new wool mushroom terrariums

 

The other day I shared a few in-process pics of a new mushroom terrarium I've been working on.  I can finally call it completed and wanted to share its story.

 

Mothers aren't supposed to pick favorites, but...(and don't tell the other mushrooms I've made) this one could possibly be my new favorite.

Every bit of fiber and thread in this piece has been dyed using plants, roots, and nuts that I gathered from the woods.  By hand.  Me and my dye pot.  There are black walnuts, goldenrod, tansy, lobster mushrooms, wormwood, and more.  Tans, pale greens, yellows, pinks... That patch of moss is a grey-green given to me by an unusual mushroom called Peridoxylon petersii, and I've yet to find another.

 

There are blades of grass, and tiny flowers, and a caterpillar.

 

Even some sporophytes are hiding in there.

 

 I made the wood base from a piece of Osage Orange, a wood hard enough to make my saw spit blue smoke when I cut it, that came from my hometown in Illinois.  I left a bit of the bark on the piece as well as checks (small cracks) and imperfections because they made the piece feel even more natural to me.

  
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From the bottom of the base to the top of the glass, the piece measures about 8 1/2" tall.

I'm sort of taken with it.

 I've also managed to finish up a couple of teeny scenes too.

 

These little cuties are also hand-dyed, but not exclusively with natural dyes.  They are heavy metal-free, though, and crafted with love.

 

The wood bases on these are made from Alder, a wood that has a beautiful smooth grain.  I've left some character in the wood on these too. 

 I'll be having a little shop update on Tuesday the 16th at noon, central time, if you'd like to stop by and give one of these guys a good home.

s h o p

a naturally dyed piece and his tiny friend too

I mentioned the other day that I had been working on a new needle-felted scene, and here it is completed along with another tiny piece.

Using only naturally dyed fibers in this piece was a fun challenge for me.  You'll see red onion, acorns, cedar, creeping charlie, strawberry leaf, bedstraw, pomegranate skins, all blended in here along with some natural grey wool.  The colors are subtle and well, natural.  You can bet you'll see more of this from me in the future.

And of course there are sporophytes.

I dried a piece of oak for the base on this piece and I love the scruffy texture of the bark.

The other piece I completed is much smaller.  So much so that it makes me giggle to look at it.

It's only 4" tall and about 2" across.

This one has two little white mushrooms, a tiny stone, and yup, sporophytes.  I dried a piece of poplar for the base of this one.

I love being amongst the moss and mushrooms.

These two pieces have already found their way to my shop.  I'd love it if you'd stop by and have a look or share with your friends.

Thanks so much, everyone.  Have a fantastic long weekend.

More Mushrooms

I must have fungus on the brain.  Here is what I've been working on this week.

Mushrooms for your desk...a wool terrarium scene planted in a blue mason jar.

Mushrooms for your lapel...brooches made of recycled sweater wool.

And a flower brooch.  Not a mushroom.  Just to shake things up.  Also made of felted wool sweater and an awesome vintage mother of pearl button.

I hope to get some more work done this weekend. I feel like I'm on a roll right now, creatively, and want to ride it out and see where it goes.  Whether you're in the studio or in front of the TV this weekend, I hope you all have a great one.

I'm back!

After taking a few weeks off to finish up some projects, hang with the kiddies, and play a little at home, I'm back in the swing and feeling a little refreshed.

On my break I finished a couple of projects that I had been asked to do for an upcoming crafty book. It's due out this winter and I'll share the details later. Here's a sneak peek at one of the projects I've contributed.

I made jam. Lots of jam. 25 jars of jam. Mmmm. Strawberry, rhubarb, strawberry-rhubarb, balsamic strawberry, and apricot cardamom (which I'm using on tonight's porkchops).

The kids and I walked the beach a little. Which of course means going in the water, no matter how cold it might be.

My 3 year old found an enormous Lake Superior agate in the yard and recognizing it as one of momma's favorite pretty rocks, washed it in a mudpuddle and presented it to me. It weighs almost 12 ounces, he should be very proud.

I treated myself by making 4 terrariums, all for me! I don't know about you other crafty types, but I never make things for myself. My creative energy is spent making things for other people, so this was quite a treat for me, indeed.

Have a great day, everybody.