“One day I was counting the cats and I absent-mindedly counted myself.”
― Bobbie Ann Mason
I haven’t drawn in years, but 2020 whispered “try again” so I ordered some supplies and I’m even going to give watercolor painting a whirl.
I’ve always enjoyed drawing animals and my Kit-Cat makes such a good model curled up at my feet. 🙂 Did I ever tell you I was a cat kid? Kind of like a cat lady, except I was, like, 9. Okay, I was like 9 through 13. I was obsessed in that five year chunk! My mom made me join 4-H at one point and I was not enthused until I found out I could specialize in cats. I had 32 of them at the time (they all lived outside) and creating files for each of them (to document their gender, weight, fur color, family tree, personality type, etc.) made me feel just like a real, live vet. My Grandma Beth, who passed away last year, had a huge collection of cat figurines so I always told people my passion for kitties (and the color blue!) came from her.
(Grandma Beth, many years ago)
And speaking of things my Grandma Beth’s side of the family loves…puzzles! And more specifically: puzzles pieces. Look what we found tucked in the side of one of our wicker chairs:
The missing sheep shoulder! Someone commented on my last blog post about how she found a missing piece underneath a nearby curtain and after checking beneath ours and not finding it there, I was inspired to look underneath the cushion on one of our “puzzle chairs”. I squealed when I saw the edge poking out, but let Steevenson pluck it out and press it into place. 😉
The very next day, we hit the road to Kentucky. Do you remember when I told you about Thomas Dambo’s giant trolls? From the very first time I saw a photo of his spectacular Isak Heartstone, I knew that I wanted to spend time with as many of his creations as I could!
We spent the first night in Franklin, Tennessee and then made our way to the Bernheim Forest in Kentucky the next day. It’s a 16,000+ acre wonderland where people can connect with nature. Here are some of my favorite photos from that day:
That’s Little Nis. He’s the first giant troll we found. To see him there, looking at his reflection, was so surreal! I’ve done so much research about Thomas and his trolls, and to suddenly find myself standing in front of one was a really magical feeling!
My favorite is their fingers and toes. I love how he creates their nails by shaping the boards above them!
And don’t even get me started on that big toe with the blue paint. So fun!
Next up, we walked through the most beautiful amber waves of grain…
…and into another section of the forest where we found Mama Loumari:
She is mama to Little Nis’ (and Little Elina) and she’s got another giant baby in her belly right now, too.
I love how Thomas creates their hair using fallen branches:
I couldn’t resist having my picture made with those cool toes!!
Last but not least, we wandered our way over to Little Elina. I think she was everybody’s favorite.
She’s sitting on the ground, drawing with a rock…
It’s hard to tell from this angle, but it’s supposed to look like she drew a feather. I bet it looks so cool from above!
On our way back to the car, we passed ginormous evergreen trees dropping the prettiest pinecones. I picked up three to bring home. While I was bent over, I noticed the way the branches were falling and said, “Look, baby! It’s a door!”. Steevenson squealed and ran “inside”.
I’m reading a book called ‘The Wild Remedy‘ right now about how nature can heal us if we just take the time to stop and let it. Did you know that coming into contact with certain proteins in soil can trigger a release of serotonin from a specific group of nerve cells in our brain? Yep. Turns out weeding isn’t just good for your gardens!
Hope you’re having a peaceful week, friend. I look forward to catching up with you in the comments…
Layla
These sculptures are SO COOL! It would be so fun to see them! Thank you for sharing.
Aren’t they though?! What a cool job Thomas has created!
I gotta go check this place out!!! Thank you for telling me about it and showing your beautiful photos! Stevenson is growing up so fast!
He sure is! It blows my mind how fast he needs different-sized clothes!
I had the pleasure of meeting Isak Heartstone in Breckenridge, Co., last fall…magical! (He gets his name from a heart-shaped stone Thomas placed inside of him). Can’t wait to meet his Kentucky kin. Thanks for sharing!
Oh, how fun! I’m so glad you got to spend time with Mr. Heartstone! 😀
I never heard of these magnificent creatures before. I can’t wait to see if they are ever in my travels.
I love to do puzzles, and usually when a piece is missing it does turn up in the most unusual places.
I love how you share your feelings and always look forward to seeing what your up to on Wednesday’s for Let’s Go
with Layla.
Jackie
New Jersey
Thank you, Jackie! I’m so glad you are having fun connecting and I look forward to seeing you here and on IG again soon! 😀
This just made me so happy! I’m just in awe of these wooden friends! Thank you so much for passing on the beauty you create or find to us. It really is a gift and I appreciate you and your fam so much!!
~ Jill
Oh, I loved reading that this post made you HAPPY! 😀 That made me feel so happy too!
Wow, this is the coolest! What an artist. Thank you for taking us on your adventures, I don’t get out much, so I’m loving this! Love your antiquing jaunts as well 🙂
You’re so welcome, Susie! And I look forward to visiting an antique store on Instagram again next week! 😀
Do you glue the puzzles together when you’re done or do you take it apart to do again one day?
Hi Jessica!
We usually take them apart so that we can do them again at some point, but we did do a really neat one at Christmastime that I think we’re going to put in a frame for keeps!
Layla,
I’m so blessed that artists share their God-given talents with us all! Thanks for bringing it to our hearts!
You’re welcome, Rhonda! 😀 I could hardly wait to share about it with you!
This is so fun and interesting! Thanks for taking us along & sharing!! Really want to visit here!
Isn’t it though? You must check it out if you get a chance!
I loved all those pics. VERY interesting. Also my mother was a cat lover too. I don’t think she had as many as your Grandma Beth but she loved them and would give them warm milk after milking her PET cow. Thanks for sharing beautiful pictures.
Hi Zelda!
I loved reading that about your mother! I was the one with the 32 cats, but I bet my Grandma Beth had more in her figurine collection- LOL!
Thank you for sharing these pictures! I did not know about these amazing sculptures; it was so nice that you shared them, and we could see the joy in your son experiencing them!
I’m so glad you enjoyed seeing our trip pics too, Jane! What a magical place!
These pictures are amazing. That’s a lot of talent, a blessing. Your sharing is always so generous, thanks.
Oh, I’m so glad you enjoyed stopping by today, Josephine. I love sharing things that make my heart sing and it’s nice to know you like these kinds of things too! 🙂
I’m so excited to plan a day trip with my family to go see these amazing works of art! Is there a map placing them or is it more of a you have to find them type thing?
Hi Heather!
The folks at Bernheim will give you a map, but there are footsteps painted in certain places too, so that was really fun for Steevenson…and his mom- LOL! 😀
I love these creations! They are so cool!! I totally believe that nature has healing property. I never regret spending time outside.
Me too and me neither! High five, Amanda!
Those are the most amazing trolls! I’d love to go see them one day!
You must! They are even more magical in person!
I am so happy you are drawing again! I, too, have made a commitment to myself to try to take time to enjoy some artistic endeavors. In the last few years I have purchased…beginners piano books, watercolor materials (including an easel – lol), materials for macrame, embroidery and knitting, perused my rubber stamp collection (remember when everyone was doing rubber stamping? Some still do!), and attempted to make a space to create art with all of these cool tools. I follow blogs about watercolor, embroidery, crocheting (yes, I know this is different than knitting – lol – but it’s so pretty!) and papercrafting and get lost in Pinterest wormholes regularly. But, you know what? I have spent SO MUCH time watching others do these things and little-to-none actually creating. Keep drawing and sharing it with us – we have some wonderful Layla art at our home – and if – no, WHEN – I create something, I will share it with you. Thank you for Troll sharing – a visit is now on my bucket list. LOVE YOU
Oh, and also, that quote is GREAT and the photo of Grandma Beth made me cry. 💙
Aunt Chriss!
My eyes watered just seeing your NAME pop up! 😀
Thank you for sharing about what you’re up to. I LOVED reading it and I know it will inspire others who come across your comment too! You have so many pretty landscapes to paint up there in Minnesota. I’d love to paint alongside you sometime, too!
And there are a few of Thomas’ trolls near Chicago if you’re ever in that area. We drove RIGHT by them on our RV trip but I didn’t know they were there at the time- BOOOOO! 🙁
I think he’s created around 88 worldwide and I love that he continues to sprinkle his fairytale brand of joy all over the planet!
LOVE YOU!
I live close by Bernheim! A KY treasure!! Glad you enjoyed, Layla. Come back soon😍
Lucky you, Deborah! And I definitely look forward to visiting again one day too!
How lovely! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for visiting, Mary Catherine! 😀
Thank you SO much for sharing this adventure you went on! I just looked and it is less than 2 hours from my home. This will definitely be on my list of fun for this year with my family!
Yay! You are going to have so much fun, Dyan! What a treat to have such a large chunk of nature to roam around in!