Made in Michiana

A stop at Made in Michiana  was not an initial part of my itinerary this afternoon, but I'm glad I had to pass through the shop to get to The Dino Store. This is a unique store located near the South Bend Chocolate Cafe and the former College Football Hall of Fame in downtown South Bend. All the products in the store are hand-crafted by local artists! How cool is that? (Okay--I saw it on a sign, but it doesn't lesson the COOL factor of it!).

I must say, the whole store is eye candy! I loved the colors, textures, and eye for detail. There was even a service project collection for Petey's friends at the South Bend Animal Care & Control. While the shop keeper was friendly and immediately put me at ease in the store, there is also a factor of community and care in the store.

I know this is a nature blog . . . how is this connected to nature you might ask? Many elements used in the art are natural or nature inspired for one. Secondly, many artists are also inspired by nature. I loved seeing upcycled pieces and parts made into beautiful things I would want in my home (hint, hint hubby of mine!) and that would make great gifts.

I've loved rocks for a long time, so these little dangles caught my eye immediately. I also loved this celestial little stool!

Is it okay to call these delicious? How precious are the owls and butterfly of felted wool?

Nature photography, paintings, and other wall art lined the store.

The natural elements on these cork boards (upcycled!) caught my eye.

More rocks on silverware . . .

I love natural wood--these are beautiful turned wood bowls. Gorgeous!

This was a good reminder for me, too. I know many are anxious for spring--we are seeing many signs of it already!

Various photographers share photos of nature near and far.

Cute bird and spider hats!

I loved this table! The outside says "Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere! A. Einstein." I thought the $250 price tag on this was VERY reasonable for a hand painted work of art that is also functional.

Nice mosaics. I have a lovely fish mosaic my sister made, too. 

Upcycled garden art . . .

Gorgeous jewelry . . . I love rocks! Did I mention that? I have a 7-month-old teething on anything around my neck right now, so I thought I need to visit again when he's beyond this oral period.

Petey Boxer calls Made in Michiana home. Thanks for cleaning off the baby's head! He has a happy ending to his story and is world famous! He was great with my kids. He's even on Facebook!

Made in Michiana is delightful! It's great inspiration if you want to make your own items yet also has VERY reasonable prices. I ended up with a treat for my husband's birthday this next week and something for my mom for Mother's Day, though I EASILY could have purchased many other items. Classes are also offered there! Find them on Facebook here. Made in Michiana started as a pop up store during the holiday season of 2011--I can see why it stayed around! 

Nature Photography

The nature programs continued at Concord Mall this week with a program on Nature Photography. Lyman Hug from Shutterhug Custom Framing presented. I checked out the "favorite" pictures on his website--what great nature photos!

While giving many tips, he also shared this handout. We could also ask questions . . . I know enough to "sound smart", but really haven't dabbled too much with photography. I can drop words like f-stop and really not know what I'm talking about. I guess it's time to learn and drag out the better equipment. It's so easy to use my phone, though, especially when I'm wrangling kids in the wild!

He shared pictures he'd taken, talked about a few places and equipment, and discussed tricks like using a blind and such. I was ready to be out in nature taking photos after the presentation. Thanks for your efforts and expertise, Mr. Hug!

Here are a few more tips on taking pictures in the snow. My husband spent a lot of time with photography at one point. Our first year of marriage we went to take pictures in the snow--that's how I remember f-stops, as we made adjustments for the brightness of snow. We also have several of the John Shaw nature photography books mentioned in the handout. Time to do it! As I reflected on the tips, the best one is to just be out there, take pictures, and see how you like them.

While my iPhone pics weren't the greatest for the presentation, I did catch a cute smile of my little guy with a friend. So cute! 

Camouflaged Looper and Photo Contest

Elkhart County Parks and Concord Mall teamed up to have several activities at the mall this week. Saturday night I decided to check out the 33rd Annual Elkhart County Parks Photo Contest and presentation by Tom Arendt. I recognized his name from Tommy's Creature Feature on the  Elkhart County Parks Facebook page. Pictures are added weekly or so to guess what is in the picture. I've enjoyed the variety of animals and quality of pictures in the feature, so knew I'd enjoy the presentation. I've noticed that Concord Mall has been having more events at the mall. The mall schedule lists some upcoming events. While they are not all nature related, there are many that may be of interest to varying groups.

First, I checked out some of the art work. Wow! Lots of great eyes. There are 3 categories: In the Air, Nature of the Photo, and Activities in the Parks. Only the last category had to be taken in the Elkhart County Parks. Great photos! I would like to spend more time perusing these. I was told there were 113 more entries than they've ever had before, so the photo contest was a popular event! There were also good prizes for the top ribbons. Maybe this is something to try next year!

Tom Arendt did the presentation called, "In Search of the Camouflaged Looper". I tried to find him online, but he doesn't have much of a digital footprint. That could be a good thing.

To be honest, the camouflaged looper was not on my radar before, but now I know to look for this inchworm more. This interesting creature actually pastes parts of whatever it is eating on its body to act as camouflage. At the end of the presentation he showed two on different flowers--how very different! Tom shared several tips he had for finding things in nature that others often cannot find. While some ideas seemed simple, the gorgeous pictures, knowledge of the critters, and stories that went along were helpful. I would love to go on a hike with his family sometime!

The following are tips Tom shared . . . watch for movement, something that looks out of place, curled up or chewed on leaves, and odd leaves. Listen for animal calls, rustling leaves, and unusual sounds. Watch for color (thought it's often trash) and color and shape combinations. He also talked about specific habitats. He often uses a screen in aquatic habitats to scoop up specimens to release again later. The striped garden spiders are often found in meadows. In the woods, roll logs to see what is underneath. He cautioned us to roll the log back. If an animal is underneath (like a salamander), move the animal, roll the log back, and then put the animal near the log and cover it up again with leaves. He mentioned riparian habitats where water and land come together. These are usually ripe areas for discoveries. In xeric (desert, dry ground) areas, watch for ant lion pits. In rocky areas, such as the spillway at the River Preserve there are many places for snakes, spiders, and insects. He mentioned rolling the rocks to see what might be under them. The time of day also makes a difference in discoveries. Crayfish are often visible in the daytime. Caterpillars are often nocturnal, so the evening is good to find these. Seasons also offer different species. In spring, amphibians are easier to find, such as the spotted salamander and chorus frog. The breeding grounds are often vernal ponds or pools, such as the pool by the sledding hills at Ox Bow park. In summer, many species are around, such as the foam on the leaves with the spittle bug inside. Fall is a good time to see bald-faced hornet's nests. I know we didn't know we had a large nest until fall this year as the leaves fell away. In winter, bird feeders are a good option, though winter stoneflies are a unique insect that mate in winter and are inactive during the summer. Tom also mentioned to look in odd places and shared a time when they found deer mice in a bluebird house during he off season. He is always watching and always listening.

There are several more presentations this week on nature photography, reptiles and amphibians, historic photos, and furry friends. Find the schedule here! I enjoyed talking to another mom with boys at the presentation (we've found ourselves at other park programs before), the parks people, and the presenter!