SHROOMS

Cute little mushroom bitties. I've been wanting to makes some mushrooms for a while. I'm not very good at sculpting but I had seen several that I liked and wanted to mimic for my daughter's forest room as well as my nieces garden room (Influence here, here and here).

I purchased some Pluffy by Sculpey. It's extremely soft clay that doesn't dry out. You sculpt and bake at a low temperature. It's great for kids so this easily turned into a crafternoon with my daughter.

I started with a small ball, then rolled it to a soft point on one end. Then I gave it a nub at the top and a fat stem. I tried creating a mushroom as two pieces (a stem, and a nub), but after some trial and error, I liked this way better. I used a paperclip end to create the under nub lines first and then I put some into the top of the stem. Then I played with it a bit and give the nub some shape. Last, I manipulated the stem to be either something that can stand on it's own, slim, or I put a straight pin in it. The pin helps it stay in place if it's not able to stand on it's own. It can stick into a shelf or something. Below are several experiments. Not perfect by any means, but cute enough to display as is, paint or use in a terrarium.

GIVING THANKS WITH REAL MAIL

Last September I joined the 52 Weeks of Mail Challenge. Since then, I've written to friends I don't get to see anymore, family members who offer up their kindness, and lovely people from my past that I have missed in my life. It has been rewarding and I'm glad I took up the challenge. I like it mostly because there's always a birthday to remember, or someone to say "thank you" to. This has been a great way to ensure that I say what needs to be said.

Plus, I am still attached to actual mail and I truly hope that the United States Postal System can hold on for dear life. I would cry a long while if real mail went away. If there were no more stamps I might need to seek therapy.
































































I adore stamps. Thanks to my dear friend, Carlyn. She got me hooked on stamps. We went to London and Scotland together several years back and we bonded creatively over keeping records of our travels with bits of found items, stickers, stamps, rubbings and drawings. I still have those sketchbooks.

And the photos that we took. This was back in the days when we took photos with real film and had to wait until our return to spend the whole of our paychecks to find out if we got any good shots. It wasn't convenient, but I long for the romantic-ness of it all. I still have my Holga and I hope to bust that out someday soon, despite the ever popular and easy Instagram.

But, see what happened to film? Oi, please don't let that happen to stamps and mail. I beg of you.

Perhaps it's time to write a letter, say thank you, wish someone Happy Birthday with a real card instead of on Facebook.

And while I'm at it, I need to plug my favorite book these days:  "thxthxthx". I lovelovelove this book. Leah Dieterich not only has an amazing idea here, she has a fabulous talent for writing. I adore her sentiments, frustrations and honesty. That's a great gift to send to someone you miss.

GIFTING

Oh, how I love gifts. I love to give them, get them, wrap them, unwrap them, plan them, make them and buy them.

There's something heartwarming about giving a gift. It makes me feel good. I like to dig into my stash of ribbons, papers and twine and wrap things up for the big event.

Giving gifts, it's like playing Santa all year long. How can any part of that not make both the giver and receiver not feel extra special? I wish I could do it more, I double wish everyone in the world could do it more. It might ease some of our tense relations.

GOOD BOOK

One thing my husband and I, together firmly believe in is books. We want to have good inspiration and information on hand, so from the time we were engaged we started our library. We have no trouble justifying the purchase of books. If we go a month without buying one or two it's high-time.

Here's one my husband picked up for me. It's loaded with color and pattern inspiration, wonderful history on Orla Kiely and her process in design. Not to mention it's well laid out and printed. It's a GOOD BOOK.