Fall Collecting in the Forest! Nature's Beauties!

 I added a link a the top of my Page for Interweave which I found from a favorite magazine, Cloth, Paper, Scissors!  It features all kinds of Crafting and Art Resources! It is the Interweave Link which will take you to so many fun places, check it out! You will fall in love too! Save 30% Off at Interweave with Offer Code SPOOKY30 I have not blogged much this summer, but it rained the other day  I stayed inside most of the day,  I am sure my husband liked it better on summer days when I was outside many times past his dinner call!  I cleaned and vacuumed and was in his way all day!

I have stayed busy planting and building gardens, moss, flowers, and wildflower (roadside finds) which I said I was not going to do this year BUT, it happened...

I could not drive my car the beginning of summer, in May I wreaked our car and my husband banned me from driving because Our car insurance rate will  be raised yet again due to me. Two accidents in last two years, which really is a bit much for me... But, eventually I wore him down and said I would pay the increased premium if he would let me go back to my wanderings.... ( he got tired of waiting in the car for me while cutting roadside finds and lots of times he would not even stop which led to some bittersweet words from me....

My gardens have kept me busy and fall collecting season has been fabulous! The acorns are falling on  my head in my backyard! A Banner Year for them!

I am finding so many acorn with no tops which is amazing to me, where are the tops? Maybe they are so heavy on the trees they fall and tops stay. I don't know but both are all around me in my backyard especially, The yard is just covered with both and I cannot help but keep picking them up. They find their way into crevices and leaf bunches, our yard slopes and catches many things, fun to look around.

I even have been finding with I cannot resist collecting is these tiny  little eanny meany acorns, I find their little eyes looking at me in the leaves, They would make great table scatter I tell myself. So yes, I pick them up!

Meanwhile, here is what I have been doing! 

I remember a couple of occasions when I went looking for an acorn and another time a pine cone. They were just not to be found, it was too late for the pine cones, they were under pine straw and rotting and wrong time of year acorns. Some years we just have not had many but THIS has been a BANNER Year for them! They are falling all around me outside in my yard and hitting our car even. 

SO, Collect them when you can!

I  have been collecting the acorn tops for awhile now, they started falling in my back yard a while back so I have a fabulous supply! 

 I had some drying when the rains came and the nuts started sprouting so I feed them to the squirrels but they are separating now and I am collecting them separate and putting acorns the street as I don't want them in my gardens sprouting! I sure don't need pine trees in my gardens.

 I started collecting the acorn tops when I thought of the Gnome Hat Factory for my Etsy store.  As you know fairies, gnomes, hobbits, elves, any kind of  forest creatures who love to hide is what I LOVE! I say to myself I find the magical trinkets they leave for me to discover! Also some buyers are using them to felt acorns with and other ideas.

Also, we have had several days of rain and one a humdinger with  high winds and hard rains and now the pine cones are everywhere, so YES! I go get them! All kinds of trees are in the forest and so many types to find. Long, short, little, fat, they are all around me. They are all a lot to clean and remove pine straw debris but I am working on it

I am now finding all sizes of pine cones and I collect them all. I use them for mixed media projects like the new fireplace starters I am working on. even the eany meany ones will be neat table scatter and in my potpourri I am working on.  Some can be barely seen and are not open.

 I have been drying flowers all summer long for my potpourri mixes and I have a beautiful supply of Dried Hydrangea now too, Beautiful colors in blue, pine, brown lace, white lace, and greens. I have dried flower petals of all kinds.

Some of the small pine cones I am using in my New Fireplace Starters I am just starting to make. Of course, they are all different as I use forest findings to make them. They will be nice for campfires and  fireplaces, etc.  I put inside them items I thought would be neat to see or colorful but the wax dried white instead of clear so next time maybe I will add a scent to them for color since you cannot see inside the fireplaces starters. I did decorate the tops with woodland findings and they will be in my Etsy shop too!

With our hard rains down came the leaves too. I was sweeping our porch and moved my concrete bunny that holds a couple of pine cones that never open. I had added a couple that were on the porch just to clear the way and look what I found. Do you see the tiny mushrooms growing inside the pine cone?

I hope you have enjoyed my days in the woods! 

Smiles, Cyndi

My Photographs added to Etsy and Facebook, and finding Pussy Willow Branches!

I have been working on my photography and getting some more photos listed, they are starting to sell for which I am very happy to share them, I find such beauty in common things around me.

I also have been finding some more pussy willow branches in bloom this year.  The first collection was the same as what I collected last year. I got it  and sprayed preservative on it as I did last year it has lasted so well, I still have some that is perfect but I sold all I wanted to sell last year so I went back for some more later after the first collection and WOW, how they had changed. The blooms are larger and the blooms are not just white buds  which are still available but also a yellow - orange curled bud with small hairs on them, They are the largest I have ever seen and some are on the tree tops and so beautiful.

I found a tree that had been cut down so they were easy to collect and I got some branches to plant and also to share with my neighbor. He brought me some forsythia yesterday to plants, he has trained his plants in two heart shapes and they were beautiful last year!

Here are some pictures:

And, photos of the first collections:

I have them for sale in my ByLightOfMoon Etsy shop in small and large bunches according to the length of the stems. Some are short for a small flat rate box and other are long branches for a bouquet.

You could make a wedding boutonniere or bouquet arrangement with a pin or add your fresh cut pussy willow in a vase for a fresh rustic natural nature theme wedding, tea party, soiree, or pretty table setting.

 Make hair accessories for Easter or curiosity boxes of nature items.
They would look nice with a fern stem on your table decor or use the branches in your country decor. Put them in with potpourri mix for a beautiful encore to the bowl.


Thanks for looking and I appreciate a comment if possible.
Smiles, Cyndi

Scavenger Hunt, Etsy Team, Keepers of Enchantment, lost camera, Forest Findings!

I lost my camera and was frantic after I could not find it for a whole day, then the next day either (yesterday)! Finally, I moved a box of plastic tubs on the daybed on the porch and there it was. Relief!

 The last I remembered using it was to take some mushroom and stone pictures in my yard and I thought I had laid it down somewhere and it got covered up by leaves.  Sounds like me! We looked everywhere. I went through boxes of stuff that I had been in. I collect the plastic pastry boxes to keep my forest nature findings in where I can see through the containers and I found a whole box of them at the recycle dump in a bin. They don't take them so someone has trashed  them!

The mushrooms and stones are just awesome in my yard and the stones have started to flake with the cold weather. They make magic fairy dust! 

The mushrooms are on logs in my yard and I adore looking at the beautiful colors in them. I use them in my terrariums and shadow, curiosity boxes, etc. The striations of different colors on different logs are awesome! 

And, the tiny yellow orange ones are only teeny tiny that I saw when I moved some leaves. I mean teeny too, maybe 1/8 inch tall. and, completely covered til I moved the leaves and our leaves are huge here in the forest. They get caught in the stones in my moss garden where I have put stepping stones inside to walk on in the summer.

They are also several inches deep on the garden, I just move a few leaves and presto, beautiful moss is underneath! Beautiful and Green! Just perfect, mother nature takes care of herself. I have learned so much since living in the woods, they are in my soul.

I can't really rake the leaves here, they have to be hand-picked up to not disturb underneath what I may find. I carry an leaf large potting bucket with me and then mulch them with the lawnmower. And, I had just mowed last week before the snow. What I can mow at least, so the ground got a good soaking. 

I can also just pick up this quartz and the fantastic blue slate stones flake off also. They will make beautiful ponds or terrarium accents! 

 Blue Slate  with fungi on log

So glad I found my camera, it was eating at me where it could be and then my DH told me he had dumped my porch trash can without going through it. My heart sank, I thought maybe it was gone forever! And, it was a Christmas present from my Mother who is 83. I treasure it and she enjoys the photos I take with it.

We live hundreds of miles apart.

My newest project is making some fairy related items for my "ByLightOfMoon" Etsy shoppe with forest items.   I am working on some jewelry items, along with some surprises. 

My newest Team is having a Scavenger hunt with 16 shops having items with a special photo as the last photo in the listing and many prizes will be given out. I love the fairy tale related shops in this team I joined, Keepers of Enchantement! 

This is the  photo to look for in the listings. It will be on the shops first two pages only on ONE Item only!

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The scavenger Hunt will start soon with the shops participating listed soon. Can you find my listing for the Hunt?  ByLightOfMoon Etsy Shop

I guess I had my own scavenger hunt trying to find my camera so I am ready! 

Smiles, Cyndi

PS: Your comments are very much appreciated!