Wild Earth Integration

Although you shouldn’t trust a crocodile with your lunch, you can definitely trust them with your ideas.

This Wild Earth Croc-Book measures 3×5 inches and definitely won’t bite.

Happy Monday, all!

I’ve noticed that most of the things that are truly precious in life are those that are easiest to take for granted.

Trees are a prime example.

Maybe it’s because we see them all the time. Standing out there through the seasons, facing the elements with that quiet, stoic attitude. We don’t realize that our breaths essentially come from them, and that the oxygen that we need to survive comes from their silent processes.

It’s very easy to forget that we owe trees our lives. After all, they’re not exactly asking for recognition.

Many ancients referred to trees as the ‘Standing People’. They stood silently, becoming the keepers of our stories. They also had many stories to tell to those who listened.

Trees are a lesson in timing. They don’t push for the next season – they allow their leaves to bud, grow, change colors and drop as the world tells them. They accept each stage as it happens and use their energy wisely. I would guess that trees don’t mourn the spring when winter arrives. Probably because the seeds for next spring aren’t far behind.

The effect of trees on people can sometimes be known as ‘tree medicine’. This is not medicine in the traditional sense (although you might find yourself feeling better around trees). It’s about tapping into the stability and strength found in trees, and considering just how much that tree has seen.

To honour trees, I started a collection called TreeSkins. These are pendants (and soon to be other creations) that reflect the stoic nature of trees. Simple.

Individual trees also have particular strengths. To start, I chose the birch. This tree represents our ability to listen, see and reflect. Ultimately, birches mean realization. That’s a nice place to start.

The only piece of birch bark I had was a birthday (birchday!) card from a dear friend. (I have very clever friends).

Using that as inspiration, I made the first TreeSkin pendants. Can you see them in the pic above?

How about this?

They are 100% polymer clay, so you can take a little tree medicine with you wherever you go.

There are more TreeSkins to come – and I have a feeling I’d be kicked out of Canada if I don’t do a maple.

Keep it wild!

Update: A full gallery of Wild Earth Artifacts can be found here via Flickr.

If you don’t believe in dragons,

it is curiously true,

That the dragons you disparage

choose to not believe in you!

I told you this would get addictive.

Here’s another Wild Earth Notebook I cooked up this morning. I’ve hidden some tiny oak leaves all over to remind me of spring. Can you find them?

PS. Comments are back on so if you have any ideas for notebooks, drop them here!

I have to admit, I never set out this morning to make this. I had lots of scrap clay from my latest projects, but no idea what to do with them.

This is what happens when you leave me alone in a room with clay and a little Michael Buble.

On the far right is a shell, with a string of moss agate on the bottom left. There is also a small cluster of tiger’s eye in the top middle. I think the overall effect makes it look a bit like the forest floor.

You can imagine how this can get a bit addictive, so you can be sure to see more Wild Earth Notebooks in the days to come!

To custom order a notebook, contact me at wildearthintegration (at) gmail (dot) com

Keep it wild!

Okay, so it’s not my best title.

But there are some new Earthwings up and ready to go!

Don’t forget to check out the gallery above for more, or visit the nice people on the Artifacts FB page for updates.

Snowy Owl

Red winged black bird

Cardinal

I’m also happy to take suggestions or commissions for any of your favorite birds! Big Bird, anyone?

Keep it wild!

With winter in full swing here, there is lots of time for quiet pondering. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the lessons we can learn from ordinary things – things we might normally take for granted or not notice at all.

I can’t think of anything that goes more unnoticed than the humble rock.

We can learn a thing or two from rocks.

They start off sharp, with rough edges and points. But by rolling through the terrain, bumping into others, turning, reorienting and facing the elements, they ultimately become smooth.

It is much easier to navigate the world with smooth edges. Instead of crashing into something, you simply roll with it. Rocks teach you to roll through life, because being strong has nothing to do with being sharp.

Rocks can also teach you about strong foundations. You wouldn’t build a house upon a curved rock. Instead you’d find a flat one. Likewise, your intentions form the foundation of all your ideas, so it is important to give them attention. Rocks are physically and figuratively the poster child for solid ground.

To honor these humble rocks, I wanted to keep it simple. No etchings, no sculptures – just rocks.

These pendants are handmade from polymer clay and – wait for it – dryer lint, so they are very eco-friendly. Wear one to remind you to roll easily through life and enjoy the simplicity found among the rocks.

Ice Water Ring

Jade (my version)

Stuck in the River With You

Feelin’ Blue

Up close detailing – I love the flecks and facets!

Four Directions Ring

Mellowed Amber

Quirky

Amber & Jade

7 Sacred Teachings

(This rock has 7 holes, symbolizing the seven sacred teachings: love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility and truth)

If you would like your own river rock pendant, feel free to contact me at wildearthintegration (at) gmail (dot) com — various stringing options are available!

Keep it wild!

Feathers are underrated.

Not only do they allow birds to fly whenever they please, they also provide warmth, strength and a means of communication to others.

Feathers are also a world themselves. Birds use feathers to build their nests, keeping their young ones warm. Creatures live within their barbs, building cities that are invisible to us.

To some, feathers symbolize communication with higher realms and spiritual wisdom. Across cultures, the feather has become known as a symbol of the sky. Freedom.

“Look at the feather. In it is all that is – the ability to soar, to float, to reconnect, to come and go.”

With winter gearing up, I thought you might enjoy a splash of colour.

Monarchs are delicate and beautiful, but they’re also symbols of strength and perseverance. Using those paper-thin wings, they travel over 8,000 km a year – the longest insect migration in North America.

They also serve as a good reminder about growth and change – spending just over a week as a caterpillar and another two weeks inside a chrysalis, before emerging with as butterflies ready to fly away.

Cocktail party tidbit — you can tell a male from a female by the black spots on their hind wings. Males have them, females don’t.

It’s easy to ignore the birds around you.

But to Aboriginal people (living centuries ago as well as today), birds were important animal totems that often acted as messengers.

I like the sounds of that.

Although humans still look to nature as a ‘how-to’ manual for many problems of design and industry (biomimicry is all the rage, you know), I think looking to animals in a more personal sense would greatly benefit each of us.

To celebrate birds as animal totems, I created a line called Earthwings. People identify with different animals, so if any of the birds here strikes your fancy you may want to pay attention and see if any make an appearance in your life.

Check out the descriptions to learn about each bird and its messages to you.

Blue Jay

For those of you who have met this guy, you know he is the rock star of the bird world. Very chatty, very brave and endlessly curious. Many believed that his azure feathers mirrored the sky, helping one to see their life with clarity and truth. Blue Jay reminds you to communicate well and be assertive with your needs.

Eagle (1/wrapped around shell, 2/with medicine wheel 3/free-standing with beading)

If you ever get a chance to travel to eagle country, do it. The sheer size and power of these birds will stop you in your tracks. Traditionally, eagle represents skill, leadership and protection. Observe the way they find the thermals in the air to soar and they’re also a lesson in ‘work smart, not hard’.

Raven

Ravens, like wolves, have a bad reputation. But that’s the beauty of raven. He could care less what people think of him. The latest experiments show ravens executing incredible feats with tools, but their intelligence is nothing new to us. Cunning and skill are traits of the raven, along with an ability to keep and pass on information. If you connect with raven, you are most likely a smart cookie who knows all your neighbours’ secrets.

Parrot

Parrots might seem an odd bird for this mix, but who am I to exclude the colourful? Australian aboriginals know more about parrot, believing he is a sign to keep material things in their place. Loving the sound of their own voice, parrot also teaches humility.

Blue Feathers

This is my own addition to this mix, because I think there is a very important message to be found in blue feathers. Why? Because there is no such thing as blue feathers! There are no blue birds on the planet.

Really!

The blue feathers we see on jays, herons and other blue birds is actually the product of two optical illusions. One occurs because of how we see light and the other is due to the physics of the feather itself. So the feathers aren’t blue, but they look blue.

The message that I’m choosing to take from this (and thus endeth the long winded explanation) is that the world is more mysterious than we know and if you want to see blue feathers, you will. Knowing how something works doesn’t change the magic of it occurring in the first place.

I’m planning on doing more Earthwings and animal totem pieces, so if you’d like to send in a suggestion for a creature that you relate with, email me at wildearthintegration (at) gmail (dot) com.

(comments are off due to spammy problems for the moment).

Keep it wild!