Tag Archives: etsy shop

art, art making, collage, craft

April was a good and busy month

April was good though I went through a lot of changes with my art. I resisted painting my fantasy flowers even though they were fun and oh-so-colorful!

I always feel I should paint something else after painting five or six of the same motif. Do you feel that way too, or do you love to explore the same motif until you’ve excavated all that it can give you?

After these two paintings, I went in a slightly different direction:

Still flowers though, inspired by spring no doubt. Then I went in a different direction:

The still life was great fun, so I’ll explore more of that style in the future. It’s funny how art goes in various directions if you let it lead you. I feel that I’m always learning more, and that will never end.

I also had time to make some clay sculptures, which is always an effort in trial and error. This “cage” doll started out as a thrifted candleholder. It took me a while to finish, but I was happy with the result.

The one below is built around a blue agate geode. I used Apoxie Sculpt for both sculptures.

All of these items are available in my etsy shop Earth and Faery.

I also made some narrow flower paintings / collages, which was fun. I usually don’t paint tall and narrow, so it was a challenge.

We’re coming into the hot months here in Florida now, so I’ll be spending more time indoors to escape the heat. I’m pondering more art classes to add to my class site. I have two available now: How to Make a polymer clay whimsy girl, and How to Make a mosaic box with clay tiles.

You can check out those offerings HERE. I’m gathering supplies to make spirit dolls using my sculpted faces, and I’m thinking about designs. I will make several dolls in the course.

I made a simple, mostly no-sew, one a while back on YouTube that you can check out HERE.

What have you been working on lately? A day without making art is partially a wasted day in my opinion, but we do the best we can.

Lots of love and inspiration to you!

art, art journaling, art tutorial, art video, etsy shop

Art is a blessing

Art is a blessing in these broken times, and always! I practice making art almost every day, and when I’m in the flow, all troubled thoughts go away. So I highly recommend art as a form of meditation.

I can’t always settle down, but knowing from experience, I at least try. Sometimes it’s great to get out of the house and see other vistas than the mess in my studio, but I always end up there.

The creativity /art is a red thread that travels through my life, and it’s tied to the timelessness that is LIFE itself. In that I find solace and inspiration.

Do you lack inspiration when the world is dark?

Sometimes I do, but some scrolling through Pinterest gives me new ideas. I can translate ideas into my own style, and it’s both rewarding and frustrating. A new design always has its share of frustration. That is the challenge!

We need a good challenge, often! At least I do.

I have some empty Altoids tins, and I’ve been making shrines with them in the past. This time I wanted to make a sculpture that could be hung on the wall. I wrapped some epoxy clay around it and made an armature for head and shoulders. It didn’t look like much after the first round of clay, but I had to let it dry 24 hours before I could add another layer.

The second day I added facial features, a “shrine” to nature on her stomach with a nest and a heart, and then hair, which was wrapped around a cardboard form to get the “flip.” Facial features are always a challenge, but I was somewhat pleased with the result. I knew she would look better with paint.

Art doll in clay

That is one thing you can make with an Altoids tin.

I haven’t made that many items this month. I painted some and made a couple of clay “women”, but that was pretty much it.
I got some art journaling done as well, and here’s a short video of the spreads. Sometimes weeks go by without art journaling, but I always go back to it. Some kind of addiction, I guess. 🙂

I’m always looking for new techniques and materials.

I also made a video tutorial of a spring-like spread from the other day. We already have some spring signs here in Florida. The light is much brighter as well. The migratory birds are starting to return to their northern homes already, for another round of raising families.

There are some new things in my etsy shop that you can check out. Earth and Faery.

I wish you an awesome February! Till then, may you have lots of art inspiration. 🙂

Love,

Maria

art, art making, art tutorial, handmade, handmade card, mixed media, textile bird

Dastardly Owl & more

Dastardly Owl was so much fun to make. I did not come up with that name; Ann Wood did. I used her pattern to make him and it was so much fun! She also has a lot of free patterns on her website if you like sewing small creatures. I’ll post a link at the end of this post. So this was a detour for me, and I learned that I can still sew even if I don’t sew much these days. Now I’m hooked on fabric birds, but it’s anyone’s guess how long that fascination will last.

There are so many patterns and creative people out there! I can easily spend hours on Pinterest if I start cruising. The dangers of social media, right?

Things were busy around Thanksgiving, but I still had a productive November, and it makes me feel good. I made mostly mosaics but also got some painting in, though painting is at the hub of my frustration with art-making.

Every day is a challenge when it comes to painting. Here are a couple of items from November’s collection.

Handmade owl made with an Ann Wood pattern.
Dastardly Owl
Dastardly Owl back view
Dastardly Owl back view
Mixed media mosaic wall plaque
Mixed media wall plaque
You are blessed, angel mosaic
Angel mosaic
Mini painting in a watch casing
Painting in a watch casing
A wild variety of everything

As you can see, I tried a lot of different things to challenge myself. Most of the items are on sale in my Etsy shop, free shipping across the board.

My goal is to make all the Christmas gifts this year. No shopping on Amazon or elsewhere. Are you making any gifts?

There is a sweet needle case on Ann Wood’s site that would make a great gift. Needle book pattern. Even if your friends don’t sew or make crafts, everyone can use needle and thread.

Your woo-woo friends might like a Spirit Doll tin, made from random papers and an empty tin. The post is HERE.

You could make a set of homemade mixed media cards. They don’t have to be Christmas related. Here is a tutorial for a Mixed Media Card. You can buy sets of blank cards and envelopes at places like Joann Fabrics.

I usually love homemade gifts even if they are not perfect. Don’t let your feelings of inadequacy stand in the way of creating something personal. The gift will be one-of-a-kind. 🙂

Lots of love, and remember to BREATHE.

Maria

art, art journaling tools, color, earth and faery, paint, process

Paint versus paint

Paint is always something I explore to enhance the quality of my art work. It’s an ongoing quest.

There are so many different brands of paint and you have to try them all to see what works best.

I’ve used Liquitex, Winsor and Newton, Golden, and some other brands I can’t remember now.

paint versus paint

paint versus panit

Liquitex paints aren’t the best, but they do the job. The pigmentation is rather poor, and some of the paints are very runny and annoying. I think the quality has gone down a lot over the years.

Windsor and Newton paint is a better quality for sure, and Golden, yes, very nice but the price is high.

I came across a box of acrylics at a garage sale for $5 and found this tube:

paint versus paint

I had never heard of the brand. Such a strong pigmentation and richness of consistency. The very best. I researched the brand and came to find out it’s by Bill Alexander, an artist/ company similar to the legendary Bob Ross.

I found their sets for sale on their website and they are very pricey. The website is the only place you can buy them (that I know of.)

I went to Jerry’s Artarama to see if they might sell them. Jerry’s always has some good sales going on. Quality canvas for better prices.

Someone had posted that Charvin brand would be comparable to Alexander’s.

It’s another brand of paint I’d never heard of (where have I been?)

I bought four tubes of random colors to complement those I already have. They were on sale for $9.49 each, which wasn’t too bad. Free shipping. Jerry’s had a huge variety of colors.  I’d say they are not as good as Alexander paints, but very good. They dry with a slightly slick surface, different from that of Liquitex.

paint versus paint

I don’t know about you, but I get tired of using the same colors all the time, so I’m looking to branch out where I can.

I also use lots of permanent inks, but I’m not going to cover those in this post.

I have been busy painting lately in a loose intuitive style. These two paintings are available in my etsy shop.  They measure 12×12″.

paint versus paint
“Surprise”

paint versus paint
Spirit being

If you’re looking for some gifts, I have free shipping on my polymer clay mosaics. Lots of inventory right now, and great prices.

Earth and Faery

Have a great weekend doing and making things you love! Life is too short to waste on trivialities.

Lots of love,

Maria

art, craft, creativity, earth and faery, etsy shop

Magic is afoot!

2 Comments

Hello lovely readers, do you believe in magic?

Lately I have been very busy in my studio making “things.” I paint also, and joined a 30 day painting challenge on Instagram that was started by Tracy Verdugo. We are painting on the same painting for 30 days. I’m on day 20 today. You can check out the painting on Insta. My username is @greeneearth.  It’s a tough challenge for sure since you might fall in love what you have painted, but you have to let go and keep painting.

The rest of the time I have been making faery boxes, intention boxes, and other purdy things, like polymer clay mosaics for my boxes. It has been a month of experiments and it’s SO MUCH FUN! When one art form is sluggish I try something else to get my creative fix daily. Here are some pictures.

follow your heart
Follow your heart intention box.

This is a wooden box that I painted with various colors and I attached a wooden altered heart to the top. The inside has a picture of the Buddha and a polymer clay tile that says “believe.”  Intention is about setting the course or goal and then believing it’s possible.

Miracle box
Miracle box

I used a wooden pencil box for this one, with a wooden flower attached. I used golden beads and glass mosaic tiles to embellish the lid.

Faery purse
Faery purse

The fairies helped me knit this fun and colorful purse /shoulder bag. Mostly knitted with wool yarn, it also has strands of shiny and eyelash yarns. I needle felted   some flowers to attach as embellishment.

Fabric cuff
Fabric cuff made with hand-painted scraps of fabric.

I hand-painted some fabric with acrylic paints and then made some fabric cuffs just for fun. I have two more but no pictures as yet.

THE BIG NEWS.

I opened a new etsy shop for all of these magical things. It’s called Earth and Faery and it will be filled with inspirational and pretty things.

Earth and Faery
Earth and Faery etsy shop

I’m really excited about this new adventure of mine.  Earth and Faery.

There are things in the shop of various price ranges, so check it out. 🙂

I wish you a creative weekend!

xo

Maria