Oh Dear...

Have six months really flown by? Yep, there they go! I really should catch you all up on what I've created over the past several months... which isn't much! I guess sometimes an artist needs space to regroup, time to fill up the cup again so that it can be poured into new projects. I was an empty cup! But now I feel filled to the brim again :) I'd like to share a few Victorian Angels I made (you may remember I made a quartet of them last year). As always, my art is deeply influenced by my love of nature. The first angel has a wintery companion. She is the Reindeer Guardian. The second angel is what a white poinsettia looks like when it goes to a Christmas party ;)


Both designs are available at my cafe press shop as ceramic ornaments. I also added some stockings to my shop with angels on them! I love doing collage work like this. I used to cut up magazines but now, I cut down on the mess and use photoshop, hehe.

Let's go back in time a little while to Halloween, shall we? Here are some poison bottles that I made:

No, I don't have a messy craft table, why do you ask? eheheh :) One is for "Resurrection Lilly", a plant that will bring you back from the dead as a vampire! Really! And the other is "Poison Monk's Cowl" a plant with a deadly flower that resembles an alchemist's hood... And here is the strange cat-beast that I transformed into that night...

Okay, back to merry, bright December :)
Hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season!
Allison

Dessert, daring escapes and a little bird :)

Hello All!
I have a few projects of mine to share with you. No real theme here ;) Just trying to make the most of some of my craft supplies, odds and ends that I've been collecting. First I want to recommend a book! It may not be for everyone but I found it fascinating! Altered Curiosities by Jane Ann Wynn.

I found this book, brought it home, gave it a good read and created the shrine below right away!



The feet of the shrine are thread spools covered with ribbon. It's hard to see but one of them says "cherish". The box is a recycled greeting card box. I originally intended to fill the shrine with... something but the bird is so sweet, I may just leave it. Who knows? Actually, the shrine is not very similar in spirit to the art in the book. This ATC is more along the same lines... a little spooky, weird and wonderful!
See what happens when you do crafts and watch documentaries about Frankenstein at the same time??? Yep, this one is from way back during Halloween... just put the finishing touches on it this week! Crazy, I know ;)
My next sweet nothing was actually created during my Christmas ornament spree! I found the template on Mirkwood Designs. They have oodles of templates for all kinds of paper projects. My favorite part of this design was decorating! I love the "raspberry" ric-rac! And the bit of lace on the back is just enough frosting for me ;)


Finally, I am so excited about this piece! I have been contemplating a Houdini homage for a while now. It is just the right time period for me, a little steampunk, a little victorian. He's such a thrilling, mysterious figure... and handsome, too ;) Or at least he was, as you may know, he died performing a risky stunt. He was famous for being able to escape from anything but his final escape was from the land of the living...

I covered the band aid tin with sticky mesh, patterned paper and images from the web. The chains are from broken jewelry and the handcuffs are from a souvenir keychain! I've been saving those for SOOOOOO long! hehehe :) So glad they finally came in handy. I have to thank my craft buddy Jeri for passing on the tin and for being such a creative inspiration! I hope you all enjoy an escape soon (not Houdini's variety!). Go someplace nice and enjoy beautiful June :)
Allison

Almost Ostara...

At the end of my last post, I showed you all an inspiration photo from Etsy. Well, here is what I came up with!

As you can see, I never did make it to the thrift store for neckties but I was able to pull from my stash of ribbon for the sash. I also had fun sifting through my box of odds and ends to find the center of the medallion. I'm not actually sure what to call it! It reminds me of an award ribbon. The center is a stone from a necklace with a very worn quarter on top. I LOVE the damask pattern on the ribbon!

Other than that, I haven't been very busy craft-wise. So, back I went to the internet looking for inspiration. Easter and Spring are not as easy for me to craft with as say, Halloween. In the past, I was very anti-pastels. Now I'm more than comfortable with pink and baby blue but I still find most Easter decor a little too cutesy for my taste. Still, I love the birds and foliage of Spring. I am always drawn to the eggs, such a wonderful symbol. While looking for a direction, I googled various permutations of the phrase "spring paper craft" and eventually discovered Carola at Boxwood Cottage!
I was blown away by her sophisticated yet whimsical spring egg ornaments. Here are a few of my favorites! Please visit her website and take a gander at her other beautiful creations!



Now, for my serving of eggs...





Mine aren't quite as opulent as Carola's, mostly because I don't have any Dresden foil trim. I must fix that little problem soon! But, again, this was a great way to finally use some of the scraps and do-dad's I've been saving. Here is a link to the template that I used. All my eggs are the extra large variety ;)
Hope you are filled with spring hope and renewal!
Allison

It's been so long!

And so many new things to share! I can't believe it's been months since I posted! Actually, I can because Christmas was such a wonderful time but full of busy busy busy!!!
Here is one of the many gifts I worked on. I gave a few to loved ones and a few to me! My favorite part is the paper from "A Wrinkle in Time." I also had fun trying different shades of gold and bronze on the walnut shell. I was inspired by the pic below which I found online. I wish I knew who made it! Please let me know if it was you or if you know where this was originally posted :)

Most of the things I created in December were ornaments. I used the paper rosette technique to great effect, creating sets of three matching ornaments for each recipient. I wish I had taken some pics! Hehehehe! But there just wasn't time. Maybe next year, I'll be able to get pics of them on people's trees.
I also had some fun creating collages with Photoshop. I was inspired by Victorian style this holiday season (more than usual? ;) I found vintage Victorian ladies in lovely finery and made them into holiday fairies! At first I just posted them on Polyvore.com and Facebook but then they used their magic fairy dust on me and I was struck with inspiration! I added them to my Cafepress shop as ornaments! Of course, where else would they want to be besides the Christmas tree? Please click on these and get a bigger view at Cafepress because there are so many fun little details you'd miss otherwise.

Since the end of the whirlwind Yuletide, I've been in a kind of creative slump. Not surprising considering how much I produced! I also collected lots of inspiration photos from the internet for next year. Still, I have sat down at my craft table several times throughout January and ended up organizing instead of creating. Honestly, it was starting to get on my nerves! Then, I got a new job!!! Hurray! Now, not only am I somewhat stumped, I am very tired after work, not really in a crafty mood. Just when I thought nothing would strike my fancy I found this on etsy.com by The Little Prints! How cute it this!?!? It is a felt brooch and that fabric on the bottom is from a NECKTIE!! I can see me at the thrift store now, snatching up colorful, printed ties!

The only thing is, I can't wait to get to the thrift store... I've already started one.... hehehe! Pics to come!
The signs of spring are already popping up, enjoy!
Allison