Simplifying

As folks may have noticed, I haven't posted on this blog in a while. Not to worry, Mountain Hearth Handcrafts is still around, I'm just finding myself in a busier phase of life with many irons in the fire. Originally, I intended to only have one blog, and found I had so much to write about that I started this as a secondary blog solely focused on handcrafting. What I am really finding out along the way is that the definition of handcrafting is fluid. When you really get down to it, life is art, art is life, and they are not really separate things. Therefore, from here on out, you can find my posts about handcrafting on my main blog:

A Mountain Hearth

I copied all my old Mountain Hearth Handcrafts posts over there, but the comments won't transfer, so if you ever want to read back through them, right here they will remain.

Here's to living, dreaming and creating, on the homestead and in the outdoors.

A Walk on the Wild Side

Spring is a busy time around here, and while I have been busy wildcrafting delicious stinging nettles for tea, soups and other delicious dishes, I have also been busy making my handcrafted bean-to-bar chocolate. A wild harvested Amazonas bean from Venezuela came my way, so I decided why not combine it with wildcrafted powdered nettle? I ended up with these delicious, dark chocolate leaves chalk full of all the goodness of nettles. 

Wildcrafted cocoa and wildcrafted herbs just seem to belong together. If you want to take a walk on the wild side and try them, they are up on my Etsy site in packages of two or four leaves:

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/126788758/wild-nettle-chocolates

Queen Winter Arrives

 With wintry weather settling in, I though I would share a few of the Queen Winters I've made over the years.

I really enjoy seeing how each one comes out with her own unique character.

Here is the most current one on my Etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/63664982/queen-winter

A Wee Fairy Family

I just finished this custom order for a woman's niece as a birthday gift. She likes to pretend everyone in her family is a different kind of fairy, so I made a mother and daughter rose fairy, a papa Tomten, and a little baby brother Tomten. I hope she enjoys playing with them.

I have really been enjoying making these enchanted little families for folks.

There is still plenty of time for custom holiday orders, so let me know if you need an enchanted little family of your own. 

Mountains and Rivers Without End

While spending the weekend at Bald Knob Lookout on a retreat in solitude, I needlefelted this wool wall hanging of the lookout perched above the Wild Rogue Wilderness, Eden Valley and the Rogue River watershed spreading out below. The mountain peaks and river valleys seem to me to stretch on forever here, and always makes me think of Gary Snyder's book of poetry, "Mountains and Rivers Without End."

I saw some amazing sunsets and starry skies on my trip, as well as some breathtaking crescent moonrises.

You can read more about my trip shortly on my other blog: A Mountain Hearth

and find the wall hanging on my Etsy Shop listing here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/112218191/mountains-and-rivers-without-end-felted

A Felted Family

I just finished this custom order for a felted wool family that is going to be a playset for Grandma's House. It was a very warm feeling to create a family treasure for her grandkids to play with. Folks must be settling in and getting cozy for the long winter ahead with their families, because I am also working on a custom order of a fairy family for a little girl who likes to pretend everyone in her family is a fairy.

With chilly Autumn evenings setting in, I welcome and enjoy these custom order projects. Feel free to drop me a line on Etsy: http://mountainhearth.etsy.com, or at mountainhearth@gmail.com if you have an idea.

Dream Big Dreams

I just finished this wall hanging for my friend Logan's birthday. She turned 12 this weekend, and has just decided she wants to hike the Pacific Crest Trail within the next couple of years with her dad. Her dream was inspired by a dayhike we went on for a few miles along the P.C.T. to see South Cinder Peak on a recent backpacking trip, so I needlefelted all the peaks and lakes we encountered on our journey.

That furry little critter following behind is Lena, her stuffed wombat friend who often shares her adventures. Since wombats are nocturnal, they are hiking along by the light of the moon and stars.

Here's to big dreams and big adventures!