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

Day of the Dead...

Well, Halloween came and went. I meant to post on the very day but I was just too busy! I went to a carnival with my nephews and family. My costume was almost Egyptian Queen but I ended up wanting to be scary (surprise, surprise)! I dug up my fangs and went as a vampire.
I really loved my makeup! I'll post another pic with fangs if I can get it :) Picture courtesy of my hubby at Mask Photo.
Before the spirit of Halloween has totally left us for another year, I want to show you a few more crafts that I labored on this month. They came out just the way I wanted. Of course, I have to give credit to the person who inspired me, Sheila at Cheeky Magpie! Here are the gorgeous crowns she created. I used her template to make one of my own.
Sheila's:

Mine:

This was so much fun! I got sick with the flu in the middle of this and my next project though. They almost didn't get finished in time. The overall feel of it isn't as Halloweenie (Halloweenish? Halloweenesque?) as I wanted but I really love it. Also, the black and white paper was designed by me :) Here's a close up so you can see the bats and dragons. There's also some rib cages and skulls thrown in...

I would definitely do this again, maybe with a harvest theme? Thank you Sheila! But her inspiration didn't end there...

This beautiful banner, spelling out "Beware" just blew me away. It's so lovely but Halloween at the same time! She used velvet on paper. As soon as I read her tutorial, I was all over it. Hidden deep in my closet was some extra orange fabric. I've also been using pages from a very old copy of A Wrinkle in Time to craft with. Perfect! Here's what I came up with...


I stamped on mine instead of spelling out a message. I think next year I will work on it some more, stabilizing the holes for the ribbon and maybe backing it with some patterned paper for extra strength. I want this banner to last for years!
I almost forgot, I did another Cheeky Magpie craft. I had a little trouble with this one. Hoping for some guidance I left a message on Sheila's blog. She got right back to me and was very nice. Thanks! Here are her glam tombstones...

And here is the one that I was able to do. Only one (even though I want a graveyard full) because I don't have the proper cutting implements. You can bet some new items went on my Christmas wish list!

This was also a lot of fun to make. Her template offers five different headstone shapes so you can bet I'll be busy next year ;)
I hope you all will pay Cheeky Magpie a visit. I'm really excited to see what she does for Christmas!
Finally, we arrive at my title project. This is very special to me. In the past, I have created elaborate altars with food and flowers to honor my beloved dead. Today I just want to share their names. I made a layout with various free scrapbook kits from the internet. The ancient Egyptians believed that if you stop saying the names of the dead, they cease to exist in the afterlife. So, praying for them and talking about them is essential for them to continue. Personally, I strive to keep them alive in my heart. Our memories are all that are left of our loved ones and those are precious indeed.

blessings everyone,
Allison

A New Year!

Hopefully this will be a year of more frequent posting! But I don't make resolutions so, we'll just have to hope for the best ;) Today the weather is gorgeous and that really gets my creative mind whirling. I want to do a few things in the near future: highlight a design from Crafty Curios and show you some idea for future artwork. Also, I may post another collage from Polyvore. I've been hugely inspired by their theme wedding collage groups! Okay, buckle up, here we go!

This design was inspired by the idea that, throughout our lives, we go through many changes. This life journey has often been symbolized by the butterfly whose own metamorphosis is dramatic and, in the end, has beautiful results. We all hope that our own changes will leave us in such a graceful state, blessed with wings to fly above our troubles, lovely on the inside and the outside. The problem may be that changes are often beyond our control. We feel buffeted by winds that our new wings may not be strong enough to handle. Throughout history, cultures have had the idea that certain people can change shape at will (or when the moon is full ;) Is this an attempt to meet the challenges of life head on? Transforming into a shape that might be stronger or wiser or more flexible? We all need to adapt. If the form we are currently in does not meet the needs of our life, it is said that it is much easier to change ourselves than the circumstances. I also like the idea of shifting shape, as in, temporarily taking on whatever shape is needed. We can use masks or personas to get us through, without being false because ultimately, they are all different sides of ourselves. I find this design very appropriate for young people. They are in a constant state of flux on so many levels. Also, the idea of a pregnant woman being a shape shifter is exciting to me! She is working magick by transforming herself and the child inside her. I hope to experience this magick for myself one day.

That's it for now :) I hope you are happily cutting Valentine's hearts for those you love!
Allison

Quirky Collage!

I've been having a lot of fun creating digitally since my craft desk is a mess! Still recovering from my Christmas crafts, lots of glitter everywhere! So here's a few collages I made with Polyvore. It's so much fun! I find that my favorite part is gathering images to use. It reminds me of the days when I used to play Sims and spent hours looking for new home decor and fashions for my sims ;) Well, hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve!
Allison

Vamp Moderne by ajr51594

Gothic Bride by ajr51594

Trimming the Tree

Oh dear! I haven't posted in almost a month! Well, the holidays can be like that, right? Wonderfully hectic :) I have committed myself to making a few gifts, not all, I don't think I'm a crafty pro yet! I decided to make ornaments for a circle of girl friends who are all very crafty. Originally I knew I wanted to make things with paper rosettes but I had no idea what they were called or how to make them. That is, until I found two extremely helpful tutorials...
This one required multiple squares of paper that you fold and glue together.
The second one used long strips of paper that you pleat with a fan fold. My poor little hands almost gave out on me with this technique! I would recommend the squared method in the first tutorial to anyone that has tendinitis or arthritis. It's a little bit easier on the hands. So! Here are the results...
This is the Pink Slipper ornament. This poor baby sat unfinished on my desk for weeks before I finally was able to put the rosette on top. From there it only took about 15 minutes to finish! My hubby was stunned and suggested I make another one and "take some time with it" if I wanted to give it as a gift. I guess that's part of my creative process. While it sat on my desk, I was busy "finishing" it in my mind. I knew exactly what I wanted to do... just needed that rosette! I wish you could see the sparkle all over. I did buy myself some silver Krylon glitter spray and this little shoe got a generous dose.

Tis the Season Dear! Or should I say, Deer? I really love this ornament. It has a large rosette, silky green ribbon, tons of glass glitter and a cute baby deer. A lot of this paper came from a scrap swap I did at Swap-bot.com. The deer is a sweet bit of clip art from the internet. I bought the glitter at American Harvest in Pleasanton. Their shop is a true winter wonderland right now! I am not ashamed to say that I was influenced and inspired by the gorgeous art they have in their store.










So, I whipped up ornments #1 and #2 at lightning speed. But what to do about #3? I have 3 crafty friends and I wanted them each to have something unique and special. After perusing Etsy.com to see what the folks there were making, I decided to go with an ice skate design. I found this adorable template on Paper Craft Inspirations website. I liked the curliness of the blade and the high, slim ankle of the boot. I used lavender paper and a whole lot more glass glitter. The "laces" are threaded through white eyelets and the hanger is just silver wire adorned with beads. I intended to make two but, sheesh, one was hard enough! Maybe next year I'll make two for myself :) I especially love the snowflake button. My Mother-in-law bought me a Dress It Up set called Dashing Through the Snow. Boy, does she know how to make me smile!



Right now, all three are on my tree. I want to let each of my friends pick which one they want. I'm very interested to see who will pick what!
My other crafty plans include gifts for my mom... I'll probably post those after xmas so as not to spoil the surprise.
I also have another bottle snowperson to show you! I'll take some pics and hopefully return before the New Year ;)
blessings,
Allison

Creative and Motivated!

Sometimes it's hard to be both at the same time... especially with the time and energy constraints of modern life. If I look back, I can see that I was most creative and likely to finish a project when I was in college. Duh, if I didn't, I got a bad grade! But I think it was more than that. Us creative folks can be, forgive the stereotype, a little out there and I believe that I personally benefit from structure. This can be self-imposed (but that's like letting the fox guard the hen house) or imposed from outside one's self. Luckily, one of my good friends turned me on to Swapbot.com. It's a great way not only to find structure for your creative endeavors but to meet other artists and fun people all over the globe. You join a swap and you're given parameters for your creation, an audience and a deadline ;) I can't tell you how great this has been for me! Here are the results of my first swap, an ATC swap with a Dia de los Muertos theme.

They are both ofrendas which means "tribute" or "offering" in Spanish and refers to the altars made by families for their beloved dead on Dia de los Muertos. The first one is for my grandma Barbara. The images in the card remind me of her. The perfume bottle for her Avon, the dragonfly for the pair of earrings she gave me and the calaca for the many Albee awards she received for her success with Avon. The flowers are marigolds, traditional altar flowers for the Day of the Dead and also represent the love and joy she brought to so many.

The second one is for my grandpa. His was a little harder for many reasons. My grandma died in 2002 and I think I've had a lot of time to process that loss. My grandpa died in 2005 while I was planning my wedding. In order to make it through that time, I had to push aside many of my feelings of grief and guilt. By making this piece for him, I was able to get back in touch with and release some of that pain. I chose the images based on his love of westerns, his free spirit, his love of his country and his stellar personality. You might also notice that my grandpa's card has a small dragonfly, which links the two pieces together. Also, the wire on his card spells out his call sign: W6UBQ.

There are so many lessons I learned through this project! One was about giving your art away. Yes, I mailed the originals to my swap partner. I didn't have to, the rules specify that you can send high quality copies but something told me that I should. Maybe it was another act of letting go. I'm happy that they will be placed in someone's art collection. I have already benefited through the creation and I don't think I would benefit more by keeping them. Anyway, thanks everyone for reading. This is indeed the time of year when we are going into the darkness. I hope you all find healing there.
Allison