Snow moon *8

I was very hungry to do some bead embroidery.  I was interested in Lynn’s ocean and beach passion.  I wanted to add a little sparkle to Lynn’s Little Altar. 

I designed an ocean beach-to-horizon bead embroidery piece to use blues, shells, and several different stitches.  Blues are not normally colors I find easy to work with but this time I wasn’t uncomfortable. I wanted all kinds of bead embroidery textures.  But after the piece was about a third of the way finished, I decided that the design was not well balanced, and that the piece would feel heavy and overworked when it was finished. 

In the meantime, I’ve been studying about watercolors, and playing with photographs in Lightroom (a great program!).  I put some watercolor paper in the printer, printed a photograph.  I discovered how the printer inks (dye based) liquefy with a bit of water, and I tried adding watercolor to the photograph.  Pretty darn interesting!

So I decided to take another tack for my February project.  I found a photograph that I took several years ago and printed it on watercolor paper.  It was taken in January, at Ebey’s Landing on Whidbey Island, looking across to the Olympic Mountains.

I played with watercolor painting it to enhance the printed image and then sealed it with archival varnish. And like lots of things in life, when I was looking in one of my esoteric stashes of unfinished project ideas for some certain beads to add to it, I found these vintage two hole beads instead.  They inspired me in a different way, and I got to do some bead embroidery after all.  You might call it embellishment, but I’m calling it embroidery! 

I’m happy that this is a lighter, simpler, and more fanciful solution to my original desires for this month’s Little Altar spot.

 Nancy Strahle

Snow Moon 4

Love &
 Hope Stitched Heart
It was hard to figure out what to do for Lou. I like Halloween also, and it is the month of her birth. But that was not it. Then maybe magic! What I wanted to do could not find the supply needed for it and ordered but it was late in coming. So it came down to the month of love, February, so thus the heart. I have made these before and also taught a class in beading using these little hearts. It is always a joy to work with beads as it calms me working with my hands. Each stitch is taken with a wish or hope even if I am not aware of or know the person that will receive it. I do look forward to meeting all next year.

Marilynn

Snow Moon 7

This moon, I was inspired by the cheerful reds & pinks of Valentines,
and the moon some call the Rabbit Moon.  I sculpted this bunny of
polymer so that he could easily fit on a wee ledge. I've never really
sculpted a bunny or animal before this. And I find my sketches of them
to be primitive. I have a difficult time properly understanding &
proportioning their shapes. So I was delighted at how excellent this
sculpture turned out. The ears are my fav!  The "Love Me" came from a
mini box of really great chocolate frogs I received as a gift.  And
last, the pièce de résistance, the miniature banner of washi tape
flags.  To make these 1/8" - 1/4" wide flags I used the width of the
washi tape itself as half the height of the flag. Then to ensure I had
a tiny enough width to allow for lots of flags over a mere 3", I cut
strips that were ~ 1/8" or so by 1/2" (width of washi tape). The
result? A magical, miniature, banner of flags fit for even a Lego guy
to hold! Yay! I love it, just like the words say.

Gwen Gyldenege

Snow Moon 6

I have always LOVED Faeries……….. Since I was child I believed in their existence! They were my playmates and friends!

Faeries have been on my brain, in my dreams and my days! For the very first time I attended FaerieCon West at the beautiful Renaissance Hotel in downtown Seattle! Faeries and Elves and Mermaids OH MY!!!!!! What a grand time we had.

I have chosen to highlight one of Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Faeries for this month’s Little Alter. Cicely Mary Barker was born in Croydon, South London in 1895 and died in 1973.  Her Faeries were first published in 1923, which brought her international acclaim as an artist.

I love the little Faerie highlighted in a shadow box setting. It soon will be spring and Cicely Barker’s Flower Faeries always make me think of this time of year while I plan for my garden that the Faeries will love the new plantings.

Open your eyes and hearts to find a Faerie or two of your own, they make great friends!!!

Lynn Hranac

Snow Moon 5

It is February 10^th and the moon is a waxing crescent moon at the moment. I had hoped to have this written and done when it was a new moon – since this is a new project! But Alas… I didn't quite make it.

Hopefully, I am the first to turn in this month’s project.  But that is because I am leaving for Asia and will be enjoying the full moon in Luang Prabang, Laos.  But I will be thinking of all of you!

As many of you know, Peg is the queen of possibilities, and I have never met anyone who is so talented at all she tries!  So everything is a possibility!  So with having her space for the February project, she had to be a queen… and it is February so the Queen of Hearts seemed perfect! But after seeing her beautiful altar with its soft muted colors, a bright red February altar seemed to be too glaring.  So I returned to the thousands of pictures that I have taken and chose a door from Germany.  The colors looked like they fit well and so I planned it so Peg could open the door to find her Queen of Hearts and Altar surprise!  This is the original Picture:

I printed it and then worked with it to make it look more like a water color. I did this by putting a paper glue on the back of the paper (and lots of it!) so it completely soaked the paper.  It gently washed the ink out so it gave a watercolor effect.  I had planned to cute the door down and then make it open the center to reveal the red altar inside. But, that did not work as well as I had hoped.  So I attached it to recycled tyvek stuff from a mailing envelope so that it could be glued to the Altar box and the door could be lifted.  The small green dot you see in the picture is the “door handle”.  And now the picture looks like:

I also went over some of the detail of the door with a watercolor pencil so it gave it some more definition.  And when you open the door… there is a surprise to the Queen of Hearts!!!

I have wanted to start making some pins and this is the first!!  A heart for Valentine’s Day! But remember… it is the first and there was much to be learned from this!

So I am thinking of all of you and looking forward to seeing what each one of you does!

Kathy D 

Snow Moon 3

This month I’ve been thinking a lot about doing a better job of writing down my ideas, sketching things for future reference, etc.

So my idea was to make a little book titled Moon Beam Dreams with inspirational quotes on every other page.  The book has double backed tape on the back and should be installed to the far right of the space so it opens up easily.  I photographed the front, the first and second pages as a visual reference.  The quotes contained in the book include:

Time clocks on front left referencing the passage of time

1.      Believe it’s possible

2.      Something to remember

3.      Scatter sunshine

4.      Never give up

5.      Magical

6.      Surround yourself with greatness

7.      Sprinkle it with Fabulous

8.      Make pretty stuff

9.      It’s all good

Lynn Vernon

Snow Moon TWO

Here's my piece for Gwen. A wee cottage in the woods. I'm not quite sure who lives here, be it a faerie, gnome, troll or sprite as I wasn't invited in for tea something about the size of their chair and the size of my bum. Never the less I better to keep the wee folk happy and be surrounded by their laughter than to never be able to find my keys!!

Cyn Bicker

Well what do you know it's The Snow Moon

Hello hello hello all you moon girls.
 The Full Moon for February was this past Monday February 25,2013.
 In my little corner of the world it was a clear night brisk and breezy and not a snow flake in sight. I have just returned from the Faerie Realm and an intense month in my studio creating faerie tale costuming delights. I will post photos after this extravaganza of the first exchange for our Little Altars Project.
 Going to start with Miss Lou who is having so much fun she is always early to finish her project. I just love her enthusiastic joy

 My inspiration for this "little alter" for February is Valentine's Day. Love is in my heart always, and Valentines' Day is a perfect way to express it! love you