The Library Challenge Where the Wild Fern Grows
Hello stampers and happy Thursday. Today I am participating in The Library Challenge and the book we are using for inspiration is Where the Wild Fern Grows. I loved this book so much when I was a child, so I was thrilled to see that it was the featured book for the library challenge.
The Importance of Books
I have loved books for as long as I can remember. One of my most vivid childhood memories is on grade one when I went to the school library for the first time. Oh, the wealth of books! I remember one book in particular because it was a different shape than all the others. It was about frogs I think and it was taller than the rest. Even now I always have at least one book on the go. Books are the only way I truly relax and do nothing. Ask my kids and they will tell you that I get so lost in my book that I hear nothing! I think they finally believe me when I say that I am not purposely ignoring them, I truly don’t hear them! My book transports me into another world.
Sometimes this time travel into another book is not a good thing. I feel so deeply that the book I am reading can really affect my mood. Where the Wild Fern Grows reduced me to a torrent of tears. I was a stoic child who would never cry in public or even in front of my family; I would go and hide to cry. At 52 I am finally learning to be vulnerable and let my tears show. Go figure.
Books are vital to mental health, to being more well-rounded as a person and therefore more open to other people’s ideas. Books help us to understand other people and other cultures. They can be a bridge to peace.
Where the Wild Fern Grows
If you have never read this book and you would like to know about the story line, you can check out the link here. The Library Challenge encourages us to make a card inspired either by the cover of the book, the title or the story. I chose my inspiration to be the story. Billy grows up in the Ozark mountains and trains two hunting dogs that are the love of his life. While several tragedies occur, I like to focus on the big picture. I know that there are many money that BIlly looked back on with joy. His heart will always be in the mountains and he will never forget his beautiful and loyal dogs Old Dan and LIttle Ann. Do yourself a favour and read this classic. If you have kids or grandkids or even elderly parents, read this book aloud to them. People love being read to, it is so calming and we could all use more of that in our lives!
My Card
I chose to use the stamp set Mountain AIr. This great nature set is a pleasure to work with! With mountains, tree lines and individual trees, birds, rocks and a moon you have all you need to create a gorgeous scene. I also used the water stamp from the new set My Meadow. The frame and the saying are from the Painted Poppies Bundle.
The card itself is quite simple so I added interest by adding texture and dimension. Simply winding the linen thread around at angles and tying at the back makes for a more interesting focal point and adds texture. The white panel is adhered to the mossy meadow panel which is popped up on the grey granite card. The sentiment is also popped up as is the smaller pine tree.
Only three colours were used on this card: mossy meadow, grey granite and balmy blue. By stamping off, also known as generational stamping, you get more colours for a more in depth effect. If you want to see another project I made that uses generational stamping, check out this blog post.
The Library Challenge
If you want to read more about The LIbrary Challenge, or if you want to take part yourself, you can find them here. I know you will be inspired as I was to combine my love of reading with my love of card making. What book are you reading right now? What was your favourite book as a child? I would love to hear from you in the comments. Thanks so much for joining me today, have a super day!
I just realized that I promised to tell you the story about my afternoon with my Tante Nel but it will have to wait until tomorrow. Enough stories for today.
Product List
