A mango leaf? Maybe...or not 😉.

A little over a week ago I was in one of those places we want to return to as soon as possible.

It is a river near the place where my husband was born. I will tell you about that trip in another post, now...to the important things!

It was gratifying to see as soon as we arrived the calm and transparent waters, there was no one there!!!. Just what I needed for my purposes. The bottom was perfectly visible and guess what....how there were rocks!!!!! Lots of them!!! to be turned into beautiful rocks of kindness.

Between my daughter, one of my sister-in-laws and I, we collected the ones we thought were the best. For me, I would have taken a ton, but the way back was a bit tricky and the extra weight would add to the difficulty.

Somewhat resigned we finished our collecting and set out to enjoy the place. I was glad I had made my rock selection before doing anything else. Only a few minutes after we had finished, another large family arrived to cool off. In a few seconds the waters were no longer so clear 🤭.

From the rocks we brought I decided to make a paperweight for my sister-in-law (the one who helped me). It will be a gift I will give her on Mother's Day.

I chose that elongated rock because it looks like a mango leaf to me (in 3D 😆). I decided to paint it as if it were one. This design is not an original idea, I've seen it on more than one site on the internet, but I like it and here I bring you my version.

To make my work easier I gave a white acrylic base. With green tones I painted, gave shadows and lights. I added some lines imitating the nerves of the leaf.

To add another decorative element I put some drops of transparent glue imitating water drops. I thought it was a nice detail. I took 2 small rocks and painted them as ladybugs, with all their characteristics. I had to use a magnifying glass to paint the eyes (it's just that mine don't respond like they used to 😉 ). I glued them to my sheet-rock with extra strong hot silicone.

To give a better finish I applied a coat of clear varnish that gives a little shine and protects all the work. That's how my paperweight kindness rock was ready 🥰.