When I first saw that my friend Grace (read about her here) described the extra chromosome that our children have as extra love, I just loved it so much. It seemed like such a perfect way to describe my experience.
So when my friend and daughters godmother and I were working together to come up with a design for jewelry, she sketched this cool heart with that crossed over and made an X. I loved it immediately.
So another amazing talented friend Diana Souza of f Green Rebellion “sustainable design liberation front” offered to help me take the above sketch and turn it into a logo that you see at the top of this post. I have to say, it's amazing. I am so crazy about what she did with it-- so grateful!!
When she sent me her first rendering, it took me back because it seemed so familiar but I didn't know why. I liked it but I kept thinking --where have I seen this?
So a few weeks later, I took the task of looking and organizing some old school papers of my daughter. What I found from her work 5 years ago stopped me in my tracks.
X is for the Xtra Love that our children have and bring us.
The purple or blurple as another oh so creative one describes it, is to honor Grace who died of pancreatic cancer and was a dentist. The color for pancreatic awareness is purple and so is the color of dentistry.
Butterflies are the symbol of Down syndrome.
It's just a fun little tidbit I supposed but it reminds me of the magic that my daughter with "extra love" brings to us.
Xtra LOVE 2 U
Read more about my rockstar friend Diana Souza of Green Rebellion here:
Diana Souza of Green Rebellion, has been working with nonprofits like Promise of Peace community gardens, Downwinders-at-Risk air quality watchdogs for DFW and the Trinity Nature Park. She's been a featured speaker on sustainable design at the Sustainability Summit (DCCCD) in 2014 and 2016.
Sustainable Design: a Womanual for Designers & Change Agents https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sustainable-Design-a-Womanual-for-Designers-Change-Agents-1208858 In addition to her design work, she is currently teaching graphic design as an adjunct professor at Collin County Community College. She likes to mobilize her design students to collaborate in her sustainable design work too, and here’s a gallery of that work: https://www.flickr.com/photos/diana_souza/sets/72157674571801275/