Find your place at Spring Bird
Fox teaches us about camouflage. When we blend into our surroundings we can become keen observers. This is particularly necessary in nature when we want to observe wildlife without disturbing it, but I also like to blend in at parties. #introvert This illustration is from …
September went by so quickly! This is my sketchbook drawing for the month!!! It seemed like a real transition month — holding on to Summer’s heat and humidity. I did enjoy seeing so many caterpillars!! Have an Outstanding October!
Story quilting has been a beautiful part of my art practice. I find that making these quilts is a beautiful way to integrate my twin loves of storytelling and visual art making! I prefer to use rough edge applique and big embroidery stitching to make …
Question for Pat from Stephanie: I’m setting up a new office and want to create a bit of an indoor ecosystem with a collection of potted plants. Any recommendations on the best plants what will be happy indoors (in Johannesburg) and give off the best oxygen …
A couple of Summers ago, I was so fortunate to partake in my first and only official Forest Bathing experience here at Spring Bird. Even though I spend a good deal of time having magical experiences in the woods, the Forest Bathing experience was so …
Our daughter Penelope has wanted a pet pig for years! We have done all of the research on small, indoor breeds etc. When she realized that pigs are as demanding as human toddlers, she decided to get a guinea pig, instead. The guinea pig is …
Mono printing is so fun! It’s a great intro to printing – its immediacy, its fluidity, and its non-fussiness lets you to make fast, impressions of nature that could perhaps double as ink blots for further psychological testing. I’m kidding. These prints are a great …
We have a lot of map lovers in our house. Pat is the chief map lover, but Abe is our family cartographer! He is usually drawing maps for his fantasy stories and D & D adventures, but we commissioned him to make a Map of …
On Instagram, Michele asks how to transplant Bamboo that has outgrown it’s containter. This is Pat’s answer: Assuming you have the houseplant known as lucky bamboo, re-potting it is straightforward. You can either keep it in the same jar or move it to a bigger …
Each issue of Woolgathering comes with a seasonal postcard, which you can mail to a friend, use as a bookmark, or post on a bulletin board. The postcard for the 2019 Fall Issue included this recipe for Sausage, White Bean, and Kale Soup. Heat olive …
Love new art supplies? Try sourcing your next pen from the woods! This brief tutorial demonstrates how you can make intersting contour drawings with a twig and ink! Surrendering control to a twig allows for interesting nature drawings, which you can add to your nature …
Last Tuesday and Saturday, I taught a Small Weaving Workshop at Spring Bird Cottage! These workshops focused on teaching the tapestry weaving on different “looms” that also incorporated natural materials. I was blown away with the amount of creativity that each weaver demonstrated. Take a look at the …
As the story goes, the farmers cooled the cans of cows’ milk in the chilly waters of the Spring Bird creek, back when it was a dairy farm, a century ago. With the cows long gone, forest has flourished, but you can still get fresh …
Oh boy! This was a good story! I don’t want to give any spoilers because the plot was so beautiful and suspenseful, but what I really appreciate about this novel is that it takes the ordinary and shows how it is truly extraordinary. We all …
