INSPIRATION & PROJECTS
Read on to find inspiration, techniques, or projects to help you make the most of your Dormouse Wood finds - for personal enjoyment, gifts, fundraising or community activities. I will regularly add to this section and use the newsletter to alert subscribers to updates (the sign up box is at the bottom of the page if you are interested). Also, you can find lots more inspiration on my Pinterest boards where, as well as pinning Dormouse Wood images and information, I am collecting related ideas from around the world - just click on the Pinterest icon at the foot of the page to take a look.
The Butterfly House: Hanging Decoration Featuring Paper Butterflies and Air Plants
To kick things off I am showing-casing two projects I made as gifts. Both combine needle felting with my Dormouse Wood finds, I have also included ‘how to make’ information for a number of different designs within what I have named ‘The Butterfly House’ range. They include a 3D hanging decoration, an air plant arrangement, gift tags / Christmas decorations, plus a freestanding centrepiece which could sit on a shelf or table. Finally for now, I show how to make a wreath base from hazel stems. Scroll down to take a look.
In the coming weeks and months I will post more ideas for using Dormouse Wood products to add that perfect touch to weddings or other special occasions (birthdays, anniversaries christenings, baby showers … ). You will find information on ways to craft beautiful, woodland inspired, pieces for your home, garden or as gifts, plus useful techniques, such as methods to shape, colour or ebonise wood (ebonising, can look stunning!). We will share ways to use items from Dormouse Wood for everything from flower arrangements and gift wrapping to cake decorating. We will show you how to make indoor hanging gardens, build fairy houses and craft seasonal creations to celebrate the turning of the seasons. Some will incredibly simple to re-create or evolve, others a bit more challenging. I hope all of them will make people smile.
If you have a project in mind and are interested in using items from Dormouse Wood but aren’t sure where to start, or need advice, do email me. I will be very happy to try and help.
A Baby’s Mobile
A baby's mobile made from Ivy wood collected in Dormouse Wood.
The animals, insects and fungi decorating it are all handmade from British wool using needle felting.
IMPORTANT: Ensure you understand and comply with Health & Safety standards, especially when creating items for babies or young children. This mobile is designed to be hung well out of baby’s reach. It is for them to look at, not to touch.
The Butterfly House
This theme came to me as I was sorting through old photographs.
Around 15 years ago, along with my partner Ian, I visited a live butterfly house, at New York’s iconic Natural History museum. I have toured a number of live butterfly exhibits since. However, it was the photographs of that visit, unseen for years, which triggered the idea. They reminded me that the materials used to re-create the habit for these stunning, ephemeral creatures were almost identical to those in the Woodland Wreath …. sticks, bark, moss and leaves. Add in a dehydrated version of the fruit on which the butterflies feed and with a little imagination you can capture the spirit of a butterfly house. You then just need some butterflies …
With their delicate structure and vivid colours the butterflies in my photographs brought to mind a store we visited on several occasions when in New York - a Japanese bookstore, just across from Rockafeller Plaza. They stocked a lovely range of papers and art materials and on that same trip we purchased several packs of authentic Japanese origami paper. On our return I put them away safely and until now, they had never been opened..
It all came together in the blink of an eye and Butterfly House was born - a fusion of Dormouse Wood, with influences from New York and Japan.
How to Weave a Hazel Wreath
A freshly made hazel wreath ready for finishing and decoration
A wreath made from natural hazel is a lovely base for many designs, including those incorporating several different sizes, to create a three dimensional hanging decoration. A hazel wreath will sit happily, either outdoors or inside and unlike most man-made options, its shape and texture can be integrated into your creation rather than needing to be hidden away. If you want to incorporate fresh greenery simply integrate natural moss into your wreath. It will look good andl help to retain moisture, keeping everything fresh and healthy for longer. After the celebrations are over (be it Christmas, a wedding, an anniversary, or perhaps a seasonal festive occasion, such as Halloween) just remove the decorations and away put your hazel wreath until you want to use it again.
A Woodland Shop
This is a project I created as a gift for my Mother about a year ago, so please excuse the fact that the photographs were taken on my dining room table!
The inspiration came from the robin and squirrel who live in my Mother’s garden and that she has virtually tamed. Tales of what Robin and Squirrel had been up to, along with a chat one day about a local wood we used to visit when I was a child, led to the idea of creating a scene combining the two themes.
Using sticks for the structure and small sections of fallen spruce and pine boughs as roofing I built a woodland shack to act as a shop. I then stocked it with a selection of goods for which the denizens of Dormouse Wood could buy or barter My collection of bits and pieces (I am a crafting hoarder) provided mini glass bottles, sacks and pots to display the wares, as well as extras for the stock in the shop. I also added paper, which I aged, before stiffening it with Pavapol to make signage and stock labels.
Both characters are needle felted but unlike the baby’s mobile, as this was for an adult, I used wire armatures and glass eyes etc. The armature allows both Squirrel and Robin to be posed. For example, Squirrel’s claws can be wrapped around the bottle of Robin Tonic he is holding.
I made a textured base using the wet felting technique but didn’t over work it, as I wanted a fairly thick and uneven surface. Combining different colours of wool give the impression of a muddy track leading to the shop, several grassy areas, plus water along one edge. I then added a few needle felted mushrooms, the tops again stiffened, to give the base more height and interest.
Finally it was just a case of dressing the shop and its base, using lichen covered sticks, mossy bark and other woodland oddments.
I am planning to make a similar woodland scene in the coming months. This time I will take step by step photographs / videos and add them to the website. If you are interested, just sign up to the newsletter so you receive an alert.