Laura Lee dollies from blocks and other goodies

 Aren't these dollies adorable?  I just LOVE them.  They were so much fun to make.  I took a little class over at PaperWhimsy.  It is a great way to let your inner child out and to have so much fun!  I must have raised my vibrations through it all because when I look at them, I just smile.  

My favorite is the one on the bottom right.  She has legs that articulate and so sits on my shelf.  I just love to look over at her during the day.  

Actually, I love them all.  They are all special.  I gave the one directly opposite some dreads made from beaded wire.  She is a real cutie.  The one below is an inspiration from nature... her legs are made from glass and turquoise beads with a lady bug and a dragonfly to keep her company;  and the top one is a masterpiece of architecture.  Her arms are keys, just perfect for opening old doors to the past and her solid column legs keep her stable.  

I loved doing the transfers and all the metal work. I used fun background papers underneath the transfers... the top one is made from scraps of map, the second one, dictionary paper, the one below it, Japanese newspaper and the one sitting down has sheet music ;) Laura, the teacher, is a carpenter and very skilled with tools and know-how; also quite resourceful, she taught us some very cool tips.  The top three are wall hangers, while the bottom right doll sits. Fun, fun, fun!

Sock Monkey!

Isn't he adorable?  I just treasure this little guy.  Of course, I made him for a swap with my friends at 14secrets.  We have so much fun together.  I thought I wasn't going to make the deadline.  Then we got hit with so much snow I decided to take a play day and I whipped him up.  Everyone said they were fun to make.  At first I didn't believe it.  But trying it, I realized yes!  Hilarious.  Such fun.  I can't keep a straight face when I look at the little guy.  
My husband and children were also immediately charmed!  I wondered what I could do to personalize him a little.  Some of the artists made tons of these, they are all cuter that the previous ones.  Very moving these little cousins of Curious George.  And I thought and thought... and came up with giving him a little French touch.  If you have a little gift to give, why not find some socks and go to work on transforming them into one of these.  These little treasures are filled with possibilities!  Et le voilà, François!  He did me the honors of standing up for his photo.  Immediately after I clicked the shutter, he toppled over.  So a big round of applause please for his efforts.

Love, love, celebrate love!

Here are the cool Valentine ATCs I made for another swap with friends.  It brought out the child in me to make these.  They are really fun and don't take that much time.  It is not too late to whip some up for Valentine's day.  I say get out your stash and get going!  This is the front side and below is the back side... so it is like getting two valentine's in one!  Such a great way to use up little extras too.  Have fun!  It will open your heart chakra.

Another Angel spirit doll...

I love this little angel and how she came into being as well.  These are my favorite colors and it was in the spring time.  I love the asymetrical shape of the face.  It is an original creation by Linsart at Etsy.  Sometimes the faces are what call a doll together, other times it is the branch or a piece of fabric; sometimes a story is behind a doll.  This particular one was made for a friend, but she is having a hard time flying away.  In fact I made her while in another swap... but I realize when I make a doll for one person, it can not go to another!  So this one stayed and the other one left and my friend does not know this one is waiting to fly to her so it will be a surprise.  She too has received Reiki and she has a a magic butterfly on her that is made from a stone and carries grounding properties.  She also has a very cool halo made from a shell.  Other than that, she is an explosion of beautiful, gentle, loving colors of spring and covered in flowers!

My Elfen spirit...

Here is my very own elfen spirit.  I just love her and how she evolved in a class I took with Mystele over at Thrive.  It was in her Gut Art class, which I hope to take again.  It was an amazing experience and it is quite fun to watch faces and images emerge from the layers of color and paint that we apply in so many various ways.  Why it is a bit of an alchemical process.  At first the dark eyes kind of scared me, but now I find them a bit magical!

Winged muse flies to...

This is the winged muse I made for a friend, again in a 14secrets swap!  Her body too is made from a stick.  My friend asked for a feng shui doll and so she is an artful mix of the elements - notice the shells around her shoulder and neck represent water, a feather at the back of her head (barely visible here) represents air, the color red represents fire and is aimed at drawing recognition in the professional world.  The silver around her neck represents the metal element for clarity, efficiency and sharpness. The body, being made out of wood, is the Earth element, as are the brown leaves. These bring stability, health and vitality, as well as, like the water element,  abundance and prosperity.  My friend loves dragonflies, so I was thrilled to find this little piece of Japanese material in my stash!  Around her waist is a belt with some fun charms attached: my favorite, a key, as well as a bell, a goddess symbol and another dragonfly.  She also has a stone on her, though I am not sure where and receive Reiki before taking off on her transatlantic journey.  I think we call her Flora.

Washi-tape folly

Aren't they beautiful?  I had such fun making these.  They really are quite easy, although... we'll see if they are useable!  I love the real washi-tape invention from Japan.  I found little stickers many years back in a bookstore made from Japanese fabric and just loved them... journey to the future, the invention has become a fad.  I made this sampling of tapes for a swap with my artsy friends at 14secrets.  Can't wait to receive mine in the mail!

My little forest spirit doll...

Isn't she precious?  I just love her and how she magically came together. I pick up branches and pieces of wood on my walks and then get inspired to use them...  Sometimes they sit in my work space for a long while before they take on their personalities and draw just the right materials to them.  This one so synchronistically came together while I was teaching a little class on creative fun with the fairies.  I love her energy!

Art doll swap loot

This is a nifty art doll I received from my friend Jessie Koenigsberg in a 14secrets swap.  I just love her and the energy she brings to my office.  The doll is so full of bright, light, sparkle and energy.  There are so many winged wonders accompanying this angel and Jessie sagely added a bilingual quote from Jane Austen: Wisdom is better than wit.  Sagesse vaut mieux que vivacité d'esprit.  
I truly treasure this little wonder!  Thank you, Jessie! 

Tree Spirit Doll

This is a little tree spirit doll that I made for a friend.   I also found a nifty wooden box, that I got on vacation in Normandy this year. I love French boxes.  They are such works of art.  This one came with madeleines in it.  This little spirit doll is full of magic and symbols.  The back of her head is a pinecone, which represents the pineal gland.  She is standing on a star, because we are all made of stardust, has a feather on her head for lightness.  An owl stands above her, in the upper branches to wisely guide her.  Her dress is made of silk and on her belt she carries the symbols of the turtle, which stands for Mother Earth and her wisdom, a key, a feather, and a moon.  She is also standing on a piece of amber, which again, carries the wisdom of the years in it.  Her body is fashioned from a tree branch I found on one of my many walks at the Parc de Rentilly.  It screamed to me, pick me up.  And I did, and the rest is history!

... And yet a few more....



And here are a couple more multi-media paintings that I did in my 
Gut Art class. I must like the number 3 as the top one again has 3 goddesses in it.  Can you spy them?  

 The second one as well... maybe even a fourth and the last one... well I'll let you decide. I like the movement in all of these... flow!


What is so cool is that the images make themselves out of the back ground.  Mystèle, what an incredible class.  I am already game to start the next round ;)

... And a bit more...


This is another GUT ART production, perhaps my favorite.  This is the first time I used palette knifes for painting.  Very fun!  They add a whole other dimension, not to mention texture.  This one was inspired by the artwork of Michael Banks.  His paintings are so imaginative and original. They all have a story to tell, like this one. His art has a naive quality and is full of truth, innocence, but also depth and simplicity.

A little bit of gut art...




This is an acrylic painting I did while in the wonderful workshop by Mystele Kirkeeng called GUT ART!  I heartily reommend it!  We get inspiration from the various virtual field trips she takes us on and from her own enlightened and fun techniques.  It is also about fun and excavating your personal muse/artist ;)  So this picture is of me and my sissies dancing under the full moon ;)  It was inspired by the field trip of Pilar Rios' work, a beautiful Chilean artist who paints strong female figures, but without faces.  I love it!

Cover

This is the paperbag book I made for the TAG, which I fill with elements I find in my travels. I made it with favorite scraps and materials.

TAG map

This is the map I made for the TAG (Travelling Artists Guild).  Notice in the first one, the form of a tree and in the one immediately above, just crystals that show the way through the dark.  It is a map of the underground.

The month of September

calendar page

This is the month of September that I created for our artcalendar group.  I absolutely loved the feel.  I had prepared the backgrounds in May!  Good thing because I was behind... and then used acrylic paint on stamps, cut out some dahlias from some beautiful fabric I got from joggles then edged them with painsticks.  They turned out to be symphonies of color which made my heart sing :)

Little elemental

I love this darling little elemental... she is like a little ice fairy.  She seems so pure and innocent, and yet so powerful...  She too is made from a spool.  At the base is a little stone bracelet that I have wrapped around.  I love the giant white strawberry she is holding and the white velvet leaves that act as wings. Her adorable face comes from an Etsy vendor: alteredrevelations.  She is clothed in blue silk ;)

Art angel with an attitude

This is my art angel with an attitude; I call her my love angel.  She is really herself and won't put up with crap... although she is pure love ;)  She is made from sticks I picked up on my walk and of pieces of material I had on hand.  I just love her.  She is also wearing a piece of rose quartz which makes her so loving ;)  I cannot look at her and be in a bad mood.  She just makes me smile.  Hope she does you too!  Her adorable face was purchased from an Etsy vendor, Linsart!

Jophiel

This is my little archangel Jophiel that sits on my shelf and brings peace to my office.  She sports some interesting accessories and is made from a spool like the others.  Here face comes from an Etsy vendor moldedmoonbeams...  The star comes from my from Christina's great store, SKYBLUEPINK.  She keeps the energy and vibrations up in my office and so I am so very grateful for her positive presence!

The angelic realm....

This is a box that I was inspired to turn into a little carrier house for one of my angels.  It wraps around itself as has a magnetic closure.  I collaged a napkin and other angelic relics to it and found the perfect sort of handle to ensure that the recipient opens the right side and does not destroy the box ;)