Rocks and Flowers – A Beautiful Combination Inspires Unique Gift Items
Natural treasures of the Michigan landscape are the raw materials for Chuck and Pat Lightfoot’s Lapidary and Flower Art The delicate and often ephemeral beauty of flowers grown in Michigan, as well as hard, enduring rocks and minerals found in our State, are the inspiration for their creations.
Chuck and Pat Lightfoot, who live in Caro, Michigan, are rock hounds, always on the look-out for a pretty stone wherever their travels take them. Being dedicated Michiganders, they’ve specialized in rocks and minerals found in our own Great Lakes State.
Now, they’re not only collectors, but accomplished lapidarists – craftspeople who cut and polish stones. The beautiful results are then used in the creation of a variety of distinctive personal and gift items, such as keepsake boxes, nightlights, wine stoppers, keychains, magnets, pocket knives and a unique Michigan plaque.
Petoskey Stone is one of their most popular materials. The distinctive 3.5 million-year-old fossil coral is readily recognized as a natural product of Michigan, and is showcased in many of the Lightfoot’s creations. They’ve even incorporated Petoskey Stone into their handcrafted greeting cards!
Other stones they frequently use are Kona Dolomite, a pink to red stone found near Marquette, which contains Stromatolites, 2.1 billion year old algae. Another is Verde Antique Marble, a green stone with gray veins which comes from the Ropes Gold Mine near Ishpeming. The now-closed mine was the only producing gold mine in Michigan.
Copper, which was mined extensively in the Western U.P.’s “Copper Country” during the 1800’s and 1900’s, is incorporated into the Lightfoots’ Michigan plaque. Nuggets from the Keewanaw Peninsula symbolize the Mackinac Bridge between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
Flower gardening is another keen interest of the Lightfoots. Their two-acre yard includes 14 flower gardens featuring mostly perennials such as lilies, roses, and butterfly bushes. To enjoy her hobby year ’round, Pat began pressing flowers and adding them to a variety of items such as greeting cards. Her creations, which Michigan-Made.com sells in sets of four, make a beautiful background for memorable messages to family and friends – whether they reside in Michigan, or anywhere else around the world!
