Grow Your Blog, 2014! Welcome!

Hello friends! I'm so excited to participate for the second year in Vicki's 'Grow your Blog' party! Many thanks to Vicki of '2 Bags Full' for hosting this amazing opportunity to meet and greet other artists here in Blogger-Land! And yes... I have a fabulous give away you'll see at the end of this posting! In the mean time...

You're invited to relax and take a look around. Oh, first... let me introduce myself. I'm Chris Flynn, well into my sixties (even I have a hard time believing that! Long live the class of '65!!). I live happily with my husband, Molly, our Saint Bernard, Lulu, our Basset hound, three cats, and a bunch of lovely Redwood Trees, nestled here in the Santa Cruz mountains.

My husband helps me run our Antique and Arts collective in nearby Boulder Creek. Here are just a few of our 30 dealers.

I'm lucky to have a studio to play in! It's the pink building in the back of our cottage.

Currently my creative Muse has directed me into two specific areas... making Lace Books and Spirit Dolls. First I'll show you a few of the Lace Books...
 This one I made for a dear friend who suffered a serious broken elbow. It's full of pockets to store her get well wishes and prayers in.

 This one was dedicated to the women who paved the way for us today....

 This one is just plain silly... and sometimes too close to the truth!

 Yet another, filled with lacy goodies....

 

 In the last six months my Muse has guided me to making Spirit Dolls for healing and blessings.

I mostly stick with organic materials, keeping them as close to Nature as possible. I use natural terracotta clay for the faces and adornments. Pieces of Nature, branches, seed pods, Lacy Moss are gathered from Monterey to Yosemite. All of the clothing has been pieced from silks and designer fabrics that have been saved from ending up in the landfill.

 I enjoy creating their faces and embellishments from terracotta clay. I sell lots of these on Etsy.
You are welcome to browse through past blog posts to see some of my previous work.

The fun part of this blog-hopping party is not only making new friends, but many of us are hosting give-away prizes too!  So, I decided to give away a Spirit Doll Kit! This will include everything you see here....

Plus some Lacy Moss for your doll's body, and a selection of silks for her clothing. I've posted a tutorial on how to make a spirit doll (click here).
So you can make something like this...

How can you win, you may ask? Just leave a comment! And I'll be EXTRA happy (hint hint) if you become a follower member and follow by email! The winner will be chosen on February 15th.

I sincerely hope you've enjoyed your visit. I'm really hoping to connect with you, especially if you enjoy a spiritual dimension in your creations.

Thank you for visiting. I'll be hopping over to your blog soon too!
Sweet Blessings, Chris

A Creative Day...

I felt the energies of these two Spirit Dolls calling out to me. so I spent the day in my studio, and look who turned up!

Terpsichore
In Greek mythology, Terpsichore ‘delight in dancing’ is one of the nine Muses ruling over Ballet and Dramatic Chorus. This Spirit Doll was created as a tribute to my new friend Brigit, to remind us to continue to dance through life, no matter what life brings us. No matter what we must do, we can allow the Grace of Dance to influence our thinking, to move through the challenges of life.

Terpsichore was crafted from a river washed branch found in Yosemite Valley. Her body is molded from Lacy Moss collected in Monterey Bay. Her clothing is crafted from recycled silk scarves and decorator fabric samples. Her face and breastplate are molded from terracotta clay, embellished with African trading beads and Czech Glass beads. The purple leaves are from a vintage flower corsage.

Emergence
The Re-emergence of the Goddess...
 She is awakening;
She is opening;
The veils of illusion have lifted.
She is here to remind us to lift our own veils of illusion and to embrace our passion & purpose.
 ‘Emergence’ was created from a mere Monterey Bay Cypress branch, already covered with lovely Lacy Moss. More moss was added to her body, along with torn strips of Thai Silks. Her head piece and Brooch are vintage. Her face was molded with terracotta clay and painted with many layers of  Byzantia glazes.

Guest Artist! Brigit Snyder

Good morning dear friends.... I'm hosting a guest artist today. Brigit has been making beautiful Spirit Dolls for some time and just recently purchased a few of my Spirit Doll faces. I'm so proud to introduce her work to you. You can find her blog here.

And this is her lovely creation: MOTHER OF TIME

I am the Mother of time. Immortal and infinite I gave birth to the past, the present and the future, simultaneously. I am a sacred Goddess, cradling the innocence of all things; all universes. I am the Essence of Love. Beautiful Faces Made by Chris of MyIrishGypsy on Etsy. Doll Inspired by Grieseda Tello of Awesomeart on Etsy.

Do stop by her blog and leave her a comment!
Sweet Blessings, Chris

Newest Spirit Doll Faces...

Okay.. I keep jumping from one side of my studio to the other, from the sewing center to the crafting/painting area. So yesterday, while I finished up the 'Gathered Prayers' lacy book, I also painted the finishing touches on the group of newly molded Spirit Doll faces and listed them in my Etsy shop. Customers have asked for more specific colors. So using my wonderful Stewart Gill paints, this is the result. Each face has at least six layers of color glazing, all rather iridescent, with greens, blues, purples, and golds showing through. I just love making them, and I love the way they turn out.

I'll tell you more about this last grouping later in the week. (hint, hint: I'm giving them away!)

 

One last thing... I've decided to sell my set of Copic Markers. They are pretty high-end for my graphic art or journaling needs. They are for sale on Ebay if you're interested.

'Gathered Prayers' A Lacy Book Album

Hello friends... Have you ever wanted to create something for a friend who is ill, injured, or hurting? I felt a deep draw this week to create this Lacy Book for my friend Sue who broke her elbow, has had surgery, and will be months recuperating. She is part of a huge Christian Church, I know she'll receive many, many get well cards. So this is a Lacy book that is full of many, many pockets for her to keep her cards in.  She's one of the dealers in my shop, so we'll all write little notes on some tags I've yet to make.  This whole process was such a 'feel good' project to do!

My kind of vacation....

Ah... after the over-the-top month of December, both for creating art and SELLING art in my shop, Boulder Creek Antiques and Art, hubby and I are here at Angels Camp, enjoying five days of just peace, quiet, and art work.

 I just started another of Joanne Sharps Journaling classes. "My Awesome Life, 2014". A year of journaling. This page is off topic, but my intention is to create art, not to sell, but as an act of prayerfulness. Thus I decided to do a layout of the Buddhist "Loving Kindness" meditation.

 I LOVED picking up the watercolor brush! It's been about two years since I played around with watercolors. Ah... the delicious feeling of a brush loaded with drippy, saturated, color!

I started out yesterday by sketching and painting the undercoating of a sunflower painting in acrylics. This is a painting I'm doing with the intention of selling.... but, I'm trying to get away from the push of producing 'sale-able' art. The Art Journal is dedicated to ME... just for me... for my own pleasure. (Not sure I'm all too comfortable with that concept.)

 This is just the under-painting.... much more to do. But I got kind of bored and switched over to my art journal. Is there a message there? hmmmm

Gaia's Daughter #3

I've been so inspired since creating Gaia's Daughter #2, I've made another one.... Now listed in my Etsy shop.  Here are her pictures, and Etsy write up:

GAIA'S DAUGHTER #3 was inspired by a very Spiritually Oriented woman who has dedicated her life to being of service to people in crisis. She is one who truly walks her talk. See if Gaia's Daughter speaks to you, or brings to mind someone who lives their life in Holy Service and Devotion....perhaps your Self?

The inner structure of Gaia's Daughter #3 is made with with the beautiful 'Lacy Moss' (lichen), collected in nearby Monterey, and is supported by several sticks, one collected from the riverbed in Yosemite Valley, the other from a Coastal Cypress, complete with it's seed pockets. Her 'hair' is moss collected locally in Ben Lomond.

Her inner garments, including her 'cloak of many colors', are a fiber collage of many 'rescued' silks, designer fabrics, and yarns, perhaps representing the countless lives You, or some you know, have touched. Her flowing skirts are beautiful repurposed designer sample fabrics. And her wraparound cloak is a vintage crochet doily, symbolizing the gift of caring that is woven together throughout all time. Her crochet cloak seems to cradle the assemblage of faces she holds dear.

Gaia's Daughter's face.... this particular cabochon kept speaking to me, that she wanted to grace this doll. I think, because she is sturdy, substantial, with an elegant spiritual gracefulness, all of which depict one who walks the Spiritual Path. I especially like her timeless gaze, as though she is watching over us all through eternity.



Her BREASTPLATE: I include a breastplate on all my spirit or wisdom dolls. Traditionally, a breastplate is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. A breastplate is sometimes worn by mythological beings as a distinctive item of clothing.

In this case, Gaia's Daughter's breastplate depicts the countless lives you, or someone special, have touched, represented by five faces, cradled in Nature's womb of ferns. Perhaps symbolic of our Sacred Grandmothers passing on Ancient Wisdom to our Sacred Granddaughters.

Nestled in a cocoon molded in a bed of ferns, the symbolic meaning of fern is magic, fascination, confidence, shelter, discretion, reverie and a secret bond of love. And the metaphysical meaning of the number Five draws our attention to the wonder of life, and beckons us to appreciate the perception of chaos all around us.

Just a bit more about my Spirit Wisdom Dolls... I've worked with polymer clay but find greater comfort creating with earth-friendly terracotta clay. Also, We have a nearby 'fabric rescue' center (Fabmo, located in Mountain View, CA). Fabmo saves the lives of so many amazing designer fabric samples, offering them to artists who will give life to these samples previously destined for the landfill. And so, while most of my Spirit Wisdom Dolls are organic, collected in nature, I feel that by using these 'rescued' materials, we are utilizing the gifts that the Bountiful Universe so abundantly gives.

Gaia's Daughter #2

Hello dear friends.... I just wanted to share this very special Wisdom Doll I made for a very dear person, Diane. Diane is a person has dedicated her life to be of service to people in crisis. I became inspired to create this 'Gaia's Daughter' after our conversation about her visit with the Dali Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh and I came to the realization that Diane really walks her talk, and is living a life of service and devotion.

The inner structure of Gaia's Daughter is made with the beautiful 'Lacy Moss' (lichen), collected in nearby Monterey, supported by several sticks, one collected from the riverbed in Yosemite Valley, the other from a Coastal Cypress, complete with it's seed pockets. Her 'hair' is moss collected locally in Ben Lomond.

Her inner garments, including her 'cloak of many colors', are a fiber collage of many 'rescued' silks, designer fabrics, and yarns, representing the countless lives Diane has touched. And her cloak is a vintage crochet doily, symbolizing the gift of caring that is woven together throughout all time.

And now Gaia's Daughter's face.... this particular cabochon kept speaking to me, that she wanted to grace Diane's doll. I think, because it is sturdy, substantial, with an elegant gracefulness, all of which depict Diane. I especially like the timeless gaze, as though she is watching over us all through eternity.

And... Her BREASTPLATE: A breastplate is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. A breastplate is sometimes worn by mythological beings as a distinctive item of clothing.

In this case, Gaia's Daughter's breastplate depicts the countless lives Diane has protected and touched, represented by five faces, cradled in Nature's womb of ferns. The symbolic meaning of fern is magic, fascination, confidence, shelter, discretion, reverie and a secret bond of love. And the spiritual meaning of Five draws our attention to the wonder of life, and beckons us to appreciate the perception of chaos all around us.

I just feel so honored that 'Gaia's Daughter #2' came to me to gift to Diane, to let her know she is seen, appreciated, and loved. She has really made a difference in the world.
Namaste. 

Another venture....

Hello dear friends.... I've been lost in my studio at least 8 hours every day... and loving it!  I saw scarves similar to these at a local craft show... I've looked and looked on Youtube and the net, for scarves that are made using water soluble interfacing... couldn't find a thing. (these are not felted...nor do I want to open that creative door!)

So this is what I've come up with so far, my first two scarves. If you know of a tutorial on these, please let me know!
Sweet blessings, Chris

Well... I've been busy!

Yes, it's been a while. But I've been quite busy. Making Spirit Doll faces and adornments.... then I've switched to some more 'main stream' prayer dolls! Here's a peek at a few I've placed in my shop. Each one has a spiritual sentiment and each one is quite hugable!