FOREST FRIEND “MINIS”
The minis are small, simple pieces which invite interaction. A copy of The Legend of the Forest Friend is included with each one, as are instructions for creating your own Forest Friend diorama…..
It’s a lot of fun — for a child of any age! — to create one’s own Forest Friend scene. This world can unfold on a table top, inside a box, in a display case, in a fish tank turned on its side.
Start with a small Forest Friend piece (or a larger one), and add natural materials as you find them. Build the scene slowly, changing it to reflect the seasons. Remember that these are gentle, Earth-loving Little People who take respectfully from their surroundings only items they can use.
Some things to add: sand for the base, interesting stones, cones, bits of moss, driftwood, snail shells, a colourful maple leaf, insects found dead on the roadside (bumblebees, butterflies and dragonflies), a bit of grapevine, …
Let your diorama be a reflection of your love of nature and include others in the project. It has the potential to hone powers of observation, to heighten sensitivity to the environment, to build respect for life of all kinds, to encourage creativity, and to stimulate the imagination.
FOREST FRIEND HOOPS
These simple grapevine hoops hold one or more Forest Friend characters, and are designed to hang from a branch mounted on a wall or suspended from a ceiling. Often light-hearted, sometimes reflective, these pieces especially show the importance of body language in relaying a message or emotion.
FROM HOOPS TO MOBILES
It was a natural leap from hoops to mobiles, in which I incorporated a rustic style of dreamcatcher….
DREAMCATCHERS
When I make a regular dreamcatcher I use a natural hoop (or something close to that shape), and attach the web at thirteen points to acknowledge the thirteen moons. It is meant to be suspended in a window (preferably to the east/morning sun), and it has the traditional purpose of allowing good dreams to come through, filtering out the bad ones.
FOREST FRIEND DREAMCATCHERS
When I make a dreamcatcher for my Forest Friends, it has the additional meaning of representing the web of life, AND it serves as a reminder to dream our dreams, and pursue them.
“DREAM CATCHER” FOREST FRIEND MOBILES
A dreamcatcher is attached to a Forest Friend hoop which represents a wish, an intention. It is a visible prayer. The web/hoop combination is a delicately balanced mobile in constant motion. These mobiles may express a desire for a number of things. Feeling good. Feeling joy. Being in the flow of life. Family. Happy and wholesome relationship. Someone to share the joys and challenges of life. Abundance. Knowledge and wisdom. Moving forward on one’s path…… A reminder of that which we would like to attract into our life.
Along with the hoop and the dreamcatcher, I usually attach items with symbolic significance. Some examples: turquoise for friendship, peace and calm, healing, etc.; rose quartz for love; a holey stone for healing, protection, balance, and grounding, feathers for connection to birds (and meanings specific to the bird they came from); strips of deer hide for connection to animal realm; shells to represent water. My mobiles are often commission pieces for special events such as birth of a child, coming of age, turning points in an adult’s life.