Arty types: Design advice please - family tree sculptural thingy in garden

[hub2dee]

I have space in a flower bed next to the lawn and am contemplating some kind of sculptural thing for dd's 1st birthday to have a representation of the people in the family (us / grandparents / aunts and uncles). The concept is fairly vague I know, but I was thinking of handprints in cement - maybe done individually or all in some kind of layout. Individual casts might be stacked 'totem pole' style, with plants around... the idea is that it is a permanent record of the people in dd's life, something to touch / contemplate in the future maybe.

Has anyone done anything similar (outdoors or in), or have any ideas how I might develop / execute the idea ? I contemplated a high-tech version with little screen / camera to leave video messages etc. but I think something much simpler would be more elegant...

Might also do one of all the NCT babies etc. might be quite fun for the future...

Any input appreciated.

No, 2 babies and a stealthbaby. I guess the stealthbaby would have to have something invisible on the sculptural thingy.

The copper labels could work... you could probably get copper sheet and cuta better size label and write memories on them, draw round hands etc. Easy to add to. You could tie them on a tree in a pot.

How very practical. Buy tree: Doddle at garden centre. Trace around hands: 10 seconds. Hang on tree: 5 seconds. Job done.

Stealth baby will just have to have a hand traced on stiff paper which will be put through the laminator.

Or you could take up welding and create something fancy out of a variety of metals.

You mean become an alchemist ?

How is the little stealthy one btw, sd ?

Not so stealthy. She'll have to drop the whinging if she wants to sneak anywhere :o

\link{http://www.rapideducation.co.uk/rkmain.asp?PAGEID=80010&CTL_CAT_CODE=&STK_PROD_CODE=M66924&XPAGENO=1\ here's copper sheet..of course it will go green}

'Ave ya seen the price of copper these days ?????

Try some stealth duck tape ?

I'm thinking of hanging her from the huuuuuuuuuuuge beech tree at the end of our garden. Kind of like a sculptural thing representing (some of) the people in our family...

Wow, that's beautiful. Be aware though that the tree is deciduous, and you might want to choose an evergreen instead (perhaps a yew) as you won't get a 'less than perfect magic memory moment' due to brown leaves IYSWIM.

Plaque: "Stealthy ? You should see her mother"

Ah, but the deciduous nature of the tree represents the fleeting nature of childhood and life ingeneral.

And yews are poisonous and she might be teething.

You could chose a tree that flowers or leaves turn a lovely colour around your dd's birthday.

A local arts centre has a wooden carving of a large tree stump with doors cut into it which open up like a book. My kids call it the story telling tree - once the little doors are opened, a small seat within is alos revealed. You can get chainsaw sculptors to do this sort of thing. Doesn't have to ne hippy-dippy either depending what other materials are added - say copper handprints inside or embossed memories etc. Love the copper and slate labels and who would have thought pretty Aberaeron held such techno secrets?

I am impressed by your fleeting, sd.... but surely the annual cycle rather than a one-off defeats the fleet ? Maybe a clump of bamboo would be better. It will flower but once in its life. Now that's fleeting (if seen from an infinite patience perspective).

I need to get out more. LOL.

EmmyLou: that tree carving thingy sounds like it's right up my street. I don't suppose it's in London is it ?

Ah, but the annual cycle represents the growth from babyhood through to adulthood on a constantly renewing cycle of experience.

Until some b*stard with a chainsaw comes along and turns you into a tree stump sculpture.

There was a lovely display of chainsaw art along the SOuth Bank last September (Gabriel Key or wharf?) lovely things like rocking elephants and whales and also child sized chairs and stuff carved out of lumps of wood.

I've always wanted a selection of beech wood stools, sd. Are you in later ?

'Stools' is an unfortunate word at the mo... erm... 'solid chairs'

Sorry Hub2dee - storybook tree is in Knaresborough (Yorks) but I'm sure chainsaw tree carvers are nationwide and could do similar - Google or yellowpages? Can't believe London wouldn't have something we have up north.

I have a large piece of driftwood mounted on a metal spike in my garden from a company called Woodenzone who were/are based somewhere down your way as my sister in Harrow took delivery for me...

Woodenzone were at the Chelsea Flower Show last week. If you ever feel adventurous, or get bored of your driftwood, drill a 10mm hole through a limb and run some 9mm plastic piping from an aquarium shop through it and turn it into a dripping thingy !

I will have a look into storybook trees ! Thanks.