My great grandma was a wonderful woman who lived to 104 years of age, nearly 105.  She was warm and kind, the type of person you just loved to be around.

Mary Jane Bartlett (nee Watson) - 1900 - 2005

I've included her photo in miniature in Baslow Ranch along with a photo of her grandparents.  :]

She was a very crafty person, crochet being her main creative outlet, and she taught me to sew when I was young.  She loved African violets, so I bought a kit from Georgie at The Miniature Garden and made them up in honor of my great grandma.

The kit makes three colors of violets, but I chose the darkest purple since those are the ones my great grandma kept.  Now, my camera just does not understand purple.  It sees blue.  I insist purrrrrrrrple, and it says baaaaalllloo.  =shakes head=

I've had plenty of practice shaping tiny leaves, so I used the same technique for these using a ball stylus.

I added a bit of styrofoam inside the bowl and then glued loose tea over the top for dirt.  The stems of the leaves and flowers are glued and pressed into the styrofoam core.

I'm not sure where in the Heritage these will end up, but for now I've photographed them on the coffee table in a separate vignette.  The bowl might be a little big for this particular plant, but I really like it.  :D  This was my first time putting together one of Georgie's kits, and I must say they are wonderful to work with!

I think my great grandma would have loved my miniature hobby.  I definitely channel some of her warmth and energy into the Heritage build.