The magazine for makers, dreamers & plant lovers
Volume 1, March 2017
You might have heard of Rebecca Desnos. She is the go to for botanical dyeing and has made a name for herself in this world as an expert on using plant based, completely natural, ethical methods to dye clothing and fabric. She is a natural dyer, and now has put her thoughts down in the form of a book, a zine, and digital guides.
For more of Rebecca and her creations, you can go to her website.
Now, I can't say whether Rebecca prints the magazine I've photographed here 'Plants are Magic'. Rebecca has a plant dye zine (which I believe is different) and when I looked, I couldn't see the Plants are Magic magazine available on the site shop or the Etsy shop, and the last volume I can find is number 4 printed in August 2017 so... yeh, it might not exist anymore.
Whether it's still being produced or not, volume one is a delight. This issue was on well being and it made me feel so connected to nature through its pages, upon finishing, I was enthralled to go outside, take time and really consider the smaller elements of the natural world.
There are lovely quotes speckled throughout that I love. They clearly been thought about; they are unique and relevant to the whole ethos of the magazine, plus often ones I've not seen before. Considering the whole magazine is about plants, it's not iverwhelming. It's beautiful how well it celebrates botanical creativity and it genuinely left me feeling excited to explore plants and herbs mroe (I've only really dabbled). It's all about feeling a connection with our natural environment, slowing down to enjoy the moments so that we are really experiencing life.
"We have established that slow and gentle is the best approach."
There's a very nice subtle design feature in the small leaf shaped symbol which acts as a marker of the end of a written piece and all the imagery is soft and calming in tone. It's super simple and it works beautifully. I also really love the various how tos and diy projects - it is a non pretentious, realistic craft magazine that doesn't preach but tells us only that we should work with intention. This is for anyone who has an interest in fabrics, fashion, plants, colour, craft and the botanical world.
"Our gradual detachment from nature can be seen in many spheres worldwide. In fact there has been a cultural shift where we have become more reliant on modern technology and synthetic materials, with a movement away from traditional and natural processes."
It's true; we have lost our connection with nature and we desperately need to get it back, and, plants really are magic.
Here's a picture of the tree I leant on and had a moment with after reading the magazine.
Unfortunately when you look where to buy the magazine, it's likely you'll come across Amazon as one of the options. There was no way I was going to buy it from there even though I wanted a copy badly, so I feel very lucky because the only reason I received this copy is because my friend (who worked in a knitting shop called Loop in London got her hands on a copy as the shop supplies a selection of carefully chosen print titles) and she gave it to me as parting gift when she was moving home. Thank you friend! See Plants are Magic on Loop's website.
If you want to visit the Etsy shop, you can get digital downloads of Rebecca's plant dye zine.
For now, I suggest you go out and play in nature, as if you were a child again. Lean on a tree, close your eyes, listen to the birds, and breathe in the cool air mindfully. Look at the ground, sow seeds, be present outdoors, look up at the sky, collect leaves, look closely at the patterns, paint the details and make prints. Do whatever you want, whatever makes you happy, but try to find that thing in nature that make you feel good, wholesome, connected to the Earth, and maybe you'll discover more about yourself, and more about life.
Visit the Rebecca Desnos website.
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