Hope from Holly's Garden Wine Stoppers, Intricately Detailed Design, Glass Topped, Food grade Stainless Steel, Beautiful to gift or keep

Distinctive Wine / Bottle Stopper with beautiful, original design set in glass, atop crafted stainless steel base. The stoppers are perfect accessories that will add flair and functionality to any bar ware / kitchen collection. Stunning party / wedding favors. They make thoughtful gifts for wine enthusiasts. They also fit many spirits and olive oil & vinegar bottles. They are packaged in an organza bag, perfect for giving or to keep for yourself! Spirits and wine bottles are shown for demonstration purposes only.

Total height is 4".
Care instructions: Wipe clean, do not soak or place in dishwasher. Top of stopper can be twisted off to allow more thorough cleaning of the base.

This design, my first collaboration with the incredibly talented, paint, poetry and voice artist, Rina Lucas of Staff & Palette, was inspired by her gorgeous, evocative, original oil painting and poem, "Hope from Holly's Garden". Through my design, I attempted to capture Rina's artistic efforts to convey light bursting forth from darkness in both her painting and poem. A 3" x 2" card with a photo of the painting and the accompanying poem are included with each order.

Holly’s Garden is a memorial garden that has moved with Rina and her family from their homes in the Southeastern region of the US on to Chicago. The garden is comprised of plantings in memory of each of their beloved family dogs beginning with Holly, who the garden is named after. To Rina, "It’s a reminder that no matter where we go in life we bring with us what is most dear, and chief among these are the thoughts and memories of our loved ones."

Rina describes the painting (which can be seen in the photo above) as depicting, "uncultivated sunflower blooms on an early Autumn day in Holly’s Garden, Virginia location, resulting from birds at the feeder nearby “planting” seeds into the fertile soil. They came up through the exuberant process of feathered friends enjoying a good meal and without the work of human hands making them all the more lovely and special. Perhaps they were even a message from loved ones on the other side that despite any painful challenges faced…all will be well. These miraculous flora occurred shortly before the attack on Ukraine in 2022, and sunflowers became an important symbol of hope for peace in that region and around the world. All of these ideas…the grief over lost loved ones…the tender devotion to their memories…the anguish over war that continues even today…the courage to choose hope regardless of circumstance…the belief that beauty can and often does spring even from pain and loss…found expression in my painting “Hope from Holly’s Garden”.

Rina's painting, “Hope from Holly’s Garden” has been internationally published in a juried periodical, Artistonish Magazine – May Issue 2022. It currently resides in the center of downtown Chicago at The Chicago School. The accompanying poem is below.

"Hope from Holly's Garden"
Painting and Poem by Rina Lucas

Perhaps peace itself
Rests in this soil
That nurtures a garden
Devoted to remembrance,
Bringing life and hope
From memories
Beautiful and precious
Of those most dear,
From the dark ground
Tended by feathered farmers
Bursts forth light
Flowers of flame
Signaling
Near and Far
All that has not yet
Been made well
Soon will be.

To learn more about Rina Lucas, go to www.staffandpalette.com.