Coral Red and Yellow Rose Doily - Bright and Bold Handmade Irish 3D Rose Crochet For Spring

Ruth Sandra Sperling
RSS Designs In Fiber - Get My Handmade in my Etsy Shop or On Fire For Handmade Gift Shop -- or Privately

Do you like Bold and Bright??? ~~~ Here is my newest RSS Designs In Fiber Handmade Irish Crochet Doily with 3-dimensional, multi-layer Crochet Roses in Coral Reds and Bold Yellows - Great for Bright and Bold Decor!

A Round Doily with 12 multi-layer Crochet Roses - each one having 5 layers of 6 petals with the bottom layer being Green (to look like leaves on a Rose Flower) -- Handmade Crochet By Ruth Sandra Sperling of RSS Designs In Fiber.

Brighten up any Table - or Dresser - or Shelf with this Coral Red and Yellow Floral Design Decor Accent -- 11 1/2 Inches Wide!

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Bright and Bold seem to be popular this year, so I am going to share several more colorful Handmade Fiber Designs items from my "RSS Designs In Fiber Etsy Shop" - with Bright and Bold coloring!!

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Feeding the Little Birds - Spring 2016

Ruth Sandra Sperling
RSS Designs In Fiber - Get My Handmade in my Bonanza Booth or my Etsy Shop -- or Privately

I've had this Bird Feeder for years - the one pictured above.  That picture was one taken at the place I lived at 2001-2012 in the Antelope Valley of Southern California, but I still have it where I live now in another place - also with Trees and Birds.

Something funny happened yesterday and today, so I thought I would share it.

I periodically fill the Bird Feeder with Wild Bird Seed - it takes a varying amount of time for the birds to find it - and eat it.  In the picture about there are 5 birds around it - if you notice, it is a Smaller Bird Feeder and they are all Small Birds - which is part of my point today!

Yesterday I filled the Bird Feeder up to the top - sometime mid-morning.  A few hours later I checked and low-and-behold, I could see some of the birds had gotten to it because a noticeable amount of the bird seed was gone!

Then this afternoon, I took another look - boy - the Bird Feeder looked totally empty!!  So, this evening, I filled it again!!

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You see, where I live now - there are a lot of Trees and Bushes over about 65 acres and around low, mostly ranch-style buildings.

And - there are Lots and Lots of Birds -- All Sizes and Lots of different Kinds it seems to me.  But one thing that is very noticeable - is that there are Lots and Lots of Ravens - since moving here, I have said some times that "the Ravens Rule the Skies here"!!

Someone I know who runs an environmental group and who I have mentioned on my blog before, John Buckley of Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center wrote an interesting article on their website:

http://www.cserc.org/news/like-humans-ravens-can-cause-major-impacts-ecosystem/

I was surprised to see his article - but I understand his points in it - I find the Ravens here where I live to be very bold - they sometimes whoosh by me very close to my head as I walk through the trees - and they are exceedingly vocal at times!!  I actually like the Ravens, but John Buckley's article drew my attention to the problem between them and the Smaller Birds, which I also like very much - so-o-o-o ---

---- I realized that my relatively Smaller Bird Feeder was a way I could contribute to the survival of the Smaller Birds - my Bird Feeder is way too small for Ravens - and they do not come to feed on it, but Yesterday and Today - I saw and heard a whole bunch of  the Smaller Birds around here - around my little Bird Feeder!!

I have never seen the Ravens around here attacking a Smaller Bird's nest like John Buckley describes in his article - nor eating other smaller animals either -- I just usually see them flying around - or sitting around in trees or on the ground - or even walking around in the grass (what there is of it these days LOL) - very often pecking at something on the ground.  

Most of the Ravens around here seem very fat and satisfied.  I do not feed the Ravens at all - I don't know where they grab their food -, except for the seeds and whatever they find on the ground -- they don't particularly hang around the closed garbage cans on our 65 acres - but I am sure they are getting food somewhere .... but I am now on a Mission to make it easier for the Smaller Birds where I live to get food - my Bird Feeder!!

I have always loved watching birds - ever since I was a little girl, though I am not a real "Bird Watcher" with binoculars and all - I just like to watch them when I am around ... just the other day I noticed a lot of cheeping coming from this Big Bush at the corner of the building I live in -- this bush  is really big and thick - and I strongly suspect that there is a bird's nest in there - it is a rather thick bush, but not the kind Ravens sit on - and thick enough, I think, that the Ravens may not be able to get at that nest - at least I hope they won't!

Every so often I Crochet something with a Bird in it - in fact, one of my current "works-in-progress" is a rather large Filet Crochet picture of "Birds Nesting" (little ones by the way)!!  Here are some photos of completed Handmade projects of mine with Birds:

Bird of Peace

Proud Rooster by Ruth Sandra Sperling - RSS Designs In Fiber

Red Cardinal On A Branch

Lovebird In A Heart

Filet Crochet of an Eagle - Sold mid-2000's

Crocheted Lace and Crochet Tapestry For Spring

Ruth Sandra Sperling

RSS Designs In Fiber - Get My Handmade in my Etsy Shop  or On Fire for Handmade Gift Guide -- or Privately

A-h-h-h - after whatever weather you had this 2015 Winter - how beautiful and welcome is the Nature on Spring Days!  ~~~~~~ So, when I Crochet or Knit, I'm still choosing themes for the Seasons, and Spring is one of my favorites!  ~~~~~ Here are some of my Artistic Handmade Spring-themed pieces - Flowers, Rabbit, Clover, .......................

Pink Tulip Lace Ring

Thread Crochet Tapestry - Tree and Bird

3-Leaf Clovers with Yellow Flowers Lace Doily

3-Leaf Clovers Crocheted Oval - Bruges Lace - Handmade By RSS Designs In Fiber - Email to order

Yellow Flowers In Green Lace with Gold Beads

Cottontail Rabbit Hiding Under A Bush - Handmade in Filet Crochet

California Poppy In The Sky - Crochet Tapestry
Note:  The Poppy is a signature plant of the Antelope Valley -  a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this piece will be donated to the Antelope Valley Conservancy, whose stated Mission in the Antelope Valley is "...the acquisition and stewardship of native habitats and watershed resources."

Roses and Shamrocks - Cottage Style Irish Crochet Doily -- Sold on Etsy

3D Rose with Green Leaves - Crocheted Lace Motif

Lily! - Ornate Vintage Style Design in Filet Crochet

Pansies - A Delicate Fine Thread Crochet Doily

Matching Viola Flower Doily and Coaster Set
Viola Bouquet Doily (top) - Handmade By RSS Designs In Fiber - Email to order
Viola Flower Oval Trinket Doilies - Set of 4 - Handmade By RSS Designs In Fiber (bottom)

 Please Note:  If you prefer making Private Arrangements to purchase any of my Handmade or Request a Custom Order - Contact RSS Designs In Fiber through the Email Address HERE.

Crocheted Lace and Crochet Tapestry For Spring

Ruth Sandra Sperling

RSS Designs In Fiber - Get My Handmade in my Bonanza Booth - or my Etsy Shop -- or Privately

A-h-h-h - after whatever weather you had this 2015 Winter - how beautiful and welcome is the Nature on Spring Days!  ~~~~~~ So, when I Crochet or Knit, I'm still choosing themes for the Seasons, and Spring is one of my favorites!  ~~~~~ Here are some of my Artistic Handmade Spring-themed pieces - Flowers, Rabbit, Clover, .......................

Pink Tulip Lace Ring

Thread Crochet Tapestry - Tree and Bird

3-Leaf Clovers with Yellow Flowers Lace Doily

3-Leaf Clovers Crocheted Oval - Bruges Lace

Yellow Flowers In Green Lace with Gold Beads

Cottontail Rabbit Hiding Under A Bush - Handmade in Filet Crochet

California Poppy In The Sky - Crochet Tapestry
Note:  The Poppy is a signature plant of the Antelope Valley of Southern California where I currently live - and is the California State Flower.

Roses and Shamrocks - Cottage Style Irish Crochet Doily

3D Rose with Green Leaves - Crocheted Lace Motif

Lily! - Ornate Vintage Style Design in Filet Crochet

Pansies - A Delicate Fine Thread Crochet Doily

Garden Summer Violas Ring - in Variegated Pansy Flower Colors

 Please Note:  If you prefer making Private Arrangements to purchase any of my Handmade or Request a Custom Order - Contact RSS Designs In Fiber through the Email Address HERE.

My Top 10 Parks - The Ones That Really Made A Difference In My Life - Part One

Ruth Sandra Sperling
RSS Designs In Fiber - Get My Handmade on Artfire and Privately

My Crocheted Tree Tapestry - Inspired By All The Hours and Days I've Spent With Trees

Spending time with Social Media - all kinds of comments pass before my eyes when I am on the computer, but when I saw The Wilderness Society tweet --

'If you put together a "top ten national parks list", what would make the cut?'

-- it caught my eye, because going to Parks and Forests all my life has had such an affect on my life that I cannot really measure it - it helped make me who I am.

So, I thought about it - and I decided to come up with my Top 10, but they cannot all be "National Parks" - because some of the most influential parks for me personally weren't those!

It all really started the summer when I was either 5 or 6 years old and our Summer Day Camp in Chicago, IL went for a hike in a local Forest Preserve of Cook County.  I have never forgotten it because for some reason it made a huge impression on me and I have Loved Forests ever since that time!! ---- I can still remember being this small, little girl with all these other kids and the Camp Counselor who was leading us down this trail - showing us different plants - including the lesson I have never forgotten about: Poison Ivy and how to recognize it to avoid it (and I have never in my life missed recognizing Poison Ivy so I didn't get the rash LOL)!

But my Top 10 reflect certain times in my life.  I am going to list them chronologically for me - as my life went along. This blog post will cover the first 3 of the 10 in the years before I went to the Western United States.

1. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

Ontonagon, Upper Peninsula of Michigan

I was a teenager and my family would go there for summer vacations - it was where on a family hike I had the experience of seeing Bear Cubs wild in the Forest - and then there was one August we could see the Northern Lights one night on a Lake Superior Beach somewhere around Ontonagon and Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park (southern part of the Keweenaw Peninsula of the Upper Peninsula of the State of Michigan). -- More unforgettable moments!

2. Allerton Natural Area of Allerton Park & Retreat Center

I was in College at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign when I went to some kind of orientation at "Allerton" where I was immediately impressed with the place - but it was some distance from the campus in the twin cities of Urbana-Champaign and it was some months before I got to go there a second time and just wander.  -----------------Over the years from early 1971 until I moved away (to the St. Louis, MO area), I found ways to go there and explore all areas of what to me was at that time in my life a wonderous place to go walking as shown on this Map  - over on the more "Formal Side" as I think of it, you see Works of Art literally out in the forest:  Beautiful Sculptures such as The Centaur and The Sun Singer - then Adam, The Three Graces and The Girl are more right in the Formal Gardens - and then there is the Avenue of the Chinese Musicians playing all kinds of instruments, which I just loved; and the Walk to the "House of the Golden Buddhas" then over to the Fu Dog Garden - and then down a path to the Goldfish Pond (sort of in the woods) - you just have to go there to know how it is with the Artwork and the woods!!  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------But it was the other side of the Sangamon River - what I call the wild side - that I loved the "Green World" of that Illinois Plains Forest - I would spend hours walking around country roads to get over in there and walk around the paths!  I was very lucky to have a friend who bought a 40 acre farm bordering Allerton's "wild side" - for years I would be visiting there and accessing the paths of Allerton's forest from that farm!  This was my first experiences of hiking in real forest for more than just a short vacation and over and over down the same paths - sometimes alone - seeing all kinds of plants and wildlife: Raccoons and Snakes and Flowers such as "Jacks-in-the-Pulpit" - and, of course, the birds!  Such fun it was for me - and in many ways enlightening.  It was years later I learned that only a small portion of that "Wild Green World" was native, virgin forest - the other hundreds of acres of it were forest naturally regenerated through the work of Biologists from the University of Illinois Biology Dept.!

3. Shawnee National Forest

Southern Illinois

Going to the Shawnee National Forest was my second series of more adult experiences out in wild forest - hiking down paths in real forest.  This was done on weekends when I could go with a friend when I was living and working in St. Louis, MO.  Across the Mississippi River from St. Louis on the southern tip of Illinois, it was a lot of fun to go over there - especially when one of the ways going across the river, we took a ferry across the Mississippi!  Driving down country roads was a favorite pass-time of me and a friend - we did some in Missouri, but it was the hiking in the Shawnee National Forest that was the "wildest" and I appreciated the most - and I remember driving down a road and stopping because of a Turtle sunbathing in the middle of the road!!  Yes - we stopped for Wildlife!!

Well - this is it for now - To Be Continued .... the Top 10 Parks of my Life!

New Crochet Tapestry for Decor - California Poppy In The Sky

Ruth Sandra Sperling
RSS Designs In Fiber - My Handmade Designs on Bonanza and Etsy

"California Poppy In The Sky" Tapestry Crochet
 

I am doing Crochet and Knitting mostly now for Decor - in the Home or Office or School - or anywhere you want to do some decorating.

My newest project that I completed is:

ORANGE CALIFORNIA POPPY IN THE SKY

-- pictured above!

A Colorful Spring and Summer Flower Decoration!

The idea of doing it and the technique to be used sort of "evolved" over time!  I have several Elizabeth Hiddleson books -- and one of them has a Filet Crochet pattern called "Poppy Time" in it.

• I knew the first time that I looked at it that I wanted to do something with it!
• Took me a while to figure it out!
• I decided to use the Filet Crochet Chart to do a Solid Fabric Crochet Tapestry in Colors!!

"Crochet Tapestry" or "Tapestry Crochet" also has other descriptive names, such as "Colorwork".

I t looks like it is woven, but believe me - this is painstakingly done in single crochet - and I loved doing it!!

The Poppy Flower Bloom was done in an Orange - the Leaves were done in a Holiday Green - all against a Sky Blue background to give the impression that it is "floating in the sky"!

The Edge of the piece is done in a Rounded Crab Stitch (or reverse single crochet) for a finished edge.

Originally, I thought of it as a Table Runner, but as it is a Solid Fabric, it can also easily be mounted or framed and hung up.

This fits in Decor Styles of COUNTRY or PRIMITIVE or FOLK ART.

You can find other Handmade pieces I have made in "Crochet Tapestry" in this Section of my Bonanza Booth:  "Crochet Tapestry Art Decor" and in my Etsy Shop!

The Poppy Flower is the State Flower of the State of California, where I live.  It can be seen growing wild in various locations in that State!

Celebrating Earth Day with Nature Themes in My Designs In Fiber

Ruth Sandra Sperling
RSS Designs In Fiber - My Handmade Designs on ETSY - and elsewhere online!

Cottontail Rabbit in A Bush

Well - here it is -- my most recent "Inspired by Nature" piece!  And just in time for Earth Day!!

My "Inspired By Nature" pieces are available in my online shops  - or I can do a Custom Order privately!

Though I do Nature themes all the time -- and, for me, Every Day is Earth Day -- this is a project especially for this Spring and for celebrating Earth Day 2011!

You see -- I designed it based on the real Desert Cottontail Rabbits I see in the wild fields in the town where I live (like in the field in the photo of my small town in upper left-hand corner of this blog!) -- they are grayish brown with white Cottontails -- and they run through the fields and then dive under bushes or jump down holes!!

So funny - they make me smile!

Like I said above:  Every Day is Earth Day to me!!

Most people who read my blog already know!

It is how you live -- and how you make decisions in life, such as Re-using, Recycling and therefore Reducing our waste. 

And how about Restoring? 

And getting Locally Grown produce - or at least growing your own herbs, like I do!  You can grown them inside if you have nowhere outside to grow them!

Now that Spring is really here and the below-freezing nights are over, I am pruning my herbs, which are growing more now -- and I have my first Basil plant of the year already!!  My Rosemary plant of several years is doing very well -- and my perennial herbs:  Chives, Oregano, Stevia and Mint plants are all coming back!!  It so great to have the fresh herbs just outside my door -- and fun, too!!

So, Celebrate Earth Day as a Reminder -- Every Day is Earth Day !!

Here are a few other of my Designs In Fiber that show my love of Nature!!

Tree Tapestry Pillow

Mountain Cabin Landscape in Filet Crochet

Bear Head Silhouette in Filet Crochet

Proud Rooster in Textured Filet Crochet

Tree Tapestry Home Decor

Celtic Woven Garden Suncatcher or Ornament

TO LIFE!!

EARTH DAY IS EVERY DAY -- My Tree Tapestry Pillow

Ruth Sandra Sperling
RSS Designs In Fiber - Get My Handmade Decor in Fibers on Bonanza

Tree Tapestry Pillow by RSS Designs In Fiber

This week is what is being called "EARTH WEEK" - with Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 being EARTH DAY! And it is the 40th anniversary of EARTH DAY!!

Well, I think Earth Day is a good idea -- if it is a day of celebration and education that results in Every Day being EARTH DAY!!

It is fairly easy for me, as I was brought up with a certain perspective on life about caring for our environment from the time I was a young child -- and I love Nature and what is outdoors, so, for me, whether there is an official Earth Day or not -- Every Day is EARTH DAY!!

As I have said before, Trees are one of my favorite things on Earth -- so to honor the concept of EARTH DAY -- and because I love trees -- I made the above pillow - a TREE TAPESTRY!!

It is for sale here on Etsy!!

It is in the technique of crochet tapestry or colorwork. I used 100% cotton yarn in Earthy colors - with a sky in a Teal Blue - and, as shown below, the Back of the pillow is done in a textured crochet spike stitch in solid Teal Blue.

Back of Handmade Tree Tapestry Pillow by RSS Designs In Fiber

Teal Blue is in the Turquoise family of colors -- and I have left a comment on this Home Decor article, Turquoise Inspiration 2, on Design Style Guide Community, showing it off -- as I think it could fit very well in some of the rooms pictured in this article!!

In addition to the subject of my pillow being Earthy, I bought an Eco-Friendly EcoCraft Pillow Form for it!! The fill of the Pillow Form is 100% PLA - a synthetic fiber made from the annually renewable resource - corn!! The cover of the Pillow Form is 100% woven cotton. I was really glad to find such an Eco-Friendly Pillow Form (at my local JoAnn's)!

So, I feel pretty good about this -- both artistically, as the design is totally my own -- and environmentally, as it is really an environmentally friendly product!!

To Living a Life That is Good for the Whole Web of Life!!