Mother honors her late daughter by making headstone huggers and wreaths
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IDAHO FALLS — A local mother has come up with a way to honor and remember her daughter through beautifully made headstone huggers and wreaths.
Kenzie Lott and her husband, Tyler Lott, live in Idaho Falls. The two were prepared to have their first child, Lucy Quinn, earlier this year.
“My daughter passed away in March. She was stillborn,” Kenzie Lott said.
“Although sweet Lucy was only here for a short time, she touched the hearts of so many and was so very loved. We are heartbroken to not have her with us, but we know that she is in the loving arms of our Savior and that we will be reunited again someday,” Lucy’s obituary reads.
Lucy is buried in Iona and has a headstone that reads, “A moment in our arms forever in our hearts.” Lott wanted it to be a nice place to visit, so she researched online.
“I was looking up online how to decorate a headstone … like what I could do to just make my daughter’s headstone cute, a little girly, and just fun in a way … something that we enjoyed visiting. When I looked that up, I found headstone huggers,” Lott said.
A headstone hugger is a floral decoration made to be placed on a grave marker. It is known by other names, such as tombstone hugger or headstone saddle.
Lott taught herself how to make them and began decorating.
“I started out making headstone huggers for Lucy. Doing it for myself was really healing,” Lott said. “Then I started trying to make a wreath and realized I loved making those too.”
Lott was then encouraged by people around her to start making and selling headstone huggers and wreaths.
She created Lucy Q Blooms in August to honor her little girl. She made a Facebook page, and she has also sold at the Iona Farmers Market. She sells the wreaths and headstone huggers from $150 to $180.
“There’s been a lot of requests. I am really surprised how successful it has been, especially with it being the first few months of it starting out,” she said.
Tyler Lott wrote on her business page, “My wife puts so much love and care into each wreath or headstone hugger she makes!”
And it shows. Her wreaths are all different. One is sprinkled with deep red and white frosted roses and golden ornaments. It feels like Christmas. Another wreath invites you to what looks like it could be found in an open meadow full of wildflowers, inviting warmth.
Making the headstone huggers and wreaths has been therapeutic.
“The first wreath that I made was for my sister-in-law for her birthday. Just seeing the joy that she had when I gave it to her and how much she loved it and the way that she responded to it … that really was just uplifting to me,” Lott said.
She hopes to share Lucy Q Blooms with others because of the joy and comfort it brings her.
Lott visits her daughter’s grave often and replaces the headstone hugger for the changing seasons.
“(Lucy Quinn) will watch over her mommy and daddy from Heaven,” her obituary reads.