Dragonflies Introduce the Spring with Relics & Artifacts Ambassador Heather Thompson

As the days finally seem to be getting longer and longer,  I yearn for spring.  As these long winter days seem to just drag on in this frozen tundra, there is a glimmer of hope with more daylight and the signs of snow slowly, ever so slowly, melting away. 

I yearn to see my dragonflies.  From little ones to big ones, to brightly colored and plump ones, each one has a unique beauty about them. Whether it’s the flawless look of their wings glistening in the sun or the unusual, but oh so captivating markings on their body, their beauty is unsurpassable.

So as I sit and wait for the subtle hints of the changing of seasons, I know when I see my dragonflies that spring is finally here and I can enjoy the beauty around me.

Supply List:
Relics & Artifacts Coquille
DecoArt Acrylic Paints
Cat Kerr stamps
Iced Resin Opals
ICE Resin

Calavera Necklace with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Chrissy Colon

I am not one to do the same type of project idea multiple times.  This one was an exception.  I embraced a challenge courtesy of a very good friend of mine who wanted a custom necklace.  She wanted black with bright, bold colors.  Since I never work with black, my natural response was, "Challenge accepted!"

As most already know,  I do love working with beads.  I find something calming and almost therapeutic about gluing each bead into place and watching my sketched design come to life.  When the piece is completed, the sense of accomplishment and completion is enough to stoke my creative fires.

While the overall design is simple, the bead work is where the magic is with this piece.  The creativity begins to flow and new ideas spring forth.  The second layer of the necklace that has the cross was one such "AHA!" moment.  The addition of a few stone skulls on handmade eye-pins stitched together the elements seamlessly.

Supply List:
Relics & Artifacts® Crosse Icons
Relics & Artifacts® Archangels
ICE Resin
Firemountain Gems seed beads
Carved stone skull beads
Necklace Chain
Head pins
jump rings
lobster claw clasp

"Nursing is Like Gardening" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Heather Thompson

As many of you know, I am a nurse but also an avid gardener.  I enjoy them both immensely. During the summer months, I try to bring some cheer to work and I wear a real flower in my hair. Every morning after the long night shift, I pull my hair down and throw the flower on the dashboard while I unwind on my drive home from the crazy night I’ve just had.

This particular flower dried on my dashboard and it was just beautiful. Instead of throwing it out the window as I drive down the driveway the next night, I actually left it there to enjoy the beauty it had transformed into. Finally I decided that I just needed to capture it in time forever.

Since nursing and gardening are so similar, I wrote a small comparison and inspiration piece.

Nursing is like Gardening

Nursing is like gardening;
Everyday is a new day. Each day will bring new
Beginnings, new experiences. A new chance at life
To Bloom, blossom and grow.

Nursing is like gardening;
You will always have your pests.
Your frequent visitors, your difficult
Ones that are needy, that you don’t
Understand and never will. The
Ones that will present a problem
Around every corner and the ones that will never leave.

Nursing is like gardening
You will always lose some. No
Matter how hard you try and how
Much time and effort and heart you put
Into it. Some were just not meant to live.
For what ever reason, it was meant to be.

Nursing is like gardening;
Rewarding, hardworking, a learning experience,
Frustrating, fulfilling, distressing
Beautiful. From one end of the spectrum to the other.

Nursing is like gardening;
Worth every minute -the good, the bad and the ugly (and the stinky)

Enjoy every aspect and learn everyday. It’s
A good day when you can learn something new.
In every bad situation make it a learning experience,
And find something good with in it.
Nursing is like gardening.

Supply List:

Relics & Artifacts® Egg Shrine
Ice Resin
Spellbinders Designer Series Seth Apter Gridiron
Amazing Casting Resin
DecoArt Fluid Acrylics:
Phthalo Green-Blue
Cobalt Teal Hue
Ultramarine Blue
Titanium White
Americana Decor Crackle Medium

"Dreamer of Dreams" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Monica Downing

This piece, is one of my all time favorites. It started out with this really cool block my very sweet friend, Sherry Westfall Matthews, sent me. She actually sent me quite a few of them. They each have two circles drilled half way through the body of the block.

The head is from the Relics & Artifacts® set Facia Familiaris. Honestly, this was a huge challenge for me as I had not used any of the figure heads up to this point.  Once I covered the head with Iced Enamels and added some detail, everything else started to flow.

I decided to fill the holes with Ice Resin and some rub on quotes. This process was very time consuming due to the curing time of the Ice Resin, but it was so worth it. The block is covered in various papers front and back, then some stamping, embossing, and rub ons on the back.

She had to have butterfly wings because, well, she is a dreamer like me, and I have dreamed of flying with the butterflies.  A Dresden crown aged with the rust patina from 10 Second Studio VerDay kit and she was finished.

This piece is always where I can see it, she inspires me to keep dreaming.

For extra inspiration, "Dreamer of Dreams" can be found in the June issue of Mixed Up Magazine.

Supply List:
Relics & Artifacts® Facia Familiaris
Ice Resin Iced Enamels in Ivory
Ice Resin Iced Enamels Chartreuse
Ice Resin Iced Enamels Turquoise
Ice Resin
VerDay Patina Paint Kit
background paper by Cemerony
Stamps by Cat Kerr
Tim Holtz Rub Ons

"A Fair Lady's Shrine" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Heather Thompson

During ancient times of heroic knights and young fair maidens, kings and noblemen would have their young daughters fancied up in their most beautiful courting dresses and glamorous facial paint.

They would capture the eternal youth, first in portrait, by the most talented artists in the region, then they would encase it in a magnificent shrine made with the prettiest jewels and dressed in trims of gold and silver. The shrines were painted with the brightest pigments and tones for the most dramatic and eye-catching effects.

Conceptually, the more beautiful and alluring the shrine, the more appealing to the eyes of would-be suitor knights, all in the hopes of marrying the young maiden to a rich and wealthy family and unifying powerful families. 

After accords were struck between the fathers of the noble maidens and the suitors, the fair ladies dressed in the most magnificent formal attire.  In this final show of beauty and opulence, maidens were officially affianced to their future husbands in hopes of finding their happily ever after. 

Supply List:
Muse® Art Stamps St. Cecilia
Muse® Art Stamps Oculus
Relics & Artifacts® Dresden Trim Wrought Iron Gold
Relics & Artifacts® Bohemian Jewels Ruby
Ice Resin
Iced Enamels Shattered Mica
DecoArt Media Primary Magenta
DecoArt Media Primary Yellow
DecoArt Media Phthalo Green-Blue
DecoArt Media Cobalt Teal Hue
DecoArt Media Cerulean Blue
DecoArt Media Cobalt Black
Liquid Pearls Buttercup
Coffee Break Designs Mini Ornate Framed Shrine Kit Style 5
Seth Apter Stamps Spot Lights
Seth Apter Stamps Border Lines
Metal Frame
Rhinestones

"Nature and Art" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Heather Thompson

As many of you know I not only create art inside, but I also create art outside. I have been gardening for as long as I have been working. I use art both inside and out as a release from the stress of work. So whether it is in the gardens or in the studio, it relaxes me. It frees me. 

So for me to be able to make something I can enjoy for my gardens is a bonus. To sit in one of the many places in my gardens and enjoy the true art of nature and to see a beautiful piece of art that shimmers and shines in the patches of sunlight breaking through the leaves is a reward in itself.

Nature and Art, they go their separate ways
It seems; yet all at once they find each other.
Even I no longer am a foe to either;
Both equally attract me nowadays.

Some honest toil's required; then, phase by phase,
When diligence and wit have worked together
To tie us fast to Art with their good tether,
Nature again may set our hearts ablaze.

All culture is like this; the unfettered mind,
The boundless spirit's mere imagination,
For pure perfection's heights will strive in vain.
To achieve great things, we must be self-confined:

Mastery is revealed in limitation
And law alone can set us free again.

-Selected Poetry of Johann Wolfgang van Goethe,  'Natur und Kunst' (2005: 124-125)

I wanted to make something functional but yet stunning, a piece special for my gardens.  Enjoy the process of this piece. 

But with all artists, there is the idea, implementation of the idea, following through, altering the idea, and then through many other steps, set backs, and "AHA!" moments, there is the completion of the idea.  It is then time to capture the completed idea so others can envision in their own eyes the true beauty and elegance of a piece. 

Of course, with any creative process, getting the picture to capture its true essence is sometimes just as long, complicated, and tedious as the project itself. The things we will not do to try and get the perfect picture are few and far between.  The balance between the perfect project and the perfect photo is sometimes literal!

Supplies:

Relics & Artifacts® Crosse Icons
Relics & Artifacts® Chandelier Pendants I
Relics & Artifacts® Chandelier Pendants II
Relics & Artifacts® Chandelier Pendants III
Relics & Artifacts® Facia Familiaris
Relics & Artifacts® Cameos
Relics & Artifacts® Flaming Hearts Ex Votos
Relics & Artifacts® Medallions
Relics & Artifacts® Visage
DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics (Titan Buff, Paynes Grey, Quinacridone Gold, Transparent Yellow Oxide, Cobalt Turquoise Hue)
DecoArt Media Antiquing Cream (English Red Oxide, Patina)
DecoArt Media Gesso (White, Black)
DecoArt Media Crackle Glaze
Swarovski Crystals (Copper, Clear, Smokey Topaz)
Ice Resin
Iced Resin German Glass Glitter Shards (Ancient Gold, Sterling, Onxy)
Iced Resin Opals (Crystal, Fire Opal)
Iced Resin Bronze Shattered Mica

"Eye of Providence" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Monica Downing

I’ll be completely honest, because I always am. When I first designed this bezel, I loved the design because I thought it was cool. I didn’t design it with any particular historical significance, although it seems there is quite a bit of historical information about this particular “Eye in a Triangle” design.

I did some research and found some pretty cool information.

It seems most recognizable as The Eye of Providence (or the all-seeing eye of God) is a symbol showing an eye often surrounded by rays of light or glory and is usually enclosed by a triangle. It represents the eye of God watching over mankind, or divine providence. In the modern era, a notable depiction of the eye is the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, which appears on the United States one dollar bill.

As a religious symbol:  The association of an eye with the concept of Divine Providence did not emerge until well into the Christian Era. In Renaissance European iconography the eye surrounded by a triangle was an explicit image of the Christian Trinity. Seventeenth-century depictions of the Eye of Providence sometimes show it surrounded by clouds or sunbursts.

Freemasonry: Eye of Providence is often associated with Freemasonry. The Eye first appeared as part of the standard iconography of the Freemasons in 1797, with the publication of Thomas Smith Webb's Freemasons Monitor.  Here, it represents the all-seeing eye of God and is a reminder that man's thoughts and deeds are always observed by God (who is referred to in Masonry as the Great Architect of the Universe). Typically, the Masonic Eye of Providence has a semi-circular glory below it. Sometimes this Masonic Eye is enclosed by a triangle.

Anyhow, I love how this piece turned out and I’ve posted the link below if you are interested in reading more about the “Eye of Providence”.

Meanwhile I’ll be wearing my newly made necklace on a very regular basis simply because I love it.

Supplies:
Relics & Artifacts Rising Spirit
Relics & Artifacts Dresden Trim - Halo (Silver)
Large hobnail triangle bezel
Ice Resin Iced Enamels – Turquoise
Ice Resin
Black Copic Marker

Information source:  “Eye of Providence”

"Inspired By Others" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Chrissy Colon

Have you ever seen something that was made by someone else and felt the compulsion to pretty much copy it?  I know we all have and I am not immune to such a desire either.  Earlier this year, I watched and shared in the joy the one of my best friends was finally getting a chance to check something off of her "Artsy Fartsy Bucket List".  Monica was going to Creativation 2017 (formerly known as CHA)!  I was so excited for her!

We chatted and Skyped into the late night hours over projects that needed to be made and people she was going to meet.  One of the projects she came up with, she actually wore it at the show and it was brilliant. 

She so brilliantly took the small butterfly from the Papillon set and made a ring out of it!  As soon as I saw hers, I knew I needed to make one for me.  So with her permission, I straight up copied her idea.

Okay, so it's not a direct rip on hers but still!  Straight.  Up.  Copied the idea.  We both used Iced Enamels and I sealed mine with Ice Resin while she finished hers off with some Bohemian Jewels.

I also used a fancy-shmancy ring blank I found at a craft store here on island, which now that she's seen the finished ring, I'm sure I'll have to mail her some.  It's how we do things.

So you may be asking, "Why on earth is this crazy lady sharing a project she straight up copied?"  The answer is simple, my friends (cue The Most Interesting Man in the World's voice).  I don't always copy people's ideas, but when I do, I she's one of my BFF's and I always give due credit. 

Now Monica and I can totally be #twinning it on opposite sides of the globe!

Supply List:
Relics & Artifacts® "Papillon"
Relics & Artifacts® Bohemian Jewels "Aquamarine"
Iced Enamels "Carnelian"
Iced Enamels "Turquoise"
Iced Enamels "Pewter"
Iced Enamels "Chartreuse"
ICE Resin
Apoxie Sculpt
Ring blanks

"Wabi Sabi" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Sherry Matthews

According to Wikipedia, Wabi Sabi is a concept in traditional Japanese aesthetics constituting a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete".  The wabi sabi aesthetic embraces characteristics of asymmetry, simplicity, and an appreciation of natural characteristics and processes. With this bracelet, I try to encompass those same attributes.

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." - Scott Adams

Supply List:
Apoxie Sculpt
Ice Resin
Ice Resin tint "Beryl"
DecoArt Acrylics in brown and black
DecoArt One Step Crackle
jewelry findings
embroidery thread

Timeless Inspiration with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Debby Anderson

Angels and spiritual ephemera are very dear to me and usually inspire my creative journey.

I love the Relics & Artifacts® Coquille set and find that the oyster shell is a beautiful substrate to work in miniature.

My inspiration started with a inkjet printed copy of this beautiful image of the Madonna and two angels. My design style is spontaneous while using many layered mediums, materials and techniques while striving to replicate in an "old world" and "time worn" fashion.

"We are each of us angels with one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another." ~Luciano de Crescenzo


Supply list:
Relics & Artifacts® "Coquille"
Apoxie® Sculpt
KROMA Crackle®
ICE Resin® Iced Enamels- German Silver
Ice Resin®
Image of Madonna and two angels
Mod Podge® (seal inkjet image)
Rubber Stamp "Hail Mary"
Sand Paper ~ medium grit
Golden® Raw Sienna Acrylic Paint
Golden® Raw Umber Acrylic Paint
Mica Flakes
German Glass Glitter
Selection of tiny Shells, Pearls, Rhinestones
Rough faceted Quartz (crushed with a hammer)
Stand (top of vintage candle stick)
Hand forged wire for "Seven Sorrows" embellishment