Oh the places you will go (to get your craft on)

Feeling blah?  How or where could you transform that?


You've gotta have a set up at home that entices, but doesn't overwhem! Surround yourself with beauty. Enjoy the art of organization. Create easy access to your crafts. These things have helped me to enjoy my connection and time with art with more satisfaction.  I was just reading a book on the Tao of clearing clutter at lunch today, and loved the imagery provided for clearing obstructions that are in your way of connection to a higher level of life and clear spirited path.

I set up a shelf dedicated to art.  I keep my crafts supplies in suitcases too, because it looks so cute and vintagey.   In the smaller ones, I have projects ready to go to take on a trip or work on at a friends or coffee shop.

Crafting at exuberantly crafty friends houses is always glorious (name a material or tool and Alexandra has it!). Surround yourself with kind spirits who encourage you to pursue your love for creative expression.

Sometimes a separate studio is necessary for all those supplies, especially when your goal is to share it with others as my mom does in her workshops where she hosts artist to teach others.  Fun place to play and visit (BLOOM!). It is as divine to do art guided in someone else's workshop as it is to go to a really yummy yoga class from your favorite instructor. Plus you can dedicate yourself fully in a dedicated environment.

Even the local bike repair collective has an art night each week.  Of course they do, what else would a bunch of DIYers do with left over parts and welding kits.  I have enjoyed quite a few Crafternoons at Bicas.

And of course there are CraftyCraft Craft parties.  Open a bottle of wine, invite friends to bring their projects and get silly :) The last of these photos in this group is a swap of clothes (I consider dressing up an art, hobby, expression and way to add beauty and fun to life). Swaps are awesome for teaching the lesson of sharing and joy of letting go of the old.

 We like to get out sometimes... the local coffee shop doesn't mind our boxes of art supplies and we love the treats to eat.

 

Ah, lots of good memories and hopefully more where that came from.

Adornments for the Adored

Ideas for creations come easy when inspired by the unique qualities of life that I find in friends. Here are some gifts I crafted to suit some friends, which I gave to them for birthdays and holidays, recently and in past years.   

I am already getting started on some Solstice gifts this year because creativity comes most joyfully when it has a spontaneous or relaxed pace for me.  Having a person to think about when making jewelry makes it come out so much better. 

 

Salvaged feathers strung up like treasures along a variety of earthy colored beads and variety of metals (real silver and copper and gold toned) for Joleen's Bday.  Joleen has inspirational style and an eye for picking out perfect outfits for friends to match and enhance their personalities, so I hope I succeeded as well.  She likes to wear, and got me interested in, asymmetrical things, so this is a earring of one.

 

Here is the first necklace I made for Rachel for her birthday a few years ago.  Rachel helped me to appreciate shiny things. If it weren't for her, I may have never taken to cut crystals. The shine on this necklace comes from silver and cane glass as well.  The blues are her favorite and I threw in some contrasting colors to make it stand out more.  The glass beads also include some antique opaque whites. The clear beads are not only glass and crystal, but also some stone and resin.  Rachel kindly helped pose this picture for me during our break at work when I told her I was starting this Web site and sharing my hopes to share my interest with others :)

 

I made matching necklaces for Alexandra and myself years ago,which remind me of the warmest part of desert springs.  I didn't know she would like pinks but she liked mine so much that I made her a earthier version. I think this was before I became obsessed with silver and clear beads but had finally strayed away from hemp and peyote stitches.

 

A more recent piece for Rachel for the last Solstice.  A little reminiscent of the necklace made her above but added some leaves since she is such a good greenie.  These were some of my first experiments in playing more with wire.

xo!

Clouds

 

with love to Phoenix for encouraging my cloud photography by getting me this cheerful mobile for me to hang my favorite photos from

This post is dedicated to clouds. To me, clouds are the flowers that we take time to smell.  Looking up rather than ahead or behind.  They are our connection to nature, in a way that reminds us that the world is much bigger than us and works on its own time table.  It is a reminder of seasons coming, yet they ground me in the present moment, appreciating my life where it stands, a person without an agenda. One nation, under clouds, with liberty and justice for all. (Hehe, my dad taught me to say that when we said the pledge in school;)

Celebrating Color

This was designed for my my ma, in celebration of on of our favorite caring spirit, Santi Claus.  Red and green say say cheer, pagan style! My favorite technique is to jazz it up with silver and crystal and the bead in the middle does both with the dichroic charm.