Have you ever fallen in love with someone new?  From the moment you first lay eyes on them, you're smitten.  You just have to be near them.  They're all you can think about.  You bore your friends stupid, talking about them non-stop.  I'm talking about a major crush.  The kind that takes over your life and every waking moment.

Well that's how I feel right now about my latest craft crush - eco-dyeing, or as it has been renamed, close contact printing.  I'm completely smitten.  It's all I can think about.  I've even got my kids hooked on this latest craze of mine.  And what's not to love?  First you take a walk through nature, gathering fallen leaves, bark, twigs, petals and seeds.  Then you take them home and bundle them with paper.  Pop the bundles into a pot and boil for an hour.  Then uncover your hidden treasure.  

Just like an infatuated teenager, I could bore you with lots of details about India Flint, the incredible Australian artist who discovered eco-printing. I could show you all the pieces of my work.  Tell you about how I found an enormous stainless steel pot at the op-shop to use for my dyeing - you can't use cooking pots for this craft.  But I won't.  Oh wait, I just did :o)

So how did this latest crush happen?   Well, in late September I did an eco-printing Spring circle with the beautiful and supremely talented duo of Jacqui Grace (Beautiful Wasteland) and Rebecca Funk (Midwife of the Soul).    Jacqui is doing her masters in meaning making at MIECAT and Rebecca is a shamanistic midwife.  They did a beautiful job of guiding us through the creative and spiritual process of eco-dyeing.

The circle was an inspirational and enlightening experience.  On this blog I am trying to share my insights and learnings from the process of making and that is exactly what the circle was about.  Delving deep into the meaning that comes from making.

The day was a group of women coming together to create, share, discover and learn about themselves and each other.  It was about so many things.  Immersing in the process and letting go of the results.  Trying to reconnect with and see ourselves more clearly.  It was done using various art therapy processes to uncover meaning and collaborate creatively.  All the while, being in a circle of women speaking their truths and bearing witness to one another on our journeys.

Incredible.