Nature Nurtures is a tribute to my grandmother, Suzanne Manuel Knips. Her love and wisdom for nature taught me about the unity and love present in every moment especially when surrounded by the serenity of nature. In her own words: “Feel the earth’s energy with every step you take. The earth helps absorb fearful thoughts and replace them with oneness with all that is.”

When you embrace the stillness of nature, you can see the unchanging story that lies beneath. Ironically, that story is all about change—a reminder that change is inevitable. The moon goes through its phases, summer turns to winter and flowers wither away. However, without the dark night of the new moon, we wouldn’t get to see the glow of the full moon. Winter leads to spring, just as the stem from which a flower died off will create new buds.

While humans tend to fear change because it is unpredictable, nature shows us the beauty that change brings. We must learn to listen to this lesson. This is what inspired me to create pieces that people can hold onto as a reminder of their treasured memories of their loved ones throughout life’s ongoing changes.

When my grandmother passed away at the incredible age of 97, I knew I wanted to preserve her memory. In the weeks before she passed away, she told me she would visit me as a blue butterfly. That’s when I came up with the idea of creating a butterfly mold with a mix of resin and her sacred ashes. After making the first sculpture to commemorate my grandmother’s life, I realized how much joy it brought me and decided to turn it into a small business.

Whether you order a felted sculpture of your favorite pet or animal or a suncatcher to preserve a special memory, I hope you can feel the same love and care that I put into the first sculpture I made to honor my beloved grandmother. My wish for you is to see these original hand-designed art pieces as a reminder to connect with the love that nature is constantly providing us. And to be reminded that the spirit of your loved ones is ever present.

I want to thank you for taking the time to look at my art. My name is Ellie Ladas. I live in Duluth, MN with two of my best friends. We moved up to Duluth from Minneapolis after graduating high school. Growing up, my mom and I were always outside, often hiking some trail in the woods. That’s still very true today. My dad’s love for animals, especially our two dogs, Ruger and Wally, created a special place in my heart for all furry friends. This gave me a fascination for plants and animals. For that reason, I wanted to show nature’s beauty through art. Reminding us all that change is inevitable; eventually, all cycles come to an end. But after that end only comes new beauty.

My hope for myself is to be able to explore this earth starting with the United States. I am saving for an RV to remodel and live in as I travel. Hope, my bunny/co-business partner, will join me on this venture. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to share my art with others and I truly hope it brings you joy.

A special thank you to my incredible mom Katie Ladas for all the help she has given me in making this idea become a reality. Another thank you goes out to Mary Schoessler, Allwaysjoy.com, my coach and business mentor who has helped me lay out a strong foundation to make this all possible.