With a desire to preserve our environment and a love of history, many of her pieces resemble quilt-like collages, which she designs using cancelled postage stamps, occasionally incorporating pressed flowers. When asked about her artwork, the first word that Martha often uses is “tedious.” She says that she has thousands and thousands of stamps, sorted by themes like floral, patriotic, presidents, entertainment, artists, authors, states, and various entities. The floral component can also be time consuming since Martha grows and presses the flowers herself. Gardening is another of Bladen’s interests. During her earlier years, Martha felt the need to grow and process all the food for her family. In addition to growing and preserving the food, she raised milk goats, beef, and pork. Now her only farm animals are seven “old lady” hens. These ladies will have a forever home with Martha at her farm, Seasonsong. Martha and her dog Bruin walk the woods of the farm often, capturing special moments with photography, another Martha Bladen obsession. After growing up in Illinois and Ohio, Bladen attended the University of Cincinnati, where she majored in education. With her dual certification to teach art and elementary education, Martha found herself teaching 30 years in an elementary classroom for the Three Rivers School District in Cleves, Ohio. The art training came in handy as she incorporated art into her “hands-on” method of instructing the students.