Too early for Halloween? Never!

There are some things that never fail to inspire me. I remember when I was very young, probably 7 or 8, I wrote a book on how to put on a play. The play featured in my theatre manual was, of course, a horror fest full of vampires and werewolves! I'll have to scan that little booklet for sheer entertainment value very soon ;) So, first, let me reveal my creation ("It's ALIVE!!!") and then I will share where I found help and tutorials from other crafty mad scientists...



This mini-kit is free for personal use! It has 3 patterned 12x12 papers, 2 svg cut files and 2 png files of the cameos. I don't think it's finished either, there may be more add-ons later :) Please email me if there are any problems with the download (haven't offered anything in a while so I hope it works!)
So, one tutorial that was invaluable was by Liz Ness at Liz Ness Studios. I found it on 10MinuteDesignTV, a YouTube channel that I am no where near done exploring! The medusa cameo was created from a graphic from WPClipart.com. The Bride's cameo was created from a still from the 1935 movie.
Why the hair? Why not my usual fangs and bat wings? Well, some days, my hair is downright scary ;) I wake up in the morning and often remark that I "look like I stuck my finger in a light socket." Or, after wrestling with it, trying to get it to behave, it seems a nest of vipers is growing out of my head! If you look into the Medusa myth, by the way, you will find that the whole situation was quite unfair...! I will continue to work on this and I appreciate any feedback :)
later,
Allison

Divining Treasures

I am so proud of this piece! I received the pendant as part of a swap on swap-bot.com. I knew it was perfect for a pendulum right away! I went through my collection of beads to find some blues and greens to accent it. I name all my oracles after magickal places but I had a tough time naming this one... was it even of this planet? At last I remembered Lemuria. According to legend, it is a lost continent similar to Atlantis. The refugees who survived the cataclysm that destroyed the continent are said to have migrated and created the great civilizations of the world. So, here we have the Oracle of Lemuria.

Tree Hugger :)

I guess it's pretty obvious that I love nature and it inspires my art. When I was originally starting my cafepress shop, walking the dog helped me to refine my ideas. I'd leash up Talon and take a walk to the park down the street from my house. On the way, we'd enjoy the shade of the trees, look for squirrels and I'd practice identifying birds and birdcalls (a little side hobby I picked up from a biology class at SJSU). This is as close as I can get to nature, living where I do. But, I can see Mission Peak from my house and I can see the stars from my balcony. That's enough for me! Here are a few designs I remember pondering as Talon and I walked through our neighborhood.

That last one has a very special place in my heart. I made it for my nephew Bailey when he was just a little guy. If I remember correctly, it was one of my first cafepress designs! I also love Butterfly Maiden because I made that specifically for my niece Zoe :) Even when my initial inspiration is a child who is dear to my heart, I express my feelings with the language of nature. Trees, animals, flowers, they are the symbols that I know best. The Queen of the Underworld refers to Persephone, Maiden of Spring and Queen of Hades. She eats 3 pomagranate seeds after being captured by Hades. This means that she must remain with her husband for a third of the year. The rest of the time she can be with her Mother, Demeter who is the Earth Mother represented in the other design. So many of the ancient myths are about nature but also about us. We forget that we are a part of nature sometimes... anyway, enough philosophy! Nah, never enough. I'm sure I'll talk about nature and myths again ;)
Later,
Allison