Roses hold a special place in our hearts no matter what month we are born in. Roses signify love, passion, romance, beauty, elegance, luxury, you name it! Even their colors carry symbolism. Red roses mean passionate love, white stand for purity or faith, yellow signify friendship and gratitude, and pink roses mean admiration or beauty. There seems to be endless greetings of love where the rose is concerned, and who doesn’t enjoy a loving smile from a rose?
June and roses may have grown to be synonymous with weddings since June is the time of year that our gardens are teeming with flowers, and young couples are beginning their lives together! The weather is warming and the the rose bushes are blooming. The intoxicating smell of roses in the air beckons for you to linger longer outdoors. In the mountains of NW Montana where I live, we have had quite a cool, wet spring. Every wildflower must be a teenage wildflower, hitting the snooze on the alarm clock a couple extra weeks this year. But, now they’ve had their sleep-in, they are greeting me in a most timely fashion.
June, for me, was a month of bespoke leather work and creating the Butterfly Collection. It was only days before the 30th when I decided I had better make the birth flower bag. In this case, I just knew I had to create the Rose! I mean, I named my daughter Rosalynn and she goes by Rosie. She was due in early June, and even though she was born in the very last days of May, she is my Rose. The name belonged to my great-grandmother; its familial. For me roses are love. When I moved to my current home and realized I couldn’t keep roses because the deer would eat them, and they aren’t winter hardy, I was joyous that wild rose bushes grew along the road and on the edges of our property. Another flower that grows here, one which I just spied on my walk along the hedge, is the honeysuckle (June’s alternate birth flower)! But, without a doubt, I was making the rose.
I hand cut and painted the leaves, and even the head of the rose was roughly ready; I just needed to see the real thing. So, I waited until I thought I couldn’t wait anymore. It was the 28th and I hadn’t seen any blooms, but I decided to walk out to the two bushes that flank my yard. Low and behold, sitting there was the first bloom! I gingerly climbed down the steep hill in my sandals, loose pine cones and needles underfoot, careful not to fall into it, and took a couple pictures. I was filled with happiness! It may seem small, but it was nature’s greeting that boosted me into creating this bag!
I planned an ivory leather body so that the rose would pop. Ivory because it was a gorgeous soft, buttery leather and because it felt appropriate for summer. I paired it with tan handles and inner accents. The lining is a matching (to the rose) watermelon pink. I stitched everything in ivory thread and applied solid brass feet/side buttons. The bag can be worn pinched at the sides or open as a tote. The bag shape is one that we previously named the “Rosebud.” I typically make it with a single color of leather and twirl two small rosettes and hang them from the handles. This version is a bit more literal.
After hand cutting, I painted each piece and stitched it onto the bag with vintage Venetian seed beads in a gorgeous chartreuse green. Then I cut out an open wild rose in red suede which I painted with varying shades of pink to achieve the right color. I stitched it to the bag with yellow beads (stamens) and white thread bursting out from the center of the flower. I added a closed rosebud at the apex symbolizing hope and happiness to come. I painted the stems in place, lined the bag, and stitched it up. It took a few days, I finished after June turned into July, but alas “Roses do not bloom hurriedly; for beauty, like any masterpiece, takes time to blossom.” ~Matshona Dhliwayo
I do hope you like the June Rose. And the other flower bags too. Is there a favorite flower you have? Perhaps you’re looking for a pair of earrings, a cuff, or a small clutch with a flower on it? I do custom work routinely if you are considering it. Please let me know!