bit of our family history and I realize now that it is not something that will ever be finished. Reasons to change it, move it and add to it, mean we will always have reasons to celebrate family.