On The Hunt

In need of a diversion, I decided to hit the woods with my boys to hunt for mushrooms to photograph. They are expert hunters for their ripe ages of 4 and 3 and can spot the teeniest and wariest of fungus. Momma's rule is that they don't touch the mushrooms with their hands so at the start of our hunts, each picks out a walking stick with which to poke at mushrooms (and inevitably, whack each other with).

I don't know what it is exactly, but I've always been fascinated with mushrooms and find much inspiration in them. The boys and I thought we'd share what we found, and hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Quiet

It's been one of those weeks. Everything seems so busy it's hard to stop and catch my breath. The kids are busy busy busy, life is busy busy busy, and all I want to do is steal away and find my quiet. I did a quick dash towards the woods tonight with that aim in mind. Unfortunately the mosquitos, deer flies, and my 4 year old followed me....with his new "best friend" you see in the photo. Since I didn't find my quiet outside tonight, I'm hoping for some sewing and a margarita after the kids go to bed. It will do.

To all of you out there who feel like you're stretched too thin, have too many demands, not enough time to yourself, here's a little tiny bit of quiet for you and a toast to you as well. Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday

Inspiration

It's no secret that I'm an easily distracted crafter. I have a case of "the shinies" something fierce. "Oh look! Wool! Shiny..... Oh look! Buttons! Shiny..." I can't help it, there are so many amazing things in the world with which to work that I can't help but try them out. My latest indulgence is one that I'm super excited about. I purchased a set of small egg gourds from midnightcoiler on Etsy and they're so beautiful! They're about the size of a small hen's egg and the natural markings are delicious. I've been tinkering a bit already but I'll wait to let you in on what I have in mind.

Have any of you worked with gourds before? This is my first time and I'd love to hear what you've done.

I've also just finished felting a batch of earthy colored wool garments and I can't wait to cut into them. (I'll add that to the list of shiny...)

Happy Monday!

Conservation Minnesota Photo of the Week!

How exciting! This pic of my boy out flower picking is the photo of the week on the Conservation Minnesota website. They're a good cause, (and clearly know a cute kid when they see one) :D

Check them out:

Conservation Minnesota

mama, look what I picked
Originally uploaded by lilfishstudios

Wordless Wednesday

No Ifs, Ands, or Butts

Today was a wandery sort of day and we ended up on a beach on local Pelican Lake. It's a lovely beach; sandy and shallow, and today it was nearly empty except for a few swimmers and an Osprey out fishing. (he caught one too, a big one, good on ya Osprey!)

As I took off my shoes and settled down in the sand to watch the boys enjoy the water, my eyes fell on a cigarette butt that had been discarded in the sand. I turned my head and there was another, and another... they were everywhere. It angers me. It angers me to look around at this lovely beach knowing full well that there are both garbage cans and a designated "smokers' station" a few short feet up the boardwalk and that these people couldn't be bothered to pick up after themselves. It angers me that on a perfectly lovely afternoon, while my kids were playing in the waves, I was picking up someone else's mess, but that's what I did. I made a box out of a piece of paper that we had in the stroller and carried loads of butts up to the garbage cans. I couldn't help but wonder how many more had found their way into the water and how many more were under the sand, and how many more will be there when I return.

So a plea...if you smoke, pick up your butts. If you drink, pick up your bottle caps. If you eat, pick up your wrappers. If you come to place that's beautiful, keep it beautiful. Leave it better than you found it. Encourage others to do the same. Don't think it's someone else's job. It's yours. It's ours. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Penny Rug Bouquet

I snuck some time today to finish a project that I have been dabbling with and I was so excited that I had to post about it.

I've made a little bouquet inspired by penny rugs. I've used scraps of wool that I had felted from sweaters and coats, and tiny glass vintage buttons to create circular flowers. I attached them to floral wire so they can be arranged at will. I covered the back of each flower with black felt (also from garments) to cover the stitching and polish it off.

The circle is a shape that is pleasing to my eye and I'm digging the color combos on this piece, they're natural but kind of punchy too. I'm happy with how it turned out now that it's finally done. Stitching is a soothing activity for me, and this bouquet represents several weeks worth of relaxation time for me. I hope those peaceful, happy vibes stay with the bouquet, wherever it ends up.

Wordless Wednesday

Mushroom Mania Giveaway Winner

A sincere THANK YOU! to all who entered, tweeted, and blogged my little giveaway. It was fun to read your comments and I look forward to browsing the many new blogs I've found this week through your posts.

Now, without further ado, the winner as chosen by random.org is.... Meg. Congrats, Meg!

Happy Monday, everyone!

ABC Book Origami - love!

While sipping my coffee and reading my feeds this morning, I stumbled across a post by Heather from rhymeswithmagic and in it she showed off her recent project. She is a librarian by day and paper-folding genius by night and I love that she works books into her craftwork. This new project had me all agog. She's taken a set of books from the recycle bin and folded the pages so they show the alphabet. I can just see these set on a shelf in kid's room, in a home library, or right here above my desk might be nice...

They are in her Etsy shop, along with other wonderful folded pieces, including custom folded books and book jewelry.

Go check it out. (check it out, get it? haha.)

Inspiration

I have a project in my head that has been inspired by these two images and I can't wait to finish it. What's your inspiration today?

Wordless Wednesday

Monday's Mushroom

I'm starting this week with a teeny tiny mushroom brooch, made of recycled felted wool. Measuring just a wee 1.5" wide by 2" tall, it's a bit smaller than some of my other brooches but I kind of like this little niblet of a pin.

It just made its way into my Etsy shop.

Happy Monday!

A Full Week

We've had company here for the past week in the Jordan house and oh what a week it's been. We laughed, played, ate, cracked bad jokes, played ball, and enjoyed our little family completely. Our guests left this morning and we're now adjusting to life as normal. I'm feeling a little off-balance after ditching craft for cooking this week. Instead of playing with wool or buttons I've been simmering and spicing, roasting and toasting. I'm sure I'll be reaching for the crafting soon but for now I'm in no hurry. I really needed this week's diversions and I don't want the taste to leave quite yet.

During the week we took the kiddies to our small local zoo in Little Falls, MN which we all enjoyed. We also visited the Fishing Museum, stopped at our local growers market for some fresh-picked strawberries, went to the park, and went fishing. My husband took all of us to do a little shore fishing in an off-the-beaten-trail location and I was too distracted by the dismantled steel bridge and local flora to fish. I was found belly down in the grass taking pictures while the kids were catching sunfish. Normal.

This weekend I think we'll relax a bit and then launch back into life on Monday. Look for another post early next week regarding a wee giveaway.

Enjoy the weekend!

Sometimes You Win

...and sometimes you WIN! I have been on the prowl again for some specific vintage buttons for a project that's in my head and whilst searching through a recent button purchase found these amazing buttons. Now, you should know that I am a fan of natural materials and I have a deep fondness for agates, so when I pulled these sweeties from the pile I let out a happy little squeal. Aren't they beautiful? I wish I had a jeweler's sensibility because I'm sure they could be worked into something fabulous. I'm not sure what to do with them, any ideas?

Nature Printing

If you find this, or one of my other tutorials, helpful and would like to make a monetary contribution to help me keep wool in my basket and ideas flowing, I'd be so grateful.  By clicking the "Buy Now" button below you can choose your own price for the tutorial.  It's completely optional, but oh so appreciated.

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Nature prints are such a fun, easy, nearly free project that will bring a beautiful bit of botanical goodness to your home.  Give it a try and see what you think.

Materials you'll need:

paint (I used acrylic)

leaves

paper, canvas, etc. for printing upon

wax paper

a brayer or rolling pin

a frame for your masterpiece

Step 1: Gather your materials.

Step 2: Apply paint to the backside of your leaf - the veiny part

Step 3: Place your painted leaf, paint side down, onto your paper or canvas

Step 4: Cover your leaf with wax paper and carefully roll over it with your brayer or rolling pin

Step 5: Peel off your leaf and marvel at your design

It's really quite simple, but a few tips for success: choose a leaf that lays flat and behaves. Leaves that are all willy-nilly won't make for good prints. Don't put too much paint on your leaf or you'll end up with a gloppy mess. Don't press too hard with your brayer, you want to make a print, not embed the leaf into the canvas. Try it out on a piece of scrap first and once you get the hang of it, print away!

I had several odd frames that I painted black and I printed on a piece of canvas drop-cloth that I had in the studio. (You can purchase them relatively inexpensively at your local hardware store) Printing on paper will give you a more crisp image, but I was going for something loose and organic. Experiment! The leaves, ferns, and weeds all came from the backyard. I think it would also be fun to take a print from a slice of wood, or long vines....maybe I'll try that next.

This is a great project for the kids too. Get them involved and see what happens.  Maybe make some pillows, print on t-shirts, make one of a kind cards...so many possibilities!  Have fun!

Wordless Wednesday

Bonfires and Bottle Rockets

It's the 4th of July, Independence Day here, a day full of fireworks, food, and frolicking. Crafting for the next few days will be halted as we celebrate the weekend's festivities and prepare for the arrival of family next weekend.

I've been working on new project that I hope to share soon but it's just not at the photo-ready stage yet. Until then I'll share some little cuties I've been working on using some of my felted stones, wool, and acorn caps. Expect to see more of these soon, and perhaps (nudge nudge) a giveaway in the next few weeks.

We plan to have another bonfire tonight and thorougly cover ourselves with marshmallows and bug bites. I am the reigning marshmallow toasting QUEEN here...perfect golden crust, every time. :D It's a gift. The boys will marvel at the fireworks and we'll all relax and enjoy each other's company. I will try not to let my mind wander to wool....

Have a fun weekend, everyone!

Wordless Wednesday