Tana Reiff - Crafting a Business

E than and Ashley had been hiking all day. Now it was late afternoon on the trail through the woods. A soft breeze made the leaves dance. The low sun glowed through the trees. It was the golden hour.

Ethan kicked at a small pile of leaves. Look at this, Ash, he said to his girlfriend. Red and yellow leaves already! Fall is on its way.

Its been a good summer, Ashley said as she looked up at Ethan.

And this has been a fine camping trip, Ethan added.

It has, Ashley said. Ill hate going back to work tomorrow.

Me, too.

The leaves crunched under their feet as they hiked back to their camp.

Just then, Ethan bent down. Look at this! he said. He picked up a twig and held it out for Ashley to see. Only Mother Nature could come up with a shape as beautiful as this. One of a kind!

Ethan put the twig into his backpack, along with the other twigs, rocks, and feathers he had found. He threw the pack over his shoulder. It was getting heavy.

We should go, Ashley said.

What a great red feather! said Ethan, as if he hadnt heard her. He picked up the tiny feather and put it in his backpack.

As they walked on, Ethans head began to fill with pictures... Pictures of the rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings that he would make with the pieces of nature in his backpack.

To make a necklace or bracelet, he would glue tiny twigs together. Or he would soak the longer twigs and weave them together. Then he would add stones and feathers.

You have a wonderful eye, Ethan, Ashley said with a warm smile. You see things in nature that other people dont see.

Thanks, Ash, Ethan said. As he spoke, he spotted a rock and picked it up. Look at this! Its a turtle!

A turtle? Ashley asked. I dont see a turtle. I see a rock.

Look here, said Ethan, pointing. Theres the shell. Theres the head and feet. And theres the little tail peeking out the back.

Ashley could only laugh. Yet she wished she could see what Ethan saw.

Lets get going, said Ethan. Now he couldnt wait to get home and paint the turtle rock.

In a few minutes, they reached their camp. They took the tent down, packed everything up, and hiked back to Ethans SUV.

On the trail along the way, Ethan spotted a large piece of very old wood lying on the ground.

Look at that! he said. I could make some amazing pins out of that wood!

Pins? Ashley asked. Its a piece of wood. What made you think of pins?

Just wait till I show you what I do with it! Ethan told her.

He picked up the wood and carried it. It was too big to fit in the backpack.

How much farther to the parking lot? Ethan asked Ashley. Its getting dark.

Were almost there, Ashley said.

That was just like Ethan. Sights along the way would catch his eye. His mind would go somewhere else. Ashley was the one who always found the way to where they were going.

It was dark when Ethan dropped Ashley off. Then he went home, where he lived with his parents.

The next morning, Ethan and Ashley returned to the working world. Ethan was back at the wood shop, where he made cabinets and furniture. Ashley worked in a shop selling gifts and cards.

Right after work, though, Ethan was down in his basement. He used a tiny brush to paint the turtle rock. He painted the head and eyes in fine detail. Brush stroke by brush stroke, he painted the top of the rock to look like a turtles shell. He painted what he saw as the feet and tail. When he was finished, the rock looked like a real turtle.

The next day after work, Ethan worked on earrings. He sliced the wood he had found into thin squares. He glued the squares of wood into a stack. He drilled a little hole in the top and added ear wires. Every pair of earrings was different.

The night after that, Ethan made rings. He boiled twigs for about 15 minutes to make them soft. Then he shaped the twigs into circles of different sizes for different fingers. He sanded the edges. Then he waxed and buffed them to a low shine. Once again, no two were alike.

On the fourth night, he made pins. He sliced wood into odd shapes and sanded each piece smooth. He brushed wood stain on each piece. When it was dry, he glued feathers and tiny stones onto the wood. Then he glued a pin to the back.

At the end of the week, Ethan laid out all the jewelry he had made. He had five pairs of earrings, eight rings, and ten pins. He had turned gifts of nature into gifts for people.

Ethan was very busy that week. Then it came to himhe had not seen Ashley since their camping trip. Ethan had a way of getting lost in his work.

Gifts of Nature