Landscape Brooches

My muse seems to be whispering in my ear again.  Right now she's making me nostalgic about trips taken and dreamt of, and as a result I've been needling some small scenes for brooches.  I wonder if my muse was off road-tripping all this time?

The scene of birch and violets has already found a home, but this lone hickory will be in my shop shortly, and if I'm lucky, another piece featuring the sun setting over open water. 

Have you taken a trip lately?  Would you like to?  Where would you like to watch the sun set?

Wordless Wednesday

A wearable vessel as seen by Rachael Scott

I love the power of the internet.  I have met so many amazing people through it and made friends with people that, even though I've never met them in person, I couldn't imagine not having them in my life.  One of these amazing people is my friend Rachael.  You might already know her for her photography or you may know her as mosaicroro on Etsy.

 I know her as a truly fascinating talented soul sister.

I sent her one of my wearable vessels and she took some photos, and to me, these are just magic.  I'll let the pictures do the talking. 

She sees beautifully, doesn't she?  It's one thing to take a photograph of your own work but when someone else does it, I think it gives you a chance to see your work in a different way.  Thanks, Rach for sharing these with me.

Rachael's blog

Her facebook page

Changing And Growing

Mother Nature decided to spoil us yesterday, after a week of grey and snowy, rainy weather, and give us a glorious sunny day.  It was perfect for playing outside, flying kites, and walks in the woods so after we gorged ourselves ate Easter dinner, that's what we did.

We spotted the first butterflies who blended in nearly perfectly with the lichen-covered tree bark.  It was only when they moved or showed the pretty blue spots on their wings that they gave up their location.

The velvet mites were busy in the leaf litter.

And I spotted this, a devil's urn, the very first I've seen.  I've read that this mushroom is a sure sign that spring has arrived in our area and that with it comes morel season.  I've never seen a morel up here but it can't hurt to keep looking.  They're delicious and well worth the hunt.

Mounds of moss dotted the still mostly grey and brown landscape, and it made a beautiful contrast.

This day of sunshine was just what we needed.  I feel my spirits have lifted and am feeling that hopeful spring feeling.  I'm feeling inspired by what I saw yesterday too and ideas have started percolating.

Like the woods, I'm making room for change and growth in my life too.  One part of which is to simplify a bit.

I've moved my work from my Etsy shop to my Big Cartel shop and I'll be adding new work there soon.  I'll still be shopping on Etsy but for now I'll be selling through Big Cartel. (the shop tab at the top of my blog)  There will be some challenges with this move; directing traffic to my new shop for one, but I feel it's the best move for me right now.   That said...like my stuff?  Tell yer friends!  (ha ha)(no, really...tell yer friends)

Wishing you all a wonderful start to the week. I hope you're seeing sunshine and feeling as hopeful as I am today.

Chick And Bunny Eggs

The kids and I worked on our Easter Eggs yesterday and I wanted to share some pics of what we made.  We had so much fun making these and the kids had so much fun playing with them afterwards... who needs toys when you have eggs on hand, right?

I dyed some white eggs using turmeric to get the lovely yellow color but the brown ones are au naturale.  We simply painted some dots on for eyes then glued on ears and beaks from scrap fabric.  Bunny tails were made of little tufts of wool.

A piece of toilet paper tube makes a swell holder while you're glueing.

There's even a cyclops chick.  I have a 12-year old boy...that should explain it.

Hey you two, I already have tons of eggs around here so cut it out!

The bunny butt lineup.

I can't wait to see where the Easter bunny hides these little guys.

Happy Saturday everyone.

Earth Day 2011

Happy Earth Day everyone!

I'm really inspired by this family, The Zero Waste Home, and I think they have some great tips for making our lives a little earth-friendlier.  I use cocoa powder as eyeshadow and/or bronzer when I go in public now, thanks to their tip.  It works!  I think it's fun, and far less overwhelming, to incorporate changes towards a cleaner and greener life a little at a time.  If we all choose to add one more better-for-the-earth thing to our lives today, imagine the potential impact.

Stop by earthday.org for more ideas and to pledge an act of green.

I'll be unplugging for the day, planting some seeds in toilet paper roll planters, dyeing some eggs with turmeric, and if the rain and snow holds off, picking up trash by the road with the kids.

Have a great Friday, everybody!

Wool Sweater Re-Fashion (and forcing creativity)

Since I've been in a bit of creative slump lately, I challenged myself on Tuesday to make something of one of the wool sweaters in my sweater stash.  I really didn't know what I was going to make but left it out on the table so I could look at it each time I walked past.  Around lunch time I figured I'd better stop procrastinating and do something with it.  I decided it would become a little jacket for my daughter.  I removed the zipper, did a quick felting job in the washer, and did a quick cut and sew. 

Sweater before: (Avert your eyes from my wrinkly backdrop.  Avert I say!)

Sweater after:

Obviously I am no pro at this, but she really liked it.  She loves hoods and poppets (pockets) so this was just her kind of thing. 

The chickens seem to like it too.

This exercise hasn't exactly cured my slump, but it did get my hands moving in a new way.  What was probably most notable to me was how much I enjoyed photographing the completed project.  I was photographing it for fun and because of that it was fun.  I didn't have to stage anything like I would when trying to take shots for saleable work.  I've felt that my product photos have been lacking a certain luster lately.  Hmmm... work vs. fun...that might be part of it right there huh?  Perhaps. 

Tomorrow is Earth Day, is anyone planning fun things?
Nothing major here.  We'll be starting the rest of the tomato seeds and working on our easter eggs.  I'll be using turmeric again this year for some color but we have a different idea in mind this year that I'll share later.

Have a great day.

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday Randomness

It started about two weeks ago, the kids got a nasty cold one by one, as they often do.  I could feel my energy draining, my batteries wearing out, during that time and then this weekend I got hit with it too.  My creative juices haven't been flowing and I think it's partly because of being sick and partly because of the cold yucky weather.  I can deal with a sore throat but when my creativity takes a break I begin to feel a little lost.  Do you feel that way?

Today I've pulled a sweater from one of my bins and am determined to sit down and make something of it today.  I don't even know what yet, but I'm hoping this exercise will give me a little jolt in the creative arena.

The incubator is in my office right now, warming up some potential babies.  I'll be candling these in a few days and hope to see some viable embryos in there.

We had to start doing something with all the eggs because after all, nobody can eat 50 eggs. 

I started cutting and transplanting some of my succulents yesterday.  I am overrun and think I'll put out a little stand at the end of my driveway when it warms up. 

I'm enjoying seeing some of the lovelies that are being made with buttons that I destashed.  I'm so glad they're being used and enjoyed and in such spectacular ways.  Stop by these links and have a look:

Claudia has made a gorgeous baby sweater.

Motherculture created these adorable longies with little bunny feet.

Happy Tuesday, everyone.

The Heckler

Someone was yelling at me from a very tall poplar tree yesterday.  Yelling and yelling, noisy thing.  I couldn't see who it was so I got the camera and took some photos so I could have a look.  (and then I thought, omg, is this my version of getting a longer arm so I can read the newspaper?)

It's a Northern Flicker, with her nest in the hollowed out poplar.  I watched as his/her mate came flying over and then they switched places.  Perhaps they're still excavating the nest?

If you click on the photos you can see them a little better.

Wordless Wednesday

Again with the not really wordless bit...

What to do when your oven breaks?  Bake bread in the grill of course. (it worked!)

Great Balls Of Moss

We had a beautiful spring day yesterday.  It was warm, windy, and sunny, perfect for drying clothes on the line and for doing a little potting project.  Or un-potting maybe.  I had just seen this project on Design Sponge and knew I had to try it.  Balls of moss?  What's not to love? 

I've had a layer of moss on a table outside that I had gathered last fall and I have an assortment of "volunteer" plants in my houseplants.  This guy, and I don't know what he is exactly, drops a leaf and re-plants himself everywhere so I figured he wouldn't be too picky about his new home.

His roots are wrapped in dried moss, potting soil, and finally the gathered moss, and wrapped in twine.  I'm thinking I will make several of these, perhaps with different plants, or just moss, and hang them all from one of the trees out front sort of like those beaded dangly door covers from the 70s. (remember those?)

The best part?  Sporophytes.

How cool is that?  I can't wait to make more.

What spring projects have you been undertaking?

Oh, and I am so flattered to have been interviewed on Elizabeth Abernathy's very lovely blog yesterday.  I'd love it if you would stop by and have a look.

Elizabeth Abernathy - interview with Lisa of lil fish studios