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!

A Mountain Hearth

It's the peak of backpacking season, and with glorious weather and scarce mosquitoes, it's a fine time to be in the high country. I've done a lot of lower elevation trips this season, but I am still hoping to squeeze in just one more trip up into the mountains before Winter sets in. I needlefelted this wool wall hanging with that longing for mountains in my heart.

Campfires on a high ridge under the stars are, after all, some of the best moments that make up life.

You can see more about it on the listing in my Etsy Shop:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/107937698/campfire-under-the-stars-felted-wool