Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from SpiritMama and the Sananda-Morris Family!

Can you believe how cute these "boot" socks are? I found them at a local baby boutique called "Baby Bugaloo" and I couldn't resist. They are made by "Dolly and Dimples", and they came with another pair of socks that look like English riding shoes.

Many blessings to you on this beautiful Christmas day!

Cozy warm bamboo blankies

I love to sew, although sewing usually takes a back seat to sculpting in my art world. Last week I completed some bamboo blankets, which I sell at Austin Baby Store. These blankets are two layers of wonderfully soft and silky bamboo fabric mixed with 30% cotton.

Let it Snow!

Here is my latest ornament, a happy snowman. You can get one here.

PCAGOE December Challenge

Vote for your favorite entry at pcagoe.com between December 1 and 3. All voters will be entered in random drawings to win prizes - there are 7 prizes available this month, so come vote!

Santa Sock Monkey

Santa Sock Monkey ornament has been a big hit so far this holiday shopping season. Selling for $13.99 in my etsy shop, he is quite a bargain!

Sale Time!

Marie Antoinette Award

The Fantastic Mealy Monster Land Blog has awarded

SpiritMama Art and Soul Blog

with the prestigious Marie Antoinette award!

Thanks MealyMonster!

So in keeping the spirit of the award,

I have nominated the following fabulous blogs:

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Unique Commodities

Tilt Creations

Rose Works Jewelry

Stormy Designs

A Cozy Life

Funky Folky

Tejae's Art

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Official RULES:
1) Please add the Marie Antoinette award photo on your blog

2) Place a link to the person from whom you received the award

3) nominate 7 exceptional blogs to recieve the award

4) put the links to those blogs on your blog

5) leave a message on their blogs to tell them they are the chosen ones!

Frog Prince will Travel to California

Today I was notified that Frog Prince has been chosen for the Indie Craft Display at the CHA 2009 Winter Convention & Trade Show. The Show will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim , CA from January 25-28, 2009.

Family Portrait Gone Awry

We went for a family portrait on Saturday. Gabriel was not in the mood to pose. Josiah was fussing with Gabriel and we told her to just keep looking at the camera and smile. That made her mad so she refused to smile and then left the photo. So here is what we end up with:

These were taken by my mom on the side line. I'm sure the photographer, Jay got at least one good one!?

Here are some shots from the weekend. I love this one. Josiah took it. I don't even mind that my head is cut off because it is the first picture I have with Gabriel where I don't look pale and pasty. I'm wearing G in my new Zolo sling.

Look at this proud (and handsome) daddy!

And my beautiful, not so little girl:

Winter Warlock

Remember the wonderful animated "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" movie from childhood? I loved watching it each year when it came on TV, back in the days before DVDs and DVRs.

I was thinking about what to do for the winter theme challenge for PCAGOE, and the winter warlock came to mind. He refused to leave until I sculpted him.

I considered doing the tamer "Mr. Winter", which is what the Warlock turned into after Kris Kringle presented him with a toy train and they went frolicking arm in arm singing "Put one foot in front of the other...".

But winter to me means blowing winds, cold temperatures, blizzards and the like (I was raised in Northern Iowa), so the warlock fits the theme in my mind.

Winter Warlock is made of polymer clay with a foil and wire armature. His tunic is fabric and his hair is a mixture of Tibetan lambs wool and polyester fur. He has been painted with acrylic paints. He is 8" tall and his arm span is 7" wide.

He is available for purchase at : http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17624762

ThanksGiving

I have been off and on vegetarian for a significant portion of my life, so the turkey slaughter has never been my favorite part of Thanksgiving. The thing I do love about Thanksgiving is the gathering of friends and family and the meditation of giving thanks.



I usually take a moment this time of year to reflect and be grateful for all of the blessings in my life. This year I have a heart full of gratitude for my new son, Gabriel, who will be 25 days old on Thanksgiving day. I am so grateful for his health, his beautiful presence, and the love and bliss he brings to his new parents and our families.




It is amazing how just the site of a tiny baby brings smiles to the faces of strangers. People aren't afraid to stop and stare at an infant, they know the infant has no concern about being publicly admired. The infant won't say "What are you staring at?!" Infants are completely authentic. Everything they feel is genuinely expressed, with no sensoring, anytime (3am), any palce, public or not.



We have a lot to learn from infants. If as adults we practice expressing our emotions, thoughts, and feelings genuinely and authentically to eachother, and if as listeners we can allow our loved ones to express themselves openly without becoming judgmental of them, a new world of authentic relationship will open up.



So my goal this Thanksgiving is to listen without taking offense, and be fully present without judgment.

Sock Monkey Sculpture Menagerie

I'm still on a sock monkey kick. Baby G sleeps so well I've had time to keep up with my monkey obsession, so here are a few of my latest.

Josiah, my 10 year old daughter insisted I make a ballerina sock monkey, here she is:

I got a custom order for a one year old birthday cupcake tower topper monkey set, so here they are:

Let me know if you have any ideas for sock monkey sculptures, I'd love to give them a try!

Baby Gabriel Has Arrived!

Gabriel Alexander Morris was born on 11/2/08 at 7:05pm
Weighing 9 pounds and 21 inches long.





He was born at home in our piano room in a birthing pool. This picture was taken less than a minute after his birth. My husband, Brett was in the pool with me the whole time.


The labor was about 5 hours long, and we all came out great! This picture is his first with big sister, Josiah, taken about an hour after the birth. She is a wonderful helper!







He is wonderful and we are so blessed to have him.

:- )

Tagged again

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I’ve been tagged by UniqueCommodities to share 7 secrets. Because I’ve been tagged before I will not tag new people, but I will share some dirt:

1) My favorite color is purple.
2) I never watch scary or violent movies because I have nightmares if I do.
3) I feel naked without earrings and I almost never leave the house without them.
4) I hate cooking, I burn everything (including myself) when I do cook.
5) My favorite food is Thai food. I could eat it every day.
6) Last night I broke the toilet seat when I sat on it. This did not help my self-esteem :-(
7) I'm 5 days overdue to have my baby today, and although I'm a very patient person (usually) my patience has worn out. I'm going to a friend for "bring on the labor" accupuncture today!
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November Challenge

It's November challenge time at PCAGOE.com (polymer clay artisan's guild of Etsy).

I have entered my little Leaf Elf, "Lelf". He is enjoying the first snow.

Go to pcagoe.com between Nov 1 at noon, and Nov 3 at midnight to vote for your favorite (there are some fantastic entries this month) and you may win some fabulous prizes!

The Way-a-ay-ting is the hard-est part.

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Tom Petty said it best, the waiting is the hardest part. I'm referring to being 3 days overdue in my pregnancy, as if 40 weeks isn't enough! I'm beginning to wonder if he's ever coming out!


So I've been absorbing myself in sock monkeys.


Yes, I have no doubt this is a very unconventional approach to dealing with the uncontrollable world of overdue pregnancy. But sock monkeys are my muse and thank goodness for them, they have even been dancing through my dreams lately. At least they keep me smiling!

:- )

Learn more about "Zen Monkey" HERE.

Happy Halloween!

I Will Wash My Hands Among The Innocent

This is an original art doll and shadowbox collage by me.




The bat man came to me after a nightmare. I woke up in a terror, and I had been working on this art doll's face. I had the idea to make him into a batman because bats are so sweet and innocent, yet so misunderstood by humanity.


How I made the art doll:


I sculpted the face and torso first with polymer clay, using glass eyes. I thought for days about what to make him into. His face has a sweetness and an innocent look. I considered a monk, I settled on a bat.I first researched the body structure of a bat. I sculpted the bone structure of the wings and added them to his torso. I decided to use liquid sculpey for the wings. They were a challenge and I baked them no less than a dozen times to get them the consistency I desired. Now they are elastic and membrane-like, very cool. I sculpted each tiny claw and got a wonderful bat claw effect. I collaged in pieces from my 1914 prayer book after digitally creating a spiral effect. I chose the title because that is the quote under the bat's left wing.


The shadowbox is 9"x11" The bat art doll has a 7" wingspan. See more pics on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spiritmama/

Baby Sock Monkey Ornaments

What's cuter than a sock monkey? A baby sock monkey!

Made of polymer clay with yarn hair and a cute ribbon to hang on your tree, or in the nursery. Available at SpiritMama.etsy.com.

Cousin Leland, AKA Sock Monkey

Three Sock Monkeys walked into a bar... These guys could have fun anywhere!

I have decided to explore my long time love of sock monkeys. As a child my great aunt Jenny had one she called "Cousin Leland", and I didn't know they were called sock monkeys until I was an adult (fairly recently, actually). Whenever I would see one somewhere I would say "Oh look, it's cousin Leland!" I never met the actual cousin Leland, but apparently the resemblance is striking.

These monkeys are ornaments made of polymer clay and jointed with beads and wire. I have hung them on a pretty red ribbon, and these guys are not just for Christmas trees, mind you. You'll enjoy them so much that you will want them hanging around all year!

They can sit, hang, and lay down for a nap (don't expect them to sleep though). Each monkey is handmade, one of a kind, by me, so the details will vary slightly. He will be about 3" long, and ready for a good time. You can get one here: SpiritMama.etsy.com

I Voted Today!

My baby is due any day, which means I may not get out on election day. So to be safe my husband and I went first thing this morning and voted. We didn't have to wait in line at all, and we were out of there in less then 10 minutes!

They gave me a cute sticker which I wore all day on my belly too:

Fab Witch Art

In honor of the nearness of Halloween, I will share my favorite witchy art with you today!


Here is one I did:

Isaura the Spell Casting Witch Concocts Her Best Brew



She is a mixed media art doll in a shadowbox, and you can read all about her here: SpiritMama.etsy.com




Look at this one, called "The Owlchemist" from Leilalou's shop on etsy:

Here's a cutie Folk Art Witch by FunkyFolky:

and finally one of my favorite polymer sculptors, MealyMonster, brings us Molly and the Zombie Baby:

I had another opportunity to wear the $7.48 black dress last weekend. It was a wedding reception for two dear friends who got married in Honduras last August. It took place at a beautiful ranch, and most people had to park and walk, but not me! They had a special area for the soon-to-be Mamas...

Frog Prince Dreams ACEO

Click on the picture for a close up : )




I have finally completed my Frog Prince ACEO!



I will be sending copies of it to the winners of the "complete my frog prince challenge" once they arrive, in about two weeks.



After some researching I decided to have them printed professionally instead of doing it myself. I think the cost will end up about the same and I know a professional service will do it right! And I don't have to shop for the paper, sealant, and plastic sleeves, AND I don't have to do the work!



I'll let you know how the quality is and I'll plug the service I used if they turn out great.

9 Months Pregnant IN the New Dress

OK, I promised a 9 month pregnant picture of me in the black dress at my husband's 20th class reunion, so here it is:


It was strange meeting all these old friends of Brett's who are brand new people to me, in this 9 month pregnant package I'm wearing. The good thing is, next time I meet any of them they'll think "Wow, she's really lost weight, I remember her being a lot bigger." With my purse hanging there it really looks like I'm 3 feet wide!

Isn't Brett cute! He keeps reminding me this is temporary. And it is, as of today I have 21 days to my due date, and I'm guessing Baby G will come early, so 2 to 3 weeks to go.

PCAGOE October Challenge

I'm so excited about winning the Day of the Dead Challenge for PCAGOE (polymer clay artisans guild of Etsy). I just joined the PCAGOE in September, so this was my first challenge. Thanks so much to all who voted. Visit PCAGOE.com to see all of the entries.

The second place was a tie by juliespace and ametistagirl.

And third went to (another tie) pollyhyper and beetreebyme.

Congrats to all the winners, and thank you to all who voted!

Nine Months Pregnant and a New Dress

I'm 37 weeks pregnant. I could burst any day. If you read my post a few weeks ago with the belly pictures, I'm EVEN BIGGER now!

So guess what... My husband's 20 year class reunion is this weekend, starting tonight. I'm going to meet all of these people Brett has been telling me about for years, for the first time tonight, and I'm 50+ pounds over my normal weight. Yesterday I realized I have nothing to wear (my daily maternity stretch pants won't cut it for this event). Brett informed me he's wearing a suit. A SUIT!

I don't want to spend any money on clothes right now. Trying anything on at this point is a sad and self-defeating event. My chiropracter suggested I go as a Jack-O-Lantern, but this isn't a Halloween party!

I was considering my dilema as I ran my errands yesterday. I was at Target when I walked by the maternity section. There was a 75% off rack. I couldn't help myself, I dove in and grabbed every massive maternity dress on the rack!

The dressing room is a scary and comical place at 9 months pregnant. Most of the large dresses fit me like Saran Wrap. However, there was one large maternity dress, all black, knee length, not 100% polyester, that fit. I admit it looks like a tent from the belly down, but I prefer tent over saran at this point. I looked at the tag. $7.48. It's a deal!

I now have a dress. I'll have someone take a picture of me in it tonight any you can laugh too after I post it tomorrow!

Etsy Bloggers Street Team Blogger of the Month

Congrats to Etsy Bloggers Street Team Blogger of the Month, Jen from BFBeads (Baby Friendly Beads, that is) and MamasMagicStudio. Check out Jen's blog too!

Jen's baby friendly beads can be worn while nursing and give baby something to look at and play with during meal time. What a creative idea!

I have an entry in the PCAGOE (polymer clay artisans guild of Etsy) this month, for Day of the Dead. If you go to http://www.pcagoe.com/ right now and vote for your favorite entry (it doesn't have to be mine!), you will automatically be entered to win a prize package of handmade items just for voting! The entries are really fun to look at too!

Here is a picture of all the entries:

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".