Tuesday, September 14, 2010

I need it tomorrow - the art of procrastination and a herbarium

One of my middle names is procrastination, at least for things I don't like to do.
It started early in life. I was the one taking my linocut home instead of finishing it at school, it was supposed to be a Christmas card with a candle on it and it was a miracle I got it done before Christmas. I was the one trying to finish the crochet cardigan in the last minute and of course never got to the sleeves (isn't it funny a wire crocheter says that?).
And I was the one that started on her herbarium the day before and panicked. I was lucky to have my grandmother. After she was done scolding me for being so late, she took her umbrella and told me we were going to take a walk.

We went to the Oberholz, a forest at the edge of my hometown.
It started raining which made me even more miserable about dragging my 70 year old grandmother into the woods to collect leaves with me. On ther other hand I enjoyed walking with her and once we were underneath the trees, it didn't feel that bad anymore.

I was no botanist then (still am not today as you already know). So my grandma walked ahead and with her umbrella slightly hit the trees that I should gather leaves from, telling me what trees they were. Not that I could remember that after bringing home a whole bag full!
And one tree was so high she had to reach up with her umbrella to pull down a branch and pluck a leaf off.
And even if it was hard work to sort the leaves at home, the next day in school I had one of the coolest collections of them all.

You must think I spend a lot of time reminiscing. I have to admit it happens easily when I browse Etsy and find things that remind me of the past.
Even if this lovely painting is showing a road near North London, it reminded me so much of the Oberholz. You can find the Avenue of Green Trees in the shop of Erintrees.


It led to this memory and then I went looking for leaves in the team shops which was much more comfortable than walking in the rain.

How about these Willow Oak leaves from the shop of Willow Branch Musings?


I wish I had found beautiful leaves like these in the woods ;-) But they can't be found in the wild, only in the shop of Marie Cristine.


Tiptoe Lane is not only a beautiful necklace, but also a beautiful memory. It's not the only one in the shop of The Blue Dress. Have a look!


I hope you had a little fun on another trip down the memory lane. I would love to hear if you have similar stories!

By Cat's Wire

The SATeam blog features artisan handmade creations by the etsy starving artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

6 comments:

mcstoneworks said...

What a wonderful memory of time spent with your grandmother. Lovely selections to tie in with your walk in the woods.

Caron Michelle said...

I just love your stories Cat, thank you for sharing with us!

Anonymous said...

Cat, that was a lovely story. Most enjoyful. Very nice examples you found aswell. Thank you.

Happileerving said...

What a fabulous memory to have of time spent with your Grandma. You chose some beautiful creations to illustrate it.

Atelier MariT said...

Wonderful story and great selections, you really have a way with words!

tjrjewellery said...

Thanks for the peak into your childhood Cat!