"Not all that wander are lost" T.R. Tolkien
In January I travelled to California to participate in the Craft and Hobby Association international event to meet up with a activite community of crafters from all points of the globe. It is great fun to catch up with old friends and new friends and work on collaborative projects. I love that in this new internet era provides so many options for expats to stay connected while on the road but all the same being together is a great place to be.
Chrisy's Reconnecting With Nature link party is close to my heart. Growing up my family moved around to a lot of different places but something that was always part of our world was spending time outdoors, connecting with nature in different ways. My mother started rescuing pets and wildlife as a child so my childhood was full of little foundlings like this little sparrow.
They call them common but their personalities are anything but. While out enjoying the sunshine of California it was fun to watch the little sparrows darting about, some nimble and bold and others shy and careful. In some parts of the world sparrows are very common because of their ability to adapt their diet to what ever is available. Sadly that ability is not enough save them when some environments are so choked with pesticides or us well meaning tourists filling them up with french-fries.
The CHA mega show is a trade show event where all the new tools and products are released for the season. This year did not disappoint with really ingenious new twists and fun new tools that inspired me to add a few new pages to my Paris creative journal. To read more about altered books and mixed media, check this post. I love to travel and document adventures in creative ways, sharing photos on the blog, sending altered postcards in the mail and collecting ephemera for visual diaries.
Chrisy's Reconnecting With Nature link party is close to my heart. Growing up my family moved around to a lot of different places but something that was always part of our world was spending time outdoors, connecting with nature in different ways. My mother started rescuing pets and wildlife as a child so my childhood was full of little foundlings like this little sparrow.
Joining Linky Parties:
Sky Watch Friday
Chrisy's Reconnecting With Nature party
Expat Blogging Challenge
12 comments:
Hello Mandy... fellow crafty person! I mainly make quilts and I don't know that I would make a trip back to the US (so costly) just for a convention, but... awesome!
Are you from Cali? I lived in Long Beach and Oceanside many moons ago.
It's so good that you had a wonderful trip to CHA - it sounds like an awesome shot of inspiration :)
Oh, that's beautiful! I do ATC's as well. I used to participate in a swap at a local shop, but it closed unfortunately. I've always wanted to try an altered journal.
Great post and I like your shots.
Lovely craft item and great photos for SWF ~
artmusedog and carol ^_^
www.acreativeharbor.com
Like the quote, there are many of us who wander ;)
I'm glad you had a marvelous time Mandy… what a sweet memory of your mom.
Lovely post and images. Sounds like a fun visit to Calif. I love the first tree shot. Have a happy weekend!
Yeah we have plenty of palms in California! Glad you got to make this trip:) And just today I realized that your http address says you live in Australia - all this time I thought you were American, lol.
Wonderful shots. I like the shot of that bird.
Thanks for continuing to link up. Love the shot of the sparrow. xx
Sadly the common sparrow is no more common now a days.
Like that first picture.
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