Frog Prince Has a Throne

I have finished the Frog Prince and if you followed my blog from a few days ago, I have a winner to announce. I'll get to that in a minute!

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the finishing ideas! It was so much fun to play around with the possibilities. I chose to do a wood throne made from polymer clay. I stamped and antiqued brown clay with turquoise acrylic paint. I sealed the paint with a non toxic glaze. The rhinestones in the throne, as well as the crystal tip of the scepter came from The Pear Project on etsy. The cushion is purple velvet with an antique button in the center and pink silky trim.

I also gave him a scepter made from bamboo, vintage lucite beads, art beedz, and vintage gold beads. The scepter is attached to his hand with "mini hold", which is a tacky removable goo made for holding miniatures in place. Frog Prince is poseable with bendy arms and legs, but be careful, his fingers and toes are fragile!

And now for the ACEO the winner, it happens to be winners because there were two!

1. Tote-N-Tots wins for suggesting "an opulent throne and scepter."

2. Leila from flickr wins for suggesting "an ancient looking wooden stool with high back".

I Love My Flowers!

My back porch smells so good. I have a beautiful blooming plumeria. I've been trying to grow plumeria ever since I moved to Texas three years ago. My first one died, but I got cuttings from it before that happened. The cuttings died too. My next plumeria struggled along through its first winter and there were times I thought it was dead, but this summer it not only pulled through, it grew huge and it's now full of amazing smelling blooms, yeah!

I had a similar experience with my night blooming jasmine. It got caught in a freeze once last winter, and all the leaves fell off. It had no sign of life until late summer, when it suddenly shot out new leaves and branches, and now it is blooming! If you have never smelled night blooming jasmine, it has an overwhelming heady, intoxicating aroma that can drive a person crazy. It shoots out the scent every 10 minutes or so, and fills the entire yard (and house if the windows are open). I recommend putting it on your list of "must do before I die: smell night blooming jasmine"!

SpiritMama's Secrets Revealed! I've been tagged...

Renee from Funky Folky Sculpture tagged me to give away 6 deep, dark, mysterious secrets about myself. So here they are for your enjoyment...just be careful before you make fun, I might tag you next!

1) I prefer to be naked.

2) I have a laundry obsession. I separate my loads into 5 categories:
~colors,
~whites,
~delicates,
~fine delicates,
~and underwear/ socks.
No one else in my house is allowed to do laundry because I'm so particular about the above.

3) My biggest pet peeve is "mouth noises". Smacking, clicking, slurping, sucking, and especially gum chewing all drive me NUTS! My 10 year old daughter knows this and uses it against me regularly.

4) I'm phone-o-phobic. I'll text, I love email, but I despise the phone. I often don't answer it and I don't return messages!

5) I'm an introvert disguised as an extrovert.

6) I see space ships. Occassionally.

Now it's my turn to tag 6 people. If you are tagged it's your turn to blog about 6 of your most personal secrets and tag six new people.
And the winners are:

1. Sandy Michelle of Sandy's Creations. Sandy made my awesome banner!

2. Pamela Baker of Magdalene Jewels. We are fellow team members on etsy bloggers.

3. Sassa Lynne of Sassas Etsy Treasury.

4. Ruthie of Rose Works Jewelry. Ruthie has been very helpful as I'm learning how to blog.

5. Tote-N-Tots, she makes fabulous handmade bags. And

6. Lily of TuLips TreasureBox, who sells beautiful jewelry on etsy!

How Shall I Finish the Frog Prince?

I have had a great time creating a Frog Prince art doll this week. He looks so romantic and regal in his royal jacket and crown! I have long been enamoured with the fairy tale of the frog prince, and after reading the "Tales of the Frog Princess" trilogy by E.D. Baker, I fell in love all over again. I highly recommend this series for anyone with a 3rd to 5th grade child.

So what to do with the Frog prince? He has a little sign that says "Free Kisses" which will be hanging near him. I want to create some type of dwelling for him to sit in. It could be a mossy den or maybe a regal throne. Should he have a scepter, or some other accessory? Maybe a pet dragonfly?

I need some help on this one. Leave me a comment with your feedback and if I use your idea I will send you an aceo of the final piece!

Buyer Beware: Condoms Used in Hair Ties From China!

My husband just warned me about buying hair bands (the stretchy kind) from China. It seems there is a bizarre practice there of cutting a section of condom and covering it with colorful thread, then selling it to the public as a "rubber" hair band (excuse my pun).

The manufacturers claim that the condoms are unused, and were rejects from the factory where they were made, however this has yet to be confirmed. I'm all for recycling, upcycling, reusing, etc, but this is where I draw the line. Actually this is way past any line I've ever drawn! You can read about it on Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/hairband.asp
They also have pictures so you can see what to avoid.

And while you are avoiding Chinese hair bands, why not check out Etsy for some fabulous hand made (not from condoms) hair accessories.

Elusive, Tingly Autumn Magic

I have always loved the not-too-warm, not-too-cold days of autumn, when the air is crisp and has a magical aliveness to it. It feels a little prickly, tingly, and sparkly. I love it when the leaves have turned every hue of orange, red, multi-colored greenish-yellowish-maroon, and they fall and crackle under feet on a leisurely woodsy walk. The heat of summer has subsided and the chill of winter has yet to pounce.

I used to live in northern Iowa where this fantasy fall only lasted a couple of weeks, sometimes less, then turned cold and snowy. Now I live in Texas where autumn just means we're no longer in triple digits Fahrenheit! But for two lovely autumns in Ashland, Oregon, and one perfect Fall in Boulder, Colorado, I experienced the magic of a long-lasting, woodsy-walk filled, delightful, leaf-crackling autumn of my dreams.

http://spiritmama.etsy.com/

Cosmo's Fresh Kill

This is our family dog Cosmo. He loves to kill things. So far his only real kills in his five years have amounted to two mice and an occasional small lizard. So he has taken up killing stuffed animals. The process is very entertaining to watch, and he has the time of his life, especially when there is a soundmaker involved.

This little lamb was his latest kill. He wouldn't stop untill all the lamb's guts were out and instead of "baaaa, baaaaaa" it could only make a horrible low pitched scratchy noise like a dying cat. Look how proud and satisfied he is!

Dia de los Muertos Altar Box

I'm having fun with Dia de los Muertos, or "Day of the Dead" this year. I was once a foreign exchange student in Mexico and I got to go to the cemetary with my host family to clean and decorate the graves. What a powerful way to connect with the ancestors.

I love the celebration of Dia De Los Muertos. I also love to make altars. So I have made a Dia De Los Muertos altar box with a candle on top to honor your ancestors, deceased friends, pets, and anyone you choose to honor. You can light the candle, place pictures and mementos of your loved ones in the box, and have a daily meditation with the spirits. This is a great way to remember and honor those who have left this world.The box is made of wood and I have covered it in designer papers and glazed them for durability and added my calavera skulls done in polymer clay. The center calavera has rhinestone eyes and yellow silk flower petals behind it. There is a silk flower centerpiece on top for the candle holder to sit on. I will include a tea light candle and it is replaceable so you can burn candles all year long if you want to.The box is 8" x 5", and I have placed hangers on the back so you can put it on your wall.

This altar box is available in my etsy shop:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15250644

La Catrina with Chihuahua

This is Catrina, the popular skeletal lady figure often seen in La Dia de los Muertos celebrations and altars.
La Catrina represents the upper class and the understanding that no one, not even aristocrats, are immune from death when it comes calling.
I also see Catrina as representing fun and play in afterlife, as she is so often dressed in fancy, colorful clothing adorned with flowers and smiling gleefully.
This Catrina art doll is made entirely of polymer clay with a bit of Tibetan lambs wool as hair. She is 7.5" tall.

I made her for the PCAGOE (polymer clay artisans guild of etsy) October challenge. The theme is "Dia de los Muertos".

I posted the "making of Catrina" pics on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spiritmama/sets/72157607277632713/

And she is now available for sale on etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15254310

Hondamom Rocks!

I just received the coolest little bag, a handmade felt and cotton applique wristlet from Honda J. of Dallas, TX! Hondamom (her brand name) is on the Etsy Texas Team and we had a team swap. We each sent in details like our favorite colors, materials, and themes, and we were given the name of a fellow team member to send a swap to.


I have to say I hit the jackpot on this one! It's like Hondamom got into my head and created a perfect custom order. I'm soooo excited to carry it, and just in time for Dia de los Muertos, too!


You can see how fabulous the front and back are from the above pictures, but there is more, check out the inside:

This wristlet is so well made and has tons of detail. I would definitely recommend Hondamom for gifts and custom made designs. She has a shop on Etsy:





Hondamom.etsy.com

and lots of beautiful pics on Flickr.


Thanks Honda!

Today I was at a seminar at the Wizard Academy in Driftwood, TX. (a very cool place you can check out at wizardacademy.org). Roy H. Williams is the founder, an excellent writer, and a very well-paid speaker. It was fun to hear him speak again.

I took the class "Making it as an Artist" last year at the Wizard Academy, and I went up and spoke to Roy at break. I was reminding him who I am and started by saying

"I've gained 50 pounds since the last time I saw you."

"Congratulations" he replied.

I realized then that that was the first and only time in my life I'm likely to be congratulated for gaining 50 pounds. Did I mention I'm almost 8 months pregnant?

So I decided to have three cookies during break. They were so good!

Ho'oponopono Healing Vessles and Clearing Wands

I love to make art with a purpose. It was in that vision that I came up with Ho'oponopono healing vessles and wands.

What in the world is Ho'oponopono? (I hear you wondering)

Ho'oponopono is a Huna healing and clearing technique taught by Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len, which uses the phrases:


"I love you"

"I'm sorry"

"Please forgive me" and

"Thank you"

as a way to achieve clarity and inspire healing.


Of course there is a lot more to it than that, but you get the idea. The powerfully successful technique has had some miraculous effects, you can read more about it here:




So back to the healing vessle! I had the idea one day to create a distance healing vessle in which you could place a person's name, or a problem that needs healing. This vessle would be created intentionally with prayer for the purpose of healing the contents it holds.



Suzanne Burns of Intentional Treasures heard about this idea and she asked me to make them as a custom order item for her Ho'oponopono product line. Suzanne also had the idea to make a Ho'oponopono healing wand with a crystal tip at one end and an eraser at the other for the purpose of clearing old memories and energy, and to replace them with new positive, empowering, healing energy. These wands and vessles have been a pleasure to create, and each one is unique and special in it's own way. The Ho'oponopono products are always blessed with prayer before their journey out into the world.


You can find the wands and vessles I make on this page.

Blog Carnival

I just joined the Etsy Blogger Street Team, and each month they have a "Blog Carnival" in which the members blog about a specific topic. This month the carnival topic asks "What is your favorite color and show it in your work".


No problem! My favorite color is purple! I have had an ongoing love affair with purple for ages, and I just can't get enough. My entry is painted purple, I wear purple clothes, I have purple curtains...


So here are some of my special purple artistic creations.

This is my latest, "Goddess of Compassion" Doll. She is wearing a lavender dress. Lavender is one of my favorite shades of purple (actually it's a tint, I heard all you art school teachers correcting me). She is in my SpiritMama etsy shop.

And here is a little tooth fairy (or doll house) pot with purple and lots of sparkle:

It is available in my SpiritMama etsy shop.

SpiritMama Funky Handmade Rings

I love to make rings, and I love to wear rings! Here are some I've done recently.

My Big Belly, a "Tweener" and the PTA Meeting

I can't see my feet. My legs either for that matter. If I bend waaay waaay over I can see my toes though. I haven't been doing that very often lately and last night at the PTA meeting things got a little embarassing.

Here's the deal...I'm 32.5 weeks pregnant. I've gained 50 pounds. My once delicate 5' 8" 135 pound body is edging dangerously near the 200 pound mark on my scale. I've stopped wearing skirts (unless I have tights underneath) because my thighs rub together when I walk, which causes a very uncomfortable heat rash in the 100 degree Texas weather. Putting on underwear has become a real challenge. I can't see the leg holes, and balancing these extra 50 pounds on one foot is no small task.


This is what I see when I look down:

So back to the PTA meeting. I wore a knee length dress. I sat down next to a nice looking couple. At some point I started looking around, as tends to happen at these extremely uneventful meetings. Anyone with an attention span of less than 60 minutes is scanning the room for something stimulating to look at. I noticed the man two chairs away staring at my legs. This wasn't a polite or lusty type of stare. This was a slightly puzzled looking type of stare. I tapped into his brain and heard his thoughts clearly...


"Hmmm, she has a nice face, she looks like she's about to burst... I wonder when the last time she shaved her legs was, not to mention those terribly neglected toes."


Then he saw me seeing him and he held my gaze for a second. I looked down at my legs and thought...

"Oh my! When was the last time I shaved my legs???"

This is what I see when I look down and bend waaay waaay over... toes!


While all of this was going on my 10 year old 5th grade daughter, Josiah, and my husband, her step-father, Brett, had another conversation going on. Brett saw an interesting looking 5th grade aged boy. He asked Josiah who that boy was.



We haven't quite figured out what kind of questions are acceptable to our 5th grade "tween", but asking about boys is a cardinal sin worthy of intense fury and hours of grudge holding.

When I looked back at the two of them (while trying to hide my overgrown leg hair under my chair) I could see there was a problem.



"What's going on?" I asked Josiah.

"Brett's mean!" she insisted. "He's acting suspicious!"

I looked at Brett, he shrugged and looked confused. Brett is one of the most straight forward people I've ever known. Suspicious is not a term I would use for him.

In the car on the way home I dug a little deeper.

"What was it that Brett did that was suspicious, Josiah?" I inquired.

"He was asking suspicious questions about that boy!" she fired back.

"I just asked his name." Brett threw in hesitantly.

"Do you like this boy?" I pried, thinking I had gotten to the core of the issue.

"NO!" Josiah shreiked "Kinzey does!" (Kinzey is Josiah's BFF)


So that was that. I'm not sure what the PTA meeting was supposed to be about, but I did return home with some important lessons learned.


1. I still need to shave my legs and paint my toenails in the last two months of pregnancy if I intend to wear knee length skirts in public places.


2. Never expect a 10 year old 5th grade girl to be reasonable about boys. (we never did get his name)


3. I'm really greatful to have the kind of husband who can live with a very pregnant woman and a tween girl and love us unconditionally. I can only imagine how challenging it is sometimes.

Alistair Iriekins the Happy Rasta Monster

I was given a box of miscellaneous fabrics and trims the other day. I brought it home, set it on my floor, and took a good look at the contents.

It was evident that a monster was living in that box. He just needed me to put him together. He was hollering so loudly that I couldn't ignore him, even though I had other work to do. So I got out my scissors, thread, and sewing machine, and two days later here he is, sitting next to me with a huge grin!

He has dread locks and big teeth, and a long fluffy tail. He told me his name is Alistair, and he feels irie all the time. He is a happy monster, and very loving as anyone can see by the heart he wears on his chest. I wasn't sure about putting a heart on a monster, but he really wanted it. He is good at hanging out, just lounging in bliss most of the time. He's always good for a laugh and a smile. He is silly, he laughs at anyone's jokes (even if they aren't funny). He just likes to laugh.

He's not really religious, although he likes the Rasta culture, so I call him the "Rasta Monster". He laughs when I say that.
Alistair Iriekins is 17.5" from rump to feelers. That does not include his legs. He is a OOAK soft sculpture.

Alistair Iriekins is listed in my Etsy shop: http://www.spiritmama.etsy.com/

You can see more of my art and pictures on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spiritmama/

Who am I?

I am Waxéla(wa-shay-la)Sananda. I have been making jewelry and art for as long as I can remember. I owned retail shops for 15 years where I sold my art and custom jewelry designs.

About three years ago I stopped retail in order to pursue SpiritMama.com, my spun bamboo clothing line, to be home more for my family AND of course, to dive more fully into my art.

Today I nurture my love of nature and spirituality through my art. I creates goddesses and deities, nature scenes and animals, often putting them in shadow box scenes or vintage boxes made into altar boxes. My passion is for art dolls, usually sculpted from polymer clay and in the themes of goddesses, fairies, and nature spirits and dieties.

I did it, I'm a blogger!

As of today I consider myself to officially be a blogger. This is a big achievement for me, and I must say I am proud!

My banner was created by Sandy of http://www.blogbannerqueen.etsy.com/. She did a fantastic job, don't you think?

I have created this blog for the purpose of sharing my art, my creative inspirations, and my thoughts and feelings, hence the name "SpiritMama Art and Soul". I hope you will join me on my journey into Artful Blogging!