This summer we got to sneak away for a week to one of my favorite places in the world- Summit County, Colorado. It is simply beautiful and breathtaking in the summer. I love hiking trails and being overwhelmed by all the natural beauty that God has surrounded this place with. This summer we took numerous walks along the shore of Lake Dillon on our way to a nearby park. The boys loved trying to master skipping rocks into the water and building driftwood structures every time we walked along the shore. One afternoon when the boys were taking a nap, I snuck out of our condo and took a walk along the shore by myself. I found myself pulling driftwood out of the water and carrying it along on my journey. I wanted to keep a little piece of my experience of this place. I took my little pile of treasure back to the condo and promptly told Jeremy that I would be taking these pieces back with us. I know he was thinking, “Why in the world are we taking dead wood back to Nebraska in our already packed-full car?!?!?” But I think he sensed my determination in my statement and let me find a nook in the back of the car for my little bundle. When we got back to Nebraska, I read an entry from a wonderful little blog I have been following called Hart Challenge http://www.hartchallenge.com/hartfriends/. Hope from Hart Challenge had given a challenge to create something from a hike or nature experience you’ve had. It was inspiring and I had a wonderful pile of driftwood from my latest hike calling me. I took my little stack of driftwood treasure and began pondering what I would make from these bits of memories. 
I had recently bought a wood burning tool, so I decided that I would practice burning with some of my new burning bits and thought of a perfect project that combined my lovely driftwood with my wood burning tool that would create a little treasure for my boys. Driftwood Ribbon Wands would be my creation. I picked a couple of wand-like sticks and began burning designs into them. I added a little color by adding some colored pencil and watercolor to them. Then I added an eye screw and some ribbon to the end. 
I finished on a day that the boys were wound tight with an extra dose of crazy boy energy so I promptly sent them outside with my new creations. Below you’ll find the link to our oldest showing off his ribbon wand skills. It was a great way to use a few pieces of my treasured driftwood (plus my boys played non-stop for these for a good half hour and came back inside a little less crazy!…double score!). I can’t wait to use the rest of my treasured driftwood bundle in future creations. I love the memories each piece holds for me.
small table studio 