New

A friend of my daughter came to experience pressed flower art, saying she had only ever done it in class when she was in high school.

She wanted to freely arrange flowers on a postcard-sized paper and make a bookmark as a souvenir for her mother, who loves books, so we started by choosing the paper.
Then, when it came to deciding what to stick on it,
that was the biggest dilemma.
Well, that makes sense. Just try it out~
She came with a casual attitude of, 'I don't really know what it is, but sure, why not?'

At times like that, I suggested, 'How about the name of your
oshi
(favorite person)?'So, she decided on the kanji for 'Shin' (New).It's also a good sentiment for welcoming the new year, she said with a smile.

At first, she looked a bit uneasy, but
once she started choosing from the leaves lined up in front of her
and tearing and pasting them, she went into a focused mode.

It seemed like she started to relax,
and without even looking at me to ask about the second bookmark,
she created a very expressive piece.

We ran the finished pieces through a laminator,
punched a hole, and attached a ribbon in her favorite color.

I wonder if she had fun?

My daughter
reported back to me, saying that when her friend gave it to her mother, she was deeply moved by the handmade bookmark, and she sent a message saying it was so much fun and she wants to do it again.

She had been working until noon that day
and apparently had a bad experience. It seems she found healing in the time spent focusing on creating her work.

I'm so glad.