As a child, I spent a lot of time wandering through the Northwoods of Wisconsin picking up leaves, sticks, acorns, rocks, and anything else I could find to add to my little collection. Nature has always fascinated me from the largest trees to the smallest pebbles. So, when Wreck This Journal gave directions to “press leaves and other found things,” I was ecstatic!
From the woods of Northern Wisconsin and the beaches of South Carolina
To complete this page, I went straight to my craft closet where, I have a drawer dedicated to “naturals” that has everything from rocks, pressed leaves, twigs and a slew of other things I’ve picked up over the years.
I paid homage to the Northwoods by representing Oak, Maple, Birch, and Popple trees with a pressed leaf for each. Seeing as red maple leaves are my favorite, I made sure to include one on my page. I ironed the leaves in between two sheets of wax paper to keep them safe, but to also relive a favorite childhood memory of making leaf “sun catchers” with the same technique. I pasted it to the page and then set about adding a few more pieces of nature. I glued some birch bark along the upper left corner and then attached a bag of little keepsakes from a place other than the woods. The seashells and shark tooth are from the beaches of South Carolina, which always make me think of time I spent with my Dad. He’s the one who taught me how to find shark teeth in the sand and that’s always been one of my favorite memories of him.
Once again, Wreck This Journal has conjured wonderful memories and returned me to a frame of mind where leaves rustle, trees sway, and waves crash against the shore. Perhaps, I am drawn to natural beauty because it anchors me to the things that matter most.
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c.b. 2012
C.B. Wentworth 
I once had a notebook with over 70 pressed 4-leaf clovers. Does that count? And before you ask…no. It didn’t bring me much luck. = )
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I’ve never found a four leaf clover, but I’ve always wanted to! How cool that you have so many. I’ll bet all that luck is hovering overhead, just waiting to drop at the right moment!
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Leaves between wax paper, fond memories. Sweet post.
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Until just recently, I had one hanging on my window above my kitchen sink. I still love how they look! 🙂
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Lovely post. A craft closet with drawers for special collections? How wonderful is that?
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The organizer in me can’t resist! I keep anything with a use, so it needs a place to stay until I know what to do with it!
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Never thought of putting my collection of things between wax paper. Genius! Those leaves are beautiful! Makes me feel like it should be fall. 🙂
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My grandma showed me how to press and iron leaves between wax paper. She did it as a kid and I love that she passed it down to me and my sister.
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Love this page! I love being in nature and try to spend as much time there as possible. Having horses helps 🙂 My significant other has taken me on Jeep tours into parts of the desert I wouldn’t normally go, even on horseback, because the distance is too far. Oh, the things we have seen, even from a dusty Jeep trail!!! It is so easy to forget all the worries and silly things that the mind conjures up when surrounded by the sights, smells, and sounds of the outdoors. Perhaps that’s why we love it so much? And there doesn’t seem to be stress in nature. It is what it is.
In elementary school, I remember an art class where we got to shave crayons onto wax paper and then place another piece of wax paper on top, then iron it. It makes wonderful sun catchers!
I’ve never found a shark’s tooth on the beach. Is there a trick to it? I am one who LOVES the beach and can, in any weather, spend hours sitting and watching the waves or wondering the shoreline picking up pebbles and shells and kelp . . .
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I remember doing that with crayons and wax paper. We also melted crayons on thick paper and then folded it. When you open it up you get a cool piece of art!
Everyone always thinks of the desert as a desolate place, but there are all kinds of treasures hiding in the landscape!
The trick with shark teeth is to look for black slivers, rather than something in the shape of a tooth. They are heavy and tend sink in the sand, so only a small part sees the surface. Using your toes to move the sand usually does the trick.
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Cool! I’m going to try it next time I’m at the beach. Yes, the desert is alive with so many creatures and wonders! And I’m totally okay with people living in the big city of Phx. and letting me and those like me have the outdoors to ourselves.
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I have a collection of pebbles and rocks from various places in the world. Each as individual as the trip I was on at the time.
I was once told how to use a memory stone, you hold and smooth a small pebble while reading the work to be done, then when sat in the exam, holding the pebble and smoothing it gives access to the memories. Works for me. 🙂
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My knick-knack shelf is full of stones I’ve picked up in my travels. I’ve never labeled them, but I know where each and every one came from. And I remember picking it up – what kind of day it was, smells, sounds, everything. 🙂
I was known to use memory stones in school. 🙂 They really do work.
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I love this natural page. It reminds me of a project I did in elementary school where we had to collect samples of various plants and display them. I, of course, made a book of them, weaving wool through one edge of the waxed paper sheets for the binding. The thing about the project is, I was a procrastinator, even back then. I told my parents I had to do the project (due the next day!) on the way back from the lake and made them stop the car when I spotted a plant I wanted to sample! I managed to press the leaves and make the book in the evening when I got home!
I also like collecting stones and shells. I was given a terrarium as a wedding gift and have filled it with my favourite pieces. I’ve even made turtles out of shells using a little hot glue to hold them together and gave them as gifts when I was a kid. For my daughter’s beach wedding, I made natural centre pieces which were glass tea light holders covered in shells and small stones. They were beautiful!
Nature is definitely a source of inspiration! Thanks for sharing your beautiful page. 🙂
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What a fun little project! I love that you made your display into a little book. 🙂
What a cool idea for seashells! Mine are just sitting on a shelf and in a little box. Hmmm . . . perhaps a new project is on the horizon! 🙂
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I think this page is so beautiful, C.B.
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Thank you! 🙂
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Such a sweet page….searching for sharks’ teeth is one of my favorite beach activities. I also have a collection of tree bark, sticks, acorns, leaves, shells, rocks from all over the world. I think we could be happy in each other’s craft rooms!
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I’ll bet we would, too! 🙂
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I always loved pressing leaves when I was a kid. Thanks for reminding me of this! The trouble with growing up is the things from childhood we let slip from our grasp. I can hardly wait until Miss Charlotte is old enough. We’re SO going to press leaves… 🙂
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I have so many wonderful memories of pressing leaves with my grandma and I’m sure Miss Charlotte will, too. 🙂
Sometimes I wonder what elements of my childhood have slipped away, but I’m lucky that I have a sister who remembers things I don’t. Together we keep the spirit of staying young at heart alive.
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Very satisfying to remember… bits and pieces of nature and knowing life slowed down for a short time.
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🙂 Whenever, I think back I always hear the sound of leaves rustling and smell the “green” of the forest. Even on the most stressful days, those sensory memories calm me down.
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We have a pine tree on the slope behind our house and the sound of the breeze through the needles brings on intense calm and memory. A sensory experience…. On a very hot day in August the sound of the pine cones bursting can be heard, Love it!!
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Love this…I press many flowers and need to use some to create a journal. Thanks for the idea.
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Oooo, page after page of pressed flowers sounds like a beautiful idea for a journal! 🙂
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