When her grandmother, who used to own Mercer Island Florist, died of liver cancer in 2009, Lauren Burman had an idea; with the help of her mother, Burman began making and selling small pottery vases and donating part of the proceeds to cancer research.

The vases, called “Little Shirleys” after Burman’s grandmother, began as a way to raise money for a marathon supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Over the last year, they have morphed into the basis of a Queen Anne-based business that donates regularly to cancer research.

During this week’s Third Thursday Art Walk, Burman will sell Little Shirleys at Mercer Island Florist.

“I think the vases say a lot about me as a person,” said Burman, who began working with pottery in college and said she likes simple designs and bright colors. “One of the most interesting parts of these vases have been the stories they seem to elicit from other people and the sharing that happens around them.”

Burman and her mother, Diane Larson, said they were impressed by the big reaction they’ve had so far to the Little Shirleys. The $20 vases are now sold in stores around Seattle and online and have traveled as far as Finland, the east coast and Georgia.

Though losing Burman’s grandmother and Larson’s mother was hard on the whole family, Larson said, carrying on her memory in this way has made things easier.

“The part that sort of softens the blow a little bit is we just imagine my mother all those places,” said Larson. “She loved to travel, and I can just see her down in Georgia, holding a little flower.”