We are in the height of summer! The heat of the sun hasn't given the mushrooms a chance to sprout.
Earlier in the evening, after all my tasks were done, I nipped into the woodland but there were no mushrooms to be seen. Instead, I cut some willow twigs with a little project in mind: a decorative mushroom ladder to share in #fungifriday by 
Summer is my favourite time to craft outdoors. I love the fresh breeze, the sound of the birds singing, and being surrounded by nature while I work on my little projects.
I enjoy playing with ideas and seeing where they take me. Often, my little projects develop naturally as I go along, with new details and little changes appearing along the way.
Just as I finished making all the mushroom caps and stems, it started getting darker and cooler, so it was time to head indoors and finish assembling them.
The mushroom caps.
The stems are in different shades of white.
I really enjoyed playing with different colour combinations and finding the ones that complemented each other. Do they match?
I lightly stuffed the stems.
I assembled everything, pairing the colours that worked well together.
Then, I added white spots to the red mushroom to make it look like an Amanita muscaria.
These are a mixture of applique and stuffed pieces. I actually like the caps unstuffed, as it gives them a slightly irregular, more natural shape.
Next, I cut the willow twigs into equal lengths.
Using twine, I tied them together to create a little ladder, using lark’s head knots and simple knots for the remaining sections.
To keep everything secure and in place, I added jump rings, wires, and a bead on each one to hold the wire securely.
Beads to keep the wire in place.
Improvised jump ring.
Using green thread, I made a loop in the middle of each rung.
Then, I attached the mushrooms to the ladder, arranging them so the colours blended beautifully from one to the next.
Finally, I added a couple of little flowers and leaves as simple accents before hanging it on the kitchen wall.
I’m really happy with how my decorative mushroom ladder turned out. It adds a little touch of woodland fun and whimsy to the space.
Have a lovely day.
Mariah 🍄
