Week 3 : Happiness

“Happiness, not in another place but this place...
not for another hour, but this hour.” ― Walt Whitman 

The morning began below freezing.  There was ice in the boot tray when I went outside to hang the giant paper snowflake that marks the trail to the studio.  I received a text from  Mighty E which read:

"It's below freezing are we still going for a hike?"

"Yes"

"Yay!"

The girls arrived and began filling their mugs with hot cocoa.  We warmed up and chatted about our week.  Mighty A wrote a beautiful entry in her journal that are wise words for all to remember.






















Our plan was to take our hike first then come back and work on our projects.  We crossed the stone bridge in search of a patch of princess pine to place inside our ornaments.   Lycopodium obscurum, also called rare clubmoss, is a native plant and grows in the understory of the forest.  They look like miniature trees for fairy folk.  They are ancient plants and I was told that they are prehistoric, but of this I'm not certain.

We stopped to take a group photo atop the big boulders, before making our way off trail in search of a fallen tree to cross.  The tree was a bit high above the creek and somewhat challenging for those afraid of heights, but they did it.  It can be invigorating to push past our comfort zones and land safely on the other side.

Our second project was origami lucky stars to fill our second ornament.  Wishes were written onto strips of paper and folded into stars before slipping them into the ornament.  These are tricky to make at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's super easy.  Here is a video tutorial to help you remember if you decide to make more at home.

Our last project of the morning was a simple and really cool pendant that incorporates the spring from a wooden clothespin.  When I measured the gauge of the chain, I didn't realize that clothespin springs come in different sizes and I measured for a spring that was larger than the others so the chain would not slide through.  These super creative girls decided to improvise.

 ( On Monday I went to several different stores on a quest to find the larger spring clothespins and found them at Target.  The girls can switch them out and slide the pendant directly on the chain next week. )

We celebrated the rain free morning with a fire and s'mores.

After class I drove to Maryland for the Owl Moon Raptor Festival.  I have to say I've never seen so many owls up close and in one place before, including species I have never seen in person.  I was pleased to see three mighty girls there also.  Mighty S, brought her sketchbook and sketched many of the raptors.

I'm looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday for our last class of the Wintry Workshop!

Made so & rooted by love,
Wendy