Moonbeams & Fireflies: hare

Sunday, February 5, 2012

A Hare Past a Shackle

Since around Halloween, I've been shackled by a block. Not a creative block exactly because I've had plenty of ideas. And intentions. Just not the motivation to do anything with the ideas or make good on the intentions.

Don't get me wrong. I haven't been a complete slug. I've created a number of ephemera journals in the past few weeks--all in response to special requests. But I haven't done any crafting just for the fun of it. Now, our inevitable winter weather seems to be just what I needed to light the crafting fire. Being snowed in gave me the perfect excuse to hole up in the craft room for an afternoon.

Some time ago, I came across this wonderful vintage image of a hare at The Graphics Fairy. I really wanted to create something with it, but had been avoiding it. You see, in days gone by, I collected rabbits. Not the real ones. Cute, whimsical, elegant and rustic bunnies to accent my bookshelves, tabletops and mantels. Some were antique, like the glass candy holder rabbit and the chalk bunny. Others were new. Some were handmade.

Then, when the live rabbits moved in and claimed our suburban acreage for their breeding ground, playpen and smorgasbord, the critters quickly fell out of favor with me. Pesky rabbits! After stepping in numerous bunny burrows, coming home from work to find hostas sheered off at ground level and witnessing the continual taunting of our dear, sweet Barney, I channeled Mr. McGregor and declared war.

At the same time, I stopped collecting rabbits. I was so disgusted with the real thing, I just couldn't do it anymore. What you see here are most of the remnants of my original collection.

I gave some of my bunnies to the kids, sold some at my garage sales and donated some. The items I have kept generally have sentimental value. And I do have a nice collection of Teena Flanner rabbits I display for Easter.

So, it's been a while since I've opened my heart or home to a rabbit--or hare, to be specific.

I transferred this grand hare onto the linen of a rescued vintage placemat using Rosemary's Splendid Blender method. Then, I embellished the finished pillow cover with a handmade flower sporting a reclaimed faux wood button.

So, did I waver on bringing a new rabbit into the fold? Well, maybe a hare.

Make it a great day!