resurrection fern

first snow inspired embroidery

On the last post I hinted about a first snow inspired little hand sewing project. I was thinking about how the first snow really rekindles my dwindling inspiration reserves. At the end of autumn , especially when the calendar turns to November, the time changes and the number of daylight hours I am exposed to significantly diminishes, I find myself a little listless. I often feel like curling up with the kitties and taking naps. When I experience the first snow it revives me, unfurls me and gives me the much needed energy to create.

This is how I turned this experience into a small hand sewn felt medallion. It is a resurrection fern snow globe. On one side you see the fern ( me ) curled up with the snow lying on the ground. Then you only need hold it in your hand and shake it and like magic with the snow floating everywhere the fern ( me )  unfurls and awakens.

 

 

 

 

 

The snow melted the next day and we experienced almost summer temperatures on the weekend. The snow may be gone but the inspiration isn't. I already completed my next snow inspired pendant. I love the white snow against the dark brown earth. This will be a simple little tutorial for young and old to sew up some small gifts for special friends. The first snow always means the beginning of christmas gift making in my house. I hope to update my list of tutorials soon for easy access.

 

Have a great start to your week. Remember if you are longing for snow all you need are a needle and some snow white thread and then you will be ready to sew along.

magical

"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found? "                                       J. B. Priestley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think it was lady bird Johnson who said that if the first snowfall of the year doesn't excite you , you have gotten to old. I guess I am not there yet because this morning walking in the forest I had my eyes and imagination wide open just like a child.  This has inspired a small hand stitched craft that I will share with you later.

Happy Friday!!

when you feel the bone structure of the landscape

"I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, 
the dead feeling of winter.  Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show." 
-   Andrew Wyeth

I have always felt that when the layers are peeled away from the forests and road sides in October what is revealed is akin to the underlying skeletal structure. It leaves so much to one's imagination. I really sensed this when driving this past weekend through central Ontario. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although on closer inspection of the rocky outcrops there was still plenty of lush green and color to be explored.

 

 

 

 

There were lots of natural treasures to collect on my travels this weekend. Here is my tribute to November.

 

I am really looking forward to seeing the swell season tonight in Toronto.

my photography studio

The light is amazing especially in the morning and late in the day. It is completely solar powered. The backdrops are ever so beautiful. It doesn't cost me a penny, it is always open and I only need share it with the local wild things. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every so often I crochet up another covered tea saucer I have found at the thrift store. I almost have enough for a satisfactory wall display. It has been quite the week and I am glad it is drawing to a close. Hope those of you that are have the flu recover quickly and that the rest of you stay well. I leave you with the sun rise on my way to work this morning. There are some wonderful things you see if you must get up early to trod off to the office. I think that sole bird in the tallest tree was singing a good morning song just for me.

this day was for the squirrels

I was going to title this post "going nuts" but thought it a little harsh. Where I live we are in the midst of a very rapid increase in the number of H1N1 cases while at the same time the vaccine to prevent this illness has just started to be distributed. I have been a family physician for over two decades and have never before had to deal with a situation like this. So again my word of the day was "composure". Keeping it together to calm fear, maintain balance and get through it all one day at a time.

I took these pictures last week and they are so bright, colorful and smile inducing. Maybe they will work on you too. Here let me guide you into the forest with my little lantern leading the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really wonder what gossip those sporophytes are sharing with the liberty mushroom. Don't you love the cotton candy slime molds. They were new arrivals in the forest last week. Stay well my friends.

looking down

Looking down is the way to see all the color of my world this week. Soon everything will turn to shades of brown and grey and then of course the cold white crystals will fall from the sky. I have a feeling we are in for another early winter this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The amazing thing is that all these pictures were taken from the floor of the same little forest that my secret installation is in. Such diversity of color, texture and species of trees in a very small area within a very urban community. I am so fortunate to have this area so close to were I live.

The other exciting thing that autumn brings in these parts are rummage sales. My daughter and I went to one today and brought home a few treasures. 

 

I just love that vintage copy of The Little House book. It is one of my favorite stories and It still has its library card inside with all the adorable signatures of the children that took it out before it was taken out of circulation. I am sure most of you know by now that I have a great appreciation for vintage children's books especially if they have wonderful covers and or beautiful illustrations. 

The real find I think was the very soft and old patchwork baby quilt that I purchased for 25 cents!!!!

I will take some better pictures of it when the sun comes out again.

turning a little accident into a thing of warmth and beauty

If you have ever seen one of my crochet covered stones you would see that the cover is crocheted very tightly to the stone. So tight that it is not removable. I almost only use thrift store purchased vintage crochet or tatting threads and sometimes these are not the strongest threads in the world. I had just finished making a beautiful, very fine thread cover for a stone and was pulling very hard on the threads to make them as snug as possible and for the first time in my stone covering career the material tore, leaving a very large hole in the pattern. Rather than toss it into the compost, I decided to wet felt a cover on the stone and then open it up ever so slightly to reveal the lace pattern, hopefully in the none ripped area, beneath. This is very similar to how I made my matryoshka stones last year. 

 

 

I love these blues and off whites.

Quite the contrast to the continued explosion of color in the forest. 

 

The fields are very muted, golden and beautiful on my drives to and from work. Although I wish I could walk or use public transit to get to my office there is definitely some wonderful scenery to enjoy every day.

 

I do so hope your weekend glows.

my world explodes in color

The heard frost of the last few nights resulted in a windfall of colorful leaves on the ground this weekend. Of course I saw this as a gift of materials for some ephemeral art. The only twist was the wind. It really didn't settle down at all until late Sunday afternoon so I tried my best to work on the more sheltered side of the porch. I refused to give up and move indoors because it just goes against the philosophy of environmental art. Of course Edgar also loves wet colorful leaves. He adores the way they smell. 

Layering autumn leaves on my favorite weathered garden bench is becoming a little bit of a tradition. Here is the latest version.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few have you have asked about those shoes of mine. They are kaffe fassett needlepoint shoes that used to be available as a kit.  The skull on the colorful bench couldn't help but remind me of one of my mom's favorite artists, Georgia O'Keeffe. Hope I have helped give you a colorful start to your week. 

first frost

I was actually excited this morning amidst the business of the early morning and the knowledge of a very long day of work ahead of me to take a few moments to drive the car down a much less travelled road , park and admire the brush strokes of a very old friend of mine, Jack Frost. It was his first visit this autumn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He really is my favorite ephemeral nature artist. Just look how he paints the Queen Anne's lace and those poplar leaves are so very exquisite. I think I could learn a great deal from Jack.

migration

"Then migrating warblers, lemon-colored, whirled down along the frail branches till I could hardly tell which were leaves and which were birds. I sat down on roughened ivory grass to follow the warblers with my field glasses. Scores of tiny birds, gay and quaint, making evanescent compositions among the laced twigs."
-- Florence Page Jaques, (1890 - 1972) author 

One of the things I love most about the autumn besides the kaleidoscope of leaves is the chorus of migrating birds overhead and less often in the large maple trees that line my property.  This latest bit of environmental art is a homage to those tireless little wings that make those long trips to warmer climates for the winter. I sometimes whisper to them little secret messages to tell my friends who live in the south. I wonder if any of you have heard them.

This ephemeral art was created with the berries of baneberry, blue beaded lily and false solomon's seal collected on my last walk in the forest.  Interesting that the berries of the baneberry can cause cardiac arrest in human if ingested but are harmless to birds who have the important job of seed dispersal.

 

 

 

 

 

I love how the remainder of the baneberry fruiting body looks after the berries are removed. It reminded me of the white pines as painted by A Y Jackson, a member of the group of seven.

 

For me one thing almost always leads to another and no sooner had I photographed this I was crushing and mixing with water some of these more colorful berries along with some sumac and bright orange berries of lily of the valley from my garden. I have a ton of vintage white velvet ribbon that I had been wanting to color with natural dyes for so very long. I pleated it up and tied it into neat little bundles and let then sit in the dye baths overnight and a day while I was at work. This evening I removed the colorful parcels and unfolded them. The colors were beautiful and some were totally unexpected when looking at the starting materials.  I now have them drying by the wood stove and can't wait to see how they will look in the morning. I have special plans for these ribbons and can't wait to gather some more materials to be surprised by.

 

From left to right : sumac, false solomon's seal, lily of the valley and the most exciting result of all blue beaded lily. I am totally smitten with that purple.  You see purple and I have a very strong relationship that goes way back. I will leave that story for another day perhaps.

It is amazing where a walk in the forest will lead one.