gather give-away

Happy Monday! I'm so excited for this week: another give-away, more spring craft tutorials, a book review, recipes... maybe even a shop update (I was cutting out WIP stencils all last night!) As usual, I have very lofty visions... we'll just see how much can really be squeezed into one week. So let's get to the part about my next give-away!

Introducing the Gather Bucket, for the child in your life...

My favorite thing to do once the weather warms up is to get my children out into the woods to see what winter left behind. We end up walking back to the house with pockets bulging full of nature's treasures. This sturdy carrier was built for hauling stones, toting sticks and keeping feathers... or whatever else you might discover on the trail. It has a handy pocket for small finds and also happens to be the perfect size for holding a field notebook...you never know when you might want to sketch a leaf for later identification... or add a bird to your sighting list. Repurposed burlap is the perfect material for this job: shrugs off mud and dirt on the outside, and the loose weave shakes out grit on the inside. It is unlined for this purpose. The handles and pocket are made from a rugged canvas drop cloth. The patch was hand stamped with fabric ink onto natural linen. Edges were left raw and frayed in keeping with the organic and earthy look.

When I think of gathering, acorns always come to mind... this is my new little hand-carved stamp. This bucket comes with a field notebook stamped with your choice of a toadstool (another recent carving) or an American Goldfinch. I designed this for the six year old and up crowd, but my four year old prefers it to the little one I made for her... (I always have to make things in multiples if my children see them!).

If you'd like a chance to have a Gather Bucket and field notebook sent out to you, please leave a comment on this post between now and Wednesday at midnight EST. (The nature collections and identification books are not included... but highly recommended!) I will randomly pick a winner and announce him/her on Thursday. Good luck!