As a child I was brought up in the tropical country Malaysia and and was surrounded by flowers and plants vivid with colour. My mother was obsessed with flowers and our garden paid homage to her enthusiasm and adulation. We would take family trips to Fraser’s Hill, a rain forest hamlet, travelling up the winding hillside roads to reach the summit where the climate was a bit cooler. Temperatures all year round ranged between 18 -20 degrees Celcius and is a very popular place for bird watching and trekking. As well as the beautiful wildlife we would see Dahlias, Roses, Geraniums and other more European flower species in the nurseries there.
It always surprises me that plants that are considered weeds in Malaysia could be something regarded as decorative and so exotic in the UK. Morning Glories for example, were the Bindweed equivalent in Malaysia and smothered fences and hedges with their bright blue trumpets. I could never understand why Malaysian gardeners hated them so much.
Likewise, to have what the Brits consider as the humble daisy in Malaysia would have been quite out of the ordinary. To me there is nothing more beautiful than a lawn full of them and there is something naive, innocent and childlike about these minute white flowers. I remember the days pulling the dainty, delicate petals away from the firm yellow centre wondering if I would find ever my prince? Lost in my own thoughts and dreaming. Carefully assembling them into long chains to wear around my neck or hair, their stems wilted from the heat of the summer sun.
The Daisy necklace I made recently took me back to those school days when I sat on the lawn in summer so I just had to call it ‘loves me loves me not’. The necklace has already made it’s way to a new loving owner in Canada who has told me she is in love with her new piece. I find it so exciting and am deeply honored that people enjoy my creations as much as I love making them and that something that has so much meaning to me can be so appreciated and loved by another person who will enjoy it for years to come. This is what inspires me to continue to make pieces and create.
Copyright Amanda Burton 2013
“This is, by far, the most amazing piece of jewelry that I own. I can’t help but keep coming back for more pieces from this AMAZING artist….never stop creating :)” Etsy Customer