Blog — Foraging
Creating Sepia Ink with American Black Walnuts
American Black Walnut Ink Botanical Ink Christmas gift Christmas gifting ideas Eco Friendly Living Foraging Gift Making ink at home Natural Ink Small Batch Production Sustainable Living Walnut Ink Zero-waste
The American black walnut has a high concentration of juglone, the compound which produces the dye pigments.
It is acid free, lightfast, stable, reliable and water soluble. The colour ranges from pale sepia, golden brown to dark brown. Unlike some natural inks, the colour strengthens with time.
Find out how to make this wonderful ink at home with foraged walnuts.
The Tiny Flower that Packs a Massive Punch: Natural Dye with Cow Parsley
Cow Parsley Eco Friendly Living Foraging Hand Made Natural Dye Small Batch Production Sustainable Living Wild Flowers
With high drama and absolute decadence, the cow parsley ushers in the Summer Solstice, when the earth is at its closet point to the sun and every living thing on the face of the earth is soaked in light. It reminds us to rejoice and celebrate light. For natural dyers, the long days are for work, planning and preparing for the year ahead because once the heady show is over, so is our source of colour.
Natural Dyes, Perfumed Gardens & Sufi Saints - All in the Name of the Rose
Conservation Foraging Natural Dye Omar Khayyam Small Batch Production
That the fragile beauty of the rose dye, as with its perfume, should be so difficult to capture, that it should be so illusive seems entirely in keeping with its precious nature.
Foraging for Dye Plants in Winter and Living Sustainably Throughout the Year: A Look at the Alder Tree
Alder Cones Conservation Eco Friendly Living Foraging Natural Dye
Despite the apparent bleakness, winter is a treasure-trove of natural dyes which we forage and store in the Juniper & Bliss studio for use throughout the year. We make naturally dyed sustainable pieces for eco friendly homes and slow living spaces. Today I want to explore the wonderful properties of the alder tree (Alnus glutinosa). The flowers that turn into small woody cone-like fruits, the double serrated leaves and the dark, fissured bark often mottled with lichen are staples in our larder.
Alder trees against a clear winter sky
As More of us are signing up to the benefits of slow living we are confronted with a myriad of issues and complexities when coming to make simple decisions.
The Organic Baby Nursery: Hand Made with Natural Colours from Locally Foraged Dye Plants
Avocado Dye Baby Blanket Baby Shower Daffodils Dahlias Eco-friendly Ethically Made Foraging Hand Knitted Hand Made Natural Dye New Born Baby Gift Organic Small Batch Production Sustainable Living Woollen Blanket
The pastoral provenance of wool from the sheep in the dales, spring water from the marshes on the flight path of migratory birds, flowers from elegant herbaceous borders, coupled with a community of local knitters were all the ingredients we needed to launch our sustainable baby range. It is pure and simple.