Soul Collage - Bees

Saturday my friend Heidi invited a group to a Ladies Night 
Soul Collage playdate! 6 of us met at a home with a lovely large dining room table for our adventure. Heidi and Anita had taken a S C workshop last summer, just after Heidi's mom Susan made Transition, & I'd taken one a year or two ago at a shop in town (besides making many cards on my own.)

We began with a brief overview of the process, and put images we'd brought to share on the large table. We took awhile, each assembling our own little pile, & going through some of the magazines for others. The three little girls (7-8 yrs old) chose some as well, then dashed outside to play in the fading light!

Heidi, Anita & I laid out the cards we'd made, face down, & mixed together, & each of us chose 3 cards for a mini 'reading,' in two groups of 3. We took turns drawing one card, & sharing our observations/ & how it 'fit' for us. One would 'scribe,' which we also took in turns. 

Then we took a little time, looking at the other cards, before pulling out our boards, glue sticks, scissors & images, to begin the process of creating new cards. I had stopped by a frame shop earlier in the day, & bought more card stock (matt board 8" x 10" center pieces, cut in half to make 5"x 8" cards).

All of us were attracted to pumpkins, sunflowers & fall colours. My first card (of 4 made that evening) is Bees - I just noticed the Queen Bee in the center of the honeycomb! (Love how these card images keep unfolding!) 
Sunday evening I dreamed of organization, & Monday morning wrote my 'I Am the One Who' definition:

I Am the One Who is organized and diligent 
 - who makes beauty from Nectar
I Am the Goddess in form
I tender initiations

I Am the One Who holds the key to your fairy cottage
I love symetry & form
My home smells of the Nectar of the Goddess
I Am She who feels her way home

(& this morning added:
I Am part of a Community of bees
I Am dependant on my Sisters & dependable
We blaze trails for each other & leave signs along the way 
"This is how it is done! Come THIS way!"
No separation - yes, we CAN!
We are a Nation of Women with Wings

Sunflower: I am perfect order, I radiate power, serenity, beauty in form & symetry.

Molly Sheehan, of Green Hope Farm Essences writes "I AM God, a Chalice of wisdom, power & love in perfect & balanced action." - & "Lets say you awoke one morning to find you had been cast in the role of a hero of a real life drama in which you must save the planet. This would be the essence to put in your super hero kit. Sunflower knows that each of us is a manifestation of divinity in human form. It helps us be a chalice of light with our personalities the servant of our divinity, our male energy in balance with our female energy & all systems go for being divinity in balanced action."

About bees (her Honeybees in the White Hawthorn essence) she writes: "An Ecuadorian Shaman once told me the energy & noise of honeybees is so healing that he sleeps with a beehive under his bed and his pillow right over the hive (!) ....Honeybees actually correct energy imbalances, and regulate energy flow on the land they work. They are the harmonizers of nature. Their vibration (in this essence) helps soothe energy disturbances, release disharmonious energies, and correct problems in energy flow in our energy systems."

Since my ? for the evening was my 'next steps in teaching energy (primarily Qigong & Reiki) this card fits the bill!!!

Encaustic Wax

Mmmmm - got a box of 'pretty colours' today - a set of encaustic wax 'crayons'
Last year when I took the beeswax collage class, Diane mentioned encaustics (& had us do a bit of drawing, if we wanted, with regular crayons to get the idea) . . . . so today I stopped by Merri Artist & picked up a box of colours. There are also little pots of wax mixed with medium - but while handy, those are more expensive - & I tend to pick up art supplies (what, you too??) & then not necessarily USE said supplies.


Here's a video with some examples - & take a look at this lovely "Gold Dragon" by Martina Loos I want to do things like this!!
I've watched several of the videos, & it looks like a lot of fun. I have a tiny iron that I used for the beeswax collage, & a little iron that I got when I was making Christmas presents. It doesn't get super hot - so it may be just right for Encaustics - or it may be too cool.

The white 'mountain' peeks are made by painting wax on the iron, then drawing it up - same with the sky & green at the bottom. Martina uses tools to remove wax, & a smaller heated 'clip' to draw with wax . . . hope to have some goodies to show off soon!

New Card, fun socks

I've found myself posting (even creative stuff!) over at the Vale more than here - sorry!!

It took me awhile to get started making soul collage cards, & I still do it sporadically - but it's so fun!!
(In the beginning, I visited several frame shops & had them cut 8x10 card stock in half, so I had a stack of 'blanks' - I left some big, too.)
Last weekend at my grown neice's BD party, there was a participatory art project - a canvas on easel with acrylic paint 'background' - & lots of mags to cut images from, more paints, stamps, etc.

I brought along a little board for me, & a couple of the bigger ones for my granddaughters (who needed to come with us at the last minute) - so they could do their own art, with all those supplies! I did another card myself, (like the idea of painting on it first!! & acrylics dry fast) & they were SO engaged. Kayleen painted a small (~ 4x4") square on a piece of card she found, & on a magazine cover!! They glued some images, but loved all the colours!

Mine has to do with creativity - the crochet lace in a hand, the oriental painting & supplies, the bit of basket & on the other side a lovely rich brocate.

My daughter said I could put grommets & ribbon on the one I made, & sell them at the Sat Market!! (one wouldn't call it soul-collage!!) I thought of finishing them with beeswax, & perhaps getting a few of the encaustic colours sold at our great little art shop, & playing with those. A booth is only $15, & I believe you can sign up sporadically - which is much more my weekend style!

The other projects have been knitting lots of fingerless gloves. I finished a pair for my neice at her party, & while there, I thought of using some of the small 'left overs' for orphan socks, & of a way to incorp the heavier yarn with some fine (& harder to knit with) 'sock' yarn! I've finished the first pair (& a few heel & toeless anklets) & am having fun with that project!

The blue sock is one of the 'anklet's - which my dau suggested using for ballet!!
Here's a close-up of the heel on the blue, purple & red 0ne - I bound off the heel & foot, then picked up stitches around the openings, using a long crochet hook (that way I can replace the toe or heel in the future, if need be). The heavier yarn is wool with a bit of silk, the panda silk: bamboo, wool & silk. They are quite comfy in either style! I used a pair of my mom's bamboo needles - they are a bit long for socks; I intend to pick up some of the shorter ones on my next trip to the knitting basket! (there's my 'anklet' yarn in the 'triangle' box on the Rt!)
Since it's just around the corner from my office, I'm 'tempted' to go in often . . . .

Soul Collage treats

This weekend my 9 yr old granddaughter Alyssa was decorating her 'writing notebook' for her class, & needed some images from my store of old magazines - & when I was helping her look, I found some that inspired me . . . . & then some more . . .

So after a hiatus of several months, a group of SC cards came forward.

It seems that's my tendency in art/craft - something will engage my imagination for awhile, & I'll find myself involved in that media or with that subject, then interst will shift.
The first card: Tower & Labyrinth 

I bring you peace, a 'breather.' Time to step aside, let go, let down your hair - move into the tower of tranquility & repose.


Firekeeper, Protector
We remind you of the Heart of the Fire, of our protective warmth & secret depths. I am the tender of the Sacred Flame, guardian of the hidden treasure.


Heritage 

I carry the traditions in my eyes & on my shoulders. The dream catcher snatches away aught that threatens to disenpower. I dance to the ancient drum, & call you to remember your roots, in the depths of time!

Dragonflower 

I am the transformation! Open to the possibilities & catch the sun.





N W Passage
The NW adventure is yours for the asking - move through the Northwest Passage & come home! 

Open your crown & remember the mer-people (mermaid with child on the Left above the Orcas) Hear the sounds of the Northern winds & whale song calling.

There's a lovely enrty on the Threads of Spiderwoman blog about the symbol of hands with an eye in the palm - such a fascinating symbol! 

I have a hamsa (eye of Fatima) pendant I picked up in Los Vegas (!) after admiring my girlfriend's piece.

Wedding Book

Last week our receptionist asked if I'd be willing to write the text for her son's wedding ceremony in a journal. For years I've been the one in the office to do fancy writing or calligraphy (when I was a kid, I had a calligraphy booklet, & copied the different fonts using a regular pen!)
Of course I said yes :)

They went to the art shop around the corner & picked up this lovely journal made & handbound in Tibet of fibers from an endemic shrub which grows quickly - the pages have a nice texture & it's renewable.

I used a 'Micron' pen with archival ink, which I use to transcribe songs I've composed or arranged for the harp.
The script is a loose 'Italic' which worked well with the fine-tipped pen. They had laid out the text by page - I used different spacing on a couple of the pages, & marked faint guide lines in pencil on each one.

Our receptionist's husband is the officiant, & she said he's got most of the script memorized for the special day!


I showed the book to my daughter, who got married in Jan - suggesting I'd be happy to do the same for their ceremony & vows. I'm also playing for a wedding this weekend - maybe I should add a blurb about wedding calligraphy to my wedding harp page, lol!

Seriously, this is a very sweet way to preserve your wedding ceremony & vows - I don't know if they're using this for a guest-book as well, but that would be a nice combo.

Handiwork

Yesterday I stopped by the local yarn shop (yummm) & picked up a few skeins from their discount area - a lovely lavender (alpaca & tercel) for a shell or top of some kind, & a linen blend for a bag!

My daughter brought me an 'ergonomic' bag that one of her work friends was passing on several months ago, & the fastener is wearing out - plus I seem to (always) overpack it . . . just keep putting in a few more things, . . . I was perusing the knitting books for a pattern, & saw several bags that looked fun, inc a book By Cat Bordhi (watch her cast on a moebius here) that adapted the points from a jester hat into a bag, for pockets!! I hadn't checked at the library yet, so did a search for bag patterns on-line, & found this lovely Bag list! They also have a list of hats & socks & . . . .

Fun to try to determine from the pattern names if it would have elements I can use for my own 'ergonomic' & practical bag! I love the look of felted bags, & want to do some of those as well - but the linen won't lend itself to that process!

Here are some favorite bags - Juli has done a nice job of creating a pattern for a larger bag - either for toting stuff to the gym, or for those LONG knitting needles. I like her use of buttons at the end of the I-chain handle.
I have a lovely collection of needles from my mama, inc some my Uncle whittled for her one afternoon, when she commented she'd like some wooden ones in a size she couldn't find in the shop!

How fun it will be to begin . . .

Table Play

I have an old wooden table that's been on my front porch for about a year - it was white - but about a week ago I had my granddaughters help me paint it blue - & we've begun painting flowers & spirals & hippopotomi, according to the 4 year old (her 9 yr old sister painted this one) ! They love helping paint the table - I drew the basic patterns (except the hippos!) & they have helped me fill in some of the designs with acrylics.

Sis added a heart, the letters & a purple hippo. Kakay's hippo patch is green. I think we'll paint designs all over the top, & just borders on the side pieces (which fold down)

Sis can remember when she was 4, & the table was in the back yard of their old house. When ate out there when it was hot, or when there were several guests - Kakay thinks we should leave it in my yard - where we're painting, so we can eat outside (it's almost warm enough - but I'm planning on putting it back in my dining 'nook.'

Today the youngest cousins were busy painting - KayK working on her 'hippo,' & Gregory his own pictures (the red was a tree at first)