The Excitement of Winter branches

Getting closer to Mother Nature in Winter

    In the winter in the mountains, when the temperatures hover in the 30's, a day in the 40's invites one outside !  This year we have had more rain than snow,  so taking walks is easy.  I try to walk my dogs everyday, but some days there is a lot of ball fetching in the house:-)  For people that love Nature, being indoors so much can be hard.  I have always found solice in winter with what gathering I can do on trees and shrubs. Much cutting back and pruning is done at this time, which makes invigorates growth in the Spring.  While wild Willow, dogwood and alder look inactive, with no leaves, upon close inspection there is much life in their buds and new shoots. Many have beautiful colors ranging from ambers and reds to light yellowy greens and bronzy colors.  These young shoots are flexible and fun to do things with. Recently, with a slight warming of the weather in the daytime I was glad to get out and do some pruning and hiking around a bit.  Bringing nature back home with me and into the house. I will post some beginning pictures here, and more as I make things from what I found. I encourage these winter walks, there are actually things to be found.

These are branches pruned from a Curly Willow tree, whose twining and wild branches infuse one with lovely
and creative ideas, from homes for wee ones to enchanting wreathes.

I have decided to make some sort of woven house for Wee folk based on a Wiki-up idea. I have drilled holes in a round base that I cut out of pine and poked wavy limbs in the holes, not unlike starting a basket. I also added twigs around the base by pre drilling them and using copper nails.

I finally got to sit down and work on the base with a my little pile of small branches. I puttered with this for a couple hours, and still have work to do. I find it much better to work with limbs that are still 'green" as once they begin to dry out, they break more easily. There is little rhyme and reason here with the twigs, just winding in what ever direction they want to go and poking them in and out where I can. My main focus was establishing and building upon a general shape I wanted to maintain. 

 The Little Blue Fairy invites Willodel Wren to tea:-)

The finished house has a lamp post, two windows built in and a nice floor.