Two new Spirit Dolls...

"Spirit of Yosemite" began with a Manzanita branch supported by a piece of river washed pine, (both collected in Yosemite last week) secured with sinew. (The face you see was accidental. I always pick the face and let it give me direction.)

 Here she is. I got so involved, I forgot to take pictures of her stages. Her hair is moss picked off the North side of a tree in the Wawona area of Yosemite. Her face is paperclay on a river rocked collected in Yosemite Valley.  Her clothing is a collage of Thai silks and painted muslin, with a bit of dyed netting. Her breastplate and the two fern embellishments are made from paperclay that has been textured stamped and painted.  She is supported by a dowel placed into a vintage textile bobbin which has been secured in a terracotta base, textured and painted.

 A close up of the textured terracotta base.

 Medicine Spirit is comprised mostly of mosses supported by redwood branches and a flexible florist wire. The breastplate is supported on a necklace strung with vintage beads and African trading beads. The Medicine Bay is made from upcycled leather (unknown species) perfect to place your prayers in. Clothes are made from hand painted muslin and Thai silks.  Arms are flexible and can be repositioned.

 Here are two more bases on the drying table.

 Bases are textured stamped in a primitive fashion.

I'm hoping to turn this meditative process into a workshop. Any comments or suggestions are so greatly appreciated! Thank you and Namaste. Sweet Blessings. xoxo

Our last day of vacation....

Well, we could be out at the pool, or sipping something on our deck.... but here we are, crafting and painting our hearts out.
Here's my hubby painting one of his silhouettes.... He is amazing!

 This is what I worked on all morning.... I made the paperclay buttons and embellishments yesterday and let them dry in the sun. Many hours of glazing and reglazing. I'm happy with the results.

Been a busy girl....

Hello dear friends. My hubby and I are celebrating our 20th up here in the lovely Yosemite area.

Of course, it's always an artist retreat for us. So here are a few pictures of my works in progress....
Spirit doll made mostly of mosses, hand dyed and painted muslin, and beautiful Thai silks. I'm debating about the hair.... more moss? or a yarn head of hair?

 Here are some of the buttons and beads I've made. Haven't embellished this doll yet.

 Bless my hubby... he helped me collect some amazing river rocks in Yosemite Valley. Here's a bunch with paperclay faces.... the strings you see are sinew ribbons to tie the rock face onto a spirit doll form. I have some amazing pine and Manzenita branches for the doll form. Maybe they are 'Earth Dolls'??

 I'm not sure what to do with these larger rocks. Probably shouldn't go out in the garden since they are made with paper clay. I just can't see using the waterproof polymer clay... plastic, ugh.

 This project has been the most challenging. Dying, stamping, and painting my fabrics. I worked a full day on these, then when I draped the Thai silk on the doll, oh my. I love the silk. Just haven't tried painting or stamping on it yet.

 And a few little 'Wisdom' or prayer books to embellish the Spirit Dolls with. Each will have a closure that will be easy to remove from the doll, then reconnect after 'wisdom' thoughts or prayers have been written.

First Spirit Doll

I'm thrilled to show you my first, ever, SPIRIT DOLL! She is full of deep meaning!
 As my new MUSE, she'll Grace my studio.

 

She started with twigs from a curly Willow tree.

 Some of the 'stuff' used to construct her. You can see the lace ribbon attached to her mask. I work her for a few days to imbue her with love, spirit, and deep connections to All Women. I wore her as I constructed each part of her body.

 Lots of scraps and strings, with miles of memories of previous projects, all make up her body's 'stuffing'.

 I had more scraps and remnants to include. It felt worthy to include two of the suffragettes images left over from one of my "Votes for Women" books.

 Gauze and canvas strips wrap her insides in. Also, you can see the tip of a vintage Sacred Scapula, Heart of Jesus, that I included.

 Then, my batteries ran out of juice.... so, jumping ahead, here she is almost finished. I'm going to sit with her a while to listen for her direction for more embellishments.

 This little Medicine Pouch as been with me over 25 years. I used the gold and diamond from my wedding ring (first marriage 1968) along with a garnet and emerald to have a crown stylized for this little pouch. There are photos and prayers still in it from 25 years ago.

 And, I've tried my hand at creating new faces and embellishments. Trial and error. I'll be painting and staining these.

Busy summer days....

Hi friends.... we had a big move for my disabled son, but the dust has settled and he loves his new home. Thanks for your thoughtful prayers!

You can expect more here in the coming months. My hubby and I decided no more renters. So, for the first time in 20 years, we'll be living alone! Whoopee!

I was thrilled to sell my Sassy Bag to this sweet young girl, Lily. Lily is starting middle school and can't wait to show off her new bag.

Oh, you know what? Guess we're really not 'alone'.... we have close to 200 pounds of furry love sharing our hearth! Molly our Saint and Lulu our Bassett. Precious girls.

Welcome, my friends!

Welcome! It's so nice to have you visit here in the Santa Cruz Redwood Mountains! Thank you to Karen Valentine of My Desert Cottage for hostessing this fabulous blog hop! (Read all the way down to find out about my special gift for you!)

So, let's get started. Welcome to my bedroom! No, not my studio,  But this where I begin each morning, with my sweet Molly at my feet as I write in my journal.

 So, in an ideal world, this is what my studio could/should/would look like (if I kept it up!)....
 This would be my nice and neat sewing station with my beloved Janome.
 And these would be just some of my laces and trims, hanging neatly and sorted.

 This little cabinet, neat and tidy, is chock full of vintage rick racks, seam bindings, etc.

 And this little storage center is actually a 100 year old Victorian Writing desk organizer. Rolls of lace roll right in, so tidy and neat.

And here is my fiber workstation. I always keep it picked up, tidy, and neat. (lol)

 Okay... ready for some reality? 

Here's what it REALLY LOOKS LIKE!

And here is the other desk wall, where I create with paper and such things. (Kinda messy, right?) I haven't picked up since I made the two prayer book mini albums. (You can see them farther down in earlier posts.)

 Funny story about this hanging-hook-thingy. My ex-husband slept with a box of Silver-plate flatware for over six months, waaay back in 1968, in his Navy bunk on the USS Cogswell. Now, many years later, I haven't served a formal dinner in years and years. Yet I still have that box of flatware. I can't give it away. I can't sell it. Tada! Now I can appreciate it and enjoy it's beauty as fabulous hooks in my studio!

 Here, you can see the square bottom that perfectly keeps my quilting rulers off my work station.

 Now, here's what that beautiful Victorian writing organizer REALLY looks like, with stuff and trims dripping, no cascading! down the front.

 I have loved these wire drawers for years. Keeping colors organized and a big drawer for white laces, fabrics, tablecloths, etc.

 This corner is still pretty neat. (Although I haven't made any purses in a month or so. It will look quite different as I pull out this and that to audition for my next Gypsy handbag.)

 This is a precious 1950's cabinet I haven't really staged yet. I have visions of beautiful embroidered fabrics, little dolls, cute little things that will inspire me. Maybe I'll get to it soon. The upholstery fabrics underneath look good though, right?

 

 My eye-less green teddy embraces a back FULL of floss. Need some?

 Another dose of reality....

 Oh, how I love my Ikea cabinets!

 Look at all the stuff I can store out of sight!

 This set of Ikea drawers hide away tools to stick stuff together... or to punch holes in things.

 On the other side, this stack of drawers house all my lovely scrapbook (and paste) papers. So handy. And the drawers close on their own. God bless Ikea! (and my hubby who assembled all this!!!)

 Another messy corner. Can you pick out all the different art modalities stacked here?

 I'm loving my Copic pens. I even dye my silk ribbon and touch up my Mulberry paper flowers with their beautiful colors.

 Also in the stack... my lovely, sweet, cherished, collection of Mulberry Paper Flowers... I'm using these for both paper projects and fiber arts.

 And, under the stack, is my wonderful Encaustic pallet, with the R&F Beeswax sticks. I've been using beeswax encausitic for years, made from real beeswax comb and my own colors. Would you believe I found all of this at a garage sale last year! Actually, it feels great to use really good tools rather than the hotplate mess.

 Some time I find myself gazing out the window, flying through the redwoods, breathing the crystal air.

 Here's the window sill where I keep my 'precious jewels'.

 Here's my treasure chest of 'every-day' jewels....

This little tea tin hold my MOST precious pieces.

 Wooden spools keep vintage laces in order. (You know how they love to let loose and tangle with each other.)

 This looks pretty orderly. I just can't remember what's in what. Think I'll make some labels!

 And, this is my latest find. 81 vintage bobbin spools! Perfect to roll vintage ribbons, laces, and trims on!

Well, thank you so much for visiting! Think I'll read a spell... but, before you go! Leave me a comment, become a follower of my site, and I'll choose one of your names (randomly, of course) and will send you one of those bobbins loaded with lovelies!

God Bless and Sweet Blessings....

Now, back to my book....