Heart of America- Broken Heart- the story

I have a friend that has dreams. She dreams about designs, for me!
I love this.
She "saw" this sacred heart I did.
This one...

This is one of my favorite pieces.

My friend will send me a message and maybe a small description, but what comes across to me though is a feeling and a light in my mind's eye of the beginning of a design starting to come to life. You can read the story of the sacred heart and see the prototype of this necklace here http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2011/01/little-reminder-about-giveaway-and.html

Well... my friend is very tuned in and she had another dream quite a while ago, only a month or two after the sacred heart dream I think.

She wrote me a note with a small description and quick doodle to go along with it.  

I loved it and I said I would get right on it.

Sometimes, though, my brain doesn't cooperate with my plans and I have learned over time that somethings can not be rushed, ever. If I do rush it will only be a part or a piece of the full manifestation of what could be something truly wonderful if left to incubate for a while and cook!

I didn't say anything to my friend and kept up with everything else that was going on and pretty much let go of making the dream a reality right away.

Last week though, that dream was resurrected with a flash of a picture and the idea in my mind flashing in neon and would not give up until I went and made it.

This is the result of this collaboration my friend and I have.

Heart of America- Broken heart



Heart of America- Broken Heart
Listed in my Etsy Store now.

 I am in love with this piece also and adore that I had been gifted a gift of insight in the process.
Thank you, Donna, from the bottom of my heart.
Maybe someday I will be able to reciprocate with dreams of pieces for you. One can only hope!
I believe these are special pieces, there is just something about them that speaks. Maybe it is the gift of collaboration, listening to another speak their dreams and being able to bring them to reality.

I love this! How could it get any better? I am so grateful.

Cotton Paper Play

This is my 200th post this year. I am really proud of myself for keeping this going, no matter what! I am really close to 400 posts for my blog history. I will have to see when it is.
It makes me laugh to think I could think of nothing to say in the beginning.
I am giving you all a shout out for hanging in there with me, I appreciate all of you!!
Thank you!

I had shown you the butterflies I had done before here.

Well, I decided to take some of my EyeDollz and make them in to stuffed goodies for Madi!

Meet EyeloveU and Eyedolleyesbling, two of my favorites.
I printed them out on the printable cotton in my ink jet printer, I increased the resolution on the photo and increased the quality on the print out.

I put my paper in my printer (I suggest you print out a regular piece of paper first before you put the cotton in just to make sure you know which way to put it in to your printer) and press print...tah-dah.
I cut around the EyeloveU and left an allowance and then I cut out 2 pieces of purple felt and made an allowance on that too.

I pinned him to one of the pieces of felt.

I stitched EyeloveU to one piece of the felt with embroidery thread and a blanket stitch then I stitched the two pieces of felt together the same way.
I left the bottom of his foot open and I am going to stuff him. I am going to use an old pillow we have and recycle it. I will just wash it and throw it in the dryer. It is filled with polyfill
I may even paint him with some Lumiere and add some ribbon too.
Why aren't there 48 hours in a day??
And the printable cotton sheets are perfect for doodling on too, even painting on with fabric paints or pens and using in a quilt or on a shirt, maybe a purse or apron too.

Taking shape-changing ideas and altered directions- part 14

A new cabochon or brooch

"Thoughts fly away"

Do not forget the 11th giveaway

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2010/04/speaking-of-buddhapart-2-and-11th.html

it is over today at 6 PM PDT!

Taking shape-changing ideas and altered directions- part 13

Another cabochon or brooch

The many faces of time

Do not forget the 11th giveaway

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2010/04/speaking-of-buddhapart-2-and-11th.html

it is over on monday at 6 PM PDT!

Taking shape-changing ideas and altered directions- part 10

Brooch or cabochon, slight variation and smaller.

2" x 1 3/4"

Taking shape-changing ideas and altered directions- part 9

Brooch or cabochon, slight variation and larger.

2 1/4" x 2 1/4"

Taking shape-changing ideas and altered directions- part 8

Another cab or brooch Steampunk style

2"x 2"

Taking shape-changing ideas and altered directions- part 7

Another brooch or cabochon in the steampunk fashion

2" High x 1 5/8"Wide

Taking shape-changing ideas and altered directions- part 6

Another Brooch or cabochon

2" x 2"

Taking shape-changing ideas and altered directions- part 5

Maybe a few 3/4" buttons.

Taking shape-changing ideas and altered directions part 2

Another Brooch, another direction.

Taking shape-changing ideas and altered directions

While I am working on my Iron Angels, many pictures as well as ideas come in to my head and then the designs expand from there. I am having a great deal of fun playing in this steampunky place! I also think that this play will in turn reflect back on my angels when I make another one of those.

To me this is like doodling or journaling, but not writing or drawing the images, but actually making them.

I used to think I wasn't doing it right if I made things this way. Now I realize that it just might be the way ideas develop for me.

The only thing really wrong with it is that you end up with tons of pieces. 

This is one of the brooches that came from that play!

Here are the angels.

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2010/03/iron-angels-1.html

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2010/03/iron-angel-2.html

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2010/03/iron-angel-3.html

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2010/03/iron-angel-4.html

AND THIS TOO WILL PASS…

I think that this should be taught to us as children and explained the way mathematics are, “things change and there is balance to life in opposites". I have experienced creative stillness (or thought I did) and it always returns to a period of physical creative manifestation. If we knew this was a law from a very early age, it might be a reason not to be so hard on ourselves in stillness or inactivity. I call those moments of block (the term that everyone throws around), periods of absorption, when I am assimilating what has happened during activity or physical creation. Life is made up of opposites, black/white, night/day, male/female, ebb/flow, internal/external, sun/moon, give/take, live/die, clean/dirty, and I am sure you can come up with a bunch also. If this is the way things are and the way things are supposed to be, should we even label the stillness as block? If we change the label, like creative block to period of assimilation or absorption and lean in to or embrace it and feed that period with more things to assimilate, would we move naturally through it and not make it pain or self abuse?
Suggestion:
When I am making things or creating, I have a ton of other ideas (especially if I am getting paid for it or it is work), so what I do is I keep a journal next to me and write those ideas and visions down, draw pictures, and make notes in the journal, anything to remind me of that great idea I had in the creative flow. When I have a time of stillness, I go to my journal and start working through the ideas. And before I know it, I am writing in my journal again, because I am too busy making things to be still.