Baby Eucalyptus

My husband and I (mostly he) planted three eucalyptus trees in our yard this year.
I cannot believe how quickly they are growing!
I have tried to be patient and not pick too many leaves or stems but...
I have not always been able to resist.

A few days ago, I clipped a few stems and rolled them into a pieces of (some kind of) silk fabric.
I forget the exact type - I'll have to look on the invoice.
I rolled one piece onto a copper pipe and popped it into my rice steamer (less than $25 on eBay!) for about an hour.
Then I left it sitting in the steamer for a few days (I was busy but then forget about it).
It was still wet but I couldn't resist having a peek at it.

This is what my baby eucalyptus is capable of!

I love the darker areas where the fabric
is in direct contact with the copper pipe.

The pipe was too short for the width of the fabric
so I folded the edges of the fabric in.

The resulting design (on the edges) is looking pretty good.

I did show enough restraint to roll the fabric back up on the pipe (without looking inside!).
I'll allow it to dry on the pipe and unroll if after I get back from Colorado - or when I remember.
I love the surprises that tiny organisms create inside the wet fabric if you allow it sit awhile. But it sure is difficult to wait that long!

I'm off to Colorado tomorrow.
I'll be teaching two really fun and creative classes. I do love to share what I do and how I do it.
But what I love the most is when people (who think they are not "the creative type") realize that they have a well of untapped creativity right inside of them!
I do believe that we can all be creative, we all can be artistic and that we all can learn to look at things around you in a more creative manner.
Sometime you just need a nudge in the right direction.
At an art festival a couple of years ago, I heard my husband talking to a woman about my classes. She said that she was not "the artsy type" and the classes would be wasted on her.
My husband said "Oh no, my wife specializes in working with people just like you. You will surprise yourself in one of her classes."
What an awesome thing to eavesdrop and hear about you!
He did convince the woman that she could create something in one of my classes and after I had time to talk to her, she had more hope that she could be a maker of really cool things.
And what a fabulous honor it is to assist people in finding that hidden (or stifled) part of themselves.

I hope that you all are exercising your creativity.
Just like our muscles will atrophy if they are not used - our creativity will also waste away.