Let's Make Like Bulbs!

What Inspires: Heirloom Bulbs Chris Weisinger, the Bulb Hunter,  shares his boyhood memory of “one red tulip” which, like Jack’s bean, magically rose up from a shriveled brown “rock," in the forward to Heirloom Bulbs for Today.

That red tulip didn’t bloom another season, it didn’t need to; its work was done. In this gloriously illustrated, informative--and most importantly, fascinating--treasure,  written with master gardener and author Cherie Foster Colburn,  the Bulb Hunter writes of discovering daffodils, hyacinths, lilies, gladiolus and naked ladies marking the foundation of dilapidated shacks, ringing the base of ancient trees, marking all but invisible paths—“going through drought and flood, heat and cold.”

Like fine stories, these bulbs caught Chris's attention, lured him in, and sent him off searching for more.

Like fine stories, these bulbs survive, even thrive!

“Each bulb blooming today has a story to tell: it has traveled from somewhere, to someone. It was carried in the pocket of an immigrant coming to a New World, or symbolized the love of a child on a parent’s grave, or was divided from a clump in grandmother’s garden  provide a “start” for a daughter’s new home. Each bulb comes with a full and seasoned past.”—The Bulb Hunter, Chris Weisinger.

Let’s make like heirloom bulbs: Thrive, prosper and create our stories!

Word Sculptors Inspire Paper Sculptures

What inspires: Paper Art created from and inspired by "libraries, books, words, ideas..." Somewhere out there a brilliant paper artist (artists?) has been using book pages and words to create adjective-defying  sculptures and secretly depositing them in book places--libraries, shops, festivals--around Scotland. This paper sculpture mystery was brought to my attention in a blog posting by  poet/writer/teacher/mentor, Julie Larios  on the Vermont College of Fine Arts faculty site, Write at Your Own Risk.

Talk about  mystical, magical, marvelous....creations "in support of libraries, words, books, ideas..." You have to see these Mysterious Paper Sculptures for yourself!.

The link above is to the Central Station site where the story, and photos of these amazing paper sculptures is posted. If you can't access it  via my link, cut and paste it from here: http://community.thisiscentralstation.com/_Mysterious-paper-sculptures/blog/4991767/126249.html

The cup is part of a scultpure found at the Edinburgh Internaitonal Festival Bookshop on Aug. 24, 2011.   The swirling words read: "Nothing beats a nice cup of tea (or coffee) and a really good BOOK", and on the 'tray' next to the cupcake it says "except maybe a cake as well". There's also a teabag filled with cut out letters. The gift tags says: "by leaves we live". 

May you be inspired to  create a  sculpture of your own...