Watching the atrocities that were impacting Ukrainian families, I felt helpless. So I decided to make these mini-books that you can hold in the palm of your hand, using Frankie's energy and my love of her to help the children of Ukraine. All of the funds raised for each book will be donated in Frankie’s name to Save the Children for Ukraine.
Each book is individually hand-made with Frankie's love. The covers rely on a technique I learned on encaustics by artist Erin Keane in "Painting with Fire" and each book is stitched together using a link stitch from Ali Manning of the Handmade Book Club.
I made 17 books for this project, for the 17 years that Frankie was living on this earth. Each of the books is decorated with a combination of symbols to honor Ukraine - the national symbol of the sunflower - and Frankie - a butterfly. The Ukrainian colors of blue and yellow are used on each, and nine of them include inspirational words, "united", "love", and "courage".
The books include one of two different signatures of paper. Books with the "sunflower" cover are made with Strathmore drawing paper, a thicker paper that is especially ideal for writing; books with the "butterfly" covers are made with Mohawk Superfine paper which can be used for either writing or painting. Both are acid free for longevity. The books can stand open so they can sit as a piece of art atop your desk, displaying their colorful encaustic covers.
Each book is stamped with a special note: “Handmade with Frankie’s Love”.
I am so happy to share these little treasures with you.
Thank you for your support.
​​