Hello bloggers! I have a challenge for you! You see, I love Shelf Elves. Just love them to pieces! But I want to make one that is unique and original, just like my family. And I was thinking that maybe others may be inclined to do the same! Here are the details! Please join!!
Handmade Elf on the Shelf challenge! Come one come all!
So I looove the idea of the Shelf Elf. It inspires creativity and wonder. What I don't really like is the price point and the fact that he is kind of generic. I think that it w
ould be so much fun for us all to create our own unique Shelf Elf.
On to details:
In terms of supplies, it's an ANYTHING GOES type deal. Knit, crochet, sew, sculpt...whatever inspires you!
Deadline is November 20th at 8 pm EST. Everyone must post pics of their elves on Deedra's Art's wall at that time or before.
On November 21st, I will post a poll for voting. Polls will close by November 25th at 8 pm EST.
The winner will win one of my little Christmas bulb head ornaments, an original 8x10 holiday-inspired painting made and signed by me and some holiday treats. I will post pics of the prize pack later!
Please visit here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Deedras-Art/257639572940 and join in on the fun!!
Here's the first entry for the challenge! Isn't she beautiful?
Made by the amazingly talented doll maker, Paulette April
Kingsbury-Quimby Burton!
Introducing Minikins
My lovely sister-in-law's birthday is coming up next week and I wanted to make her something special. She's one of those people who is ALWAYS thinking of others. She would give you the shirt off her back. She's a very kind person and I wanted her to know that so I made a TINY little version of her family. I've called these little creatures 'Minikins'. Ranging from Daddy to Baby, these little guys all have their initials on their bellies and a little word on their bums. I will pop them in the mail as soon as they're fully dry :)
And then I made a tiny little Minikin bunny/human hybrid named Jack who is there to remind you that in life, ANYTHING is possible if you just believe.
And here's a possible of the gang together. I had so much fun creating these little guys.
Hope you had fun looking!
A long time ago, in a home far away, an artist painted a head. A head with a mask to be precise. It sat there in its cage of stretched canvas (much like Michelangelo's prisoners) for a year or more. Waiting...waiting...waiting. Until one day, out of desperation, her creator feverishly cut her free. Snippets of canvas flew all over the room until she was nothing but a floating head. Free! She screamed! Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, I'm free at last!
And then the creator did the unthinkable. She pasted her onto another canvas. Only this time it was smaller. The head looked down in sadness. The mask hiding her true pain.
A prisoner forever more.
'The Prisoner'
1.5x2' on stretched canvas
My son is at my brother-and-sister-in-laws' house this week looking after their wee ones as their childcare is on summer vacation. My husband and I decided to do a 'while you were out' in his bedroom and give it a teenage 'overhaul' as he turns 13 next week. My son is a provincial champ in wrestling and holds a lot of medals for jiu jitsu as well. He is a huge fight fan, so we have chosen to use that as our theme. He needed art work in his room and I had contemplated murals (I love doing murals) but when you move, the murals stay (this has happened to us before and my other son was devastated to leave his knight's castle behind) so I decided to do a large painting on canvas (around 2.5x3') so that he can take it with him when and if we move again.
I'm not exactly one for portraiture. It's not my strength as I paint better what's in my imagination than what I see in front of me, but I'm kind of happy with how this turned out. I know it's not Georges St. Pierre's perfect likeness, but I think I didn't do a terrible job lol
I will post pics of the befores and afters of his bedroom when I'm done!
I reorganized my art studio. You know...for the 50th time. I'm not really good at keeping things organized. Or maybe I'm not good at organizing in the first place and that's why they don't STAY organized. I don't know.
At any rate, I managed to get a little creativity in. I call her Infinite. I feel like there's a galaxy in her hair and she kind of makes me smile. She's modelled after vintage pin-ups. I love vintage pin-ups!
'Infinite'
Acrylic and mixed media on 6x6" watercolour paper.
Raspberry Muffins! Yum!
I made some yummy raspberry muffins tonight and thought that I would share one of my baking secrets with you! It's a good one!
How many times have you gotten inspired to bake up a storm only to find that you fed your kids the last egg for breakfast this morning? You start calling your neighbours but NO ONE'S home. Naturally. So, you've got this bowl full of all the ingredients you need to make your special treat EXCEPT your eggs. I guess that's the end of THAT idea, right?
WRONG!
If you have flax in your cupboard (and if you don't, you should get some), then you are good to go.
Check it out:
Cool, right?
Love? Hate?
I REALLY wanted to get creative today. I mean REALLY! The gallery that sells my art is almost fresh out of my paintings and I wanted to have a full creative day start the replenishing process. The kids are at school for their very last Friday before summer break and it was the perfect day. The perfect day except for the fact that I hit a creative road block. It started out well and then I started to embellish and stuff, and it sort of came apart at the seams. I'm really unsure of how I feel about this painting. I don't even know if I want to name her.
So, without further ado, here is...da da da...Untitled!
I'm currently working on an art swap (I love art swaps!) with a very talented artist overseas and she LOVES Alice in Wonderland and has an obsession with playing cards. While I was walking down to the water yesterday, I stumbled on a plethora of rocks. One of them kind of reminded me of the Queen of Hearts' head. So I picked her up, washed her off and painted away. I think she turned out rather cute. And so today, I'm going to go get more rocks...just cuz it's fun :)
Sapphire's Fairy Princess Party planning is well underway. My mind is spinning with ideas. I just hope to get them all done! I'm the Queen of biting of all you can chew, as they say. So let's just hope I get it all done!
And last night after around 12 hours of work (with bake time included in that), I finished her fairy cake. I just love it to pieces and I hope that all the little girls (all 15 thus far) will enjoy it!
Wish me luck with the rest of the party!
Esme and her Golden Scarf
Esme loved her golden scarf. It was all that was left of the golden blanket that her dear nanny crocheted for her when she was but a wee little ginger. Whenever she felt sad, all she needed to do was tie that scarf around her neck and the tears would magically dry up. Oh that golden scarf was just handspun love...
She's a mixed media sculpture that stands about 18 inches tall. I may or may not put her in my etsy shop :)
Deedra, the absentee...
Unlike what most might think, I am not dead or lost in some crazy wilderness without internet access. Nor have I had a creative hiatus. Nope. Been busy painting and creating and crafting, same as usual. So why the delay in posting here? Not sure. I'm just not sure! But I promise to start posting more.
To start, here's a piece that I created as part of an art swap. She's mixed media on watercolour paper. I used all sorts of fun stuff in this little creations. I drew. I painted. I used vintage sewing patterns and more fun stuff to make her. I just love how she turned out.
I love it so much that I turned it into a business card! Thank you Photoshop creators for this software. A life without photoshop is no life at all! So, should you ending up buying one of my pieces of art, I will include this business card for free. Ha ha. So generous. I know. I'm all heart!
Namaste!
Sometimes I feel like I need a little magic in my life...
I've been feeling a little void of magic these days. I don't know why exactly, but I did know that I needed to inject some into my life. And thus, 'Witchy Woman' was born.
She makes me smile. I like to imagine that her crystal ball really does have magical powers, and that it can make all my dreams come true if I wish hard enough...
Ruffles Galore!
When I was little, all I wanted was a Cinderella dress. I dreamed about it all day long. My little fingers and toes were crossed for two weeks straight, hoping that, on my birthday, a beautiful rectangular box would be placed before me. I would tug on the shiny ribbon wrapped around the box and it would slide gently away (perhaps if I was lucky, some little blue birds would swoop in and grab the ends in their tiny little beaks and chirp as they pulled the ribbon open). I would gingerly lift the lid off of this box to find some crisp white tissue paper folded perfectly, concealing the most magical dress I would ever lay my eyes on.
Well, that never happened. I mean, my step-mom tried her best to find me that perfect baby blue dress with loads of crinoline to make it flounce out, just so, but I don't think the technology was around just yet. It was, after all, only 1982. I was happy with the dress I got, nevertheless.
Now that I have a little girl, I'm always trying to recreate those moments and items that every little girl dreams of. I love making toys, hair accessories, and special, one of a kind clothing. I found this beautiful shop on etsy named lilygiggle who sells the most imaginative, whimsical clothing patterns for little girls. I couldn't resist. I bought a three pack of patterns, and here's the first item I made. Ruffle pants. Because what little girl doesn't like ruffles?
Free Pattern for crochet worm from Labyrinth :)
Hi everyone!! I finished putting together my free pattern for a crocheted version of the worm from the movie Labyrinth! I would love to see pics of your creations should you decide to go ahead and make him! Enjoy!
The most beautiful bonnet pattern!
I found this beautiful bonnet pattern on etsy the other day after my friend came over and put a bonnet on her little girl. Oh did I covet that hat. I just knew I had to make one! I'm so glad I did! The pattern is beautiful and wonderfully easy and ranges in size from newborn to adult! Isn't that great? It's also reversible :) Be sure to check out one little kiwi's etsy shop if you want this pattern! She also gives the right to sell the bonnets that you make. Isn't that kind?
Lucid
I woke up this morning with an incredible urge to paint. That happens a lot with me. This girl came to life. I've called this painting 'Lucid'. To me, she is very Zen and happy. I love my art to make you feel good. There's so much darkness in the world, and I don't want to add to it. I want to make you smile. I hope Lucid makes you smile.
I was told that Lucid bears a striking resemblance to me. I found that really interesting. Interesting in that I had not noticed that until someone else mentioned it to me. I wonder if there's a message there? Something to think about, anyway...
She's a mixed media and watercolour on 5x7 canvas paper. Free shipping anywhere in the world and can be found in my etsy shop :)
Thanks for looking!
There once was a girl named Olivia...
There once was a girl named Olivia and she had a birthday. Well, her momma loved her so much that she decided that she needed a doppleganger, so she contacted me. This is Mini-Olivia. I had such fun creating this little girl and I do hope that little Miss Olivia loves her Mini-Me :)
Pinky!
I've been *dying* to create and have finally found some time to do so! I'm so excited to introduce Pinky to you! I designed her yesterday after having returned from my friend's trailer. She stands just over two feet tall and and completely huggable! I made her with safety eyes and buttons, but she could easily be made baby-friendly with embroidered accents. I am currently deigning the pattern and will have it for sale in my etsy store very soon! Wish me luck ironing out all the details!
A Labyrinth Movie swap!
Oh my goodness! Have I been a busy little beaver! So sorry I haven't posted in so long and neglected all of my blogging buddies!! But I'll try and post more often! I've been busy toiling away! I have made so many creations, and I just got back from traveling overseas! Barcelona to be exact! So many adventures! Anyhow, here's one of the things that have kept me busy! A Labyrinth movie swap! I had so much fun creating all of this stuff! Labyrinth is one of my three very favourite movies (the other two being Princess Bride and The Neverending Story!).
Firstly, here's a drawing I made of Sir Didymus! He's actually an unfinished drawing because I forgot to take a pic of the finished result. Anyhow, once he was finished, I printed him onto a t-shirt for my partner! It turned out AWESOME
Secondly - a drawing of one of Jareth's Goblins! "I wish the goblins would come and take you away...RIGHT NOW!"
Next is an old gold Estee Lauder gift box that I thrifted. I just painted the top with the owl and the saying 'It's only forever'. I love that quote!
And last but not least, the worm. "Would you like to come inside and meet the Missus?" I had so much fun creating him. This crochet pattern comes straight from my imagination and I had so very much fun making him!! I hope you all enjoy! And perhaps you can take some time to watch the movie with your kids some time soon, and introduce them to one of the best fantasy movies EVAH!! And don't forget the popcorn!
From drawing to t-shirt!
I've been so busy with my art lately. I just can't stop. The creativity is flowing beautifully. I'm so happy when I'm creating. When I'm not, it feels like something's missing. It's a part of who I am. Actually, it IS who I am. My art is my soul.
Anyhow, this is a sketch I did the other night while watching tv. She kept on morphing and taking a life of her own. I just love how she turned out. I love the swirls and the colours. And in real life, you would see glitter...because glitter makes everything better :)
I then took the drawing, scanned it, went into Illustrator and gave it some digital filigree and printed it onto a t-shirt! I love how it turned out! I'm actually contemplating starting a line of t-shirts because I love how it turned out!
My zombie straps!!
I've been a busy little beaver as of late creating these ZOMBIE straps!! I work for my dad as a graphic artist at Levy's Leathers. We are the largest manufacturer of guitar straps worldwide :) Anyhow, I've been incredibly busy at work making these zombies come to life. What makes these straps super unique is that they have matching end pieces! Check 'em out! If you feel that you absolutely MUST have one, you can order here!
Thanks for looking!!
A mermaid for me
I've been so delayed on writing this post because my life has been so chaotic and busy lately. A full time job, three kids, and a two story house make for a very busy life these days. I wake up at 6 am, leave at 7 am, drop my eldest son off at school, head to work, work straight until 4:30 pm, get home at 5 pm, make dinner, clean up, get the kids ready for bed and CRASH. I try and squeeze in some creativity into that small evening window, but it's so hard! Anyhow, without any further ado, I wanted to show you this amazing swap I took part in! Cameron from Paint Myself Pretty made me the most AMAZING mermaid ever. I LOVE her SO MUCH. You absolutely must check out her blog and see what she's up to. She's wonderfully kind and talented! As soon as I opened up the envelope and saw this beautiful creature staring up at me, I rushed out and bought her a lovely frame so that she can be displayed with another lovely treasure of mine. Isn't she wonderful?
A Mermaid to lift my moods...
I've had a kind of lousy past couple of days and I really needed something to lift my spirits...another swap! Yay! This mermaid is my half of the swap and I'm so looking forward to receiving my item! A gorgeous mermaid painting done by Cameron! You must check out her blog because she does some really beautiful work and I'm SO HONOURED to be receiving one of her pieces!
Anyhow, without further ado, here's my mermaid.
Her name is Nerissa.
Beginnings
Earthy and pure. That's what I think of when I look at this painting I just finished. Mother Nature smiles back at me and it makes me happy. This particular piece has been sitting, unfinished, in my studio for around three months now, screaming at me to come to life! So at 5:30 this morning, when my middle child woke up with croup (after years of not getting it anymore argh) I decided to embrace the ungodly hour and take advantage of the peace and quiet and start to paint. It was so lovely! And after around 7 hours of work, I finished it! She's 12 x 36 inches and FULL of mixed media goodness. The bird is made up of a page from an old children's book I found at an estate sale in Australia in October. This whole painting makes me smile. I hope it makes you smile, too...
The most beautiful painting...
I'm so thrilled to have received an AMAZING painting from an AMAZING artist all the way from New Zealand!! Her name is Joyce Van der Lely and she has a fantastic blog full of beautiful eye candy to gaze at! I won this painting this year in the OWOH blog giveaway and I can't tell you how happy I am. I fell in love with this painting the moment I laid eyes on it! I'll be buying a frame for her this weekend and hanging her on my wonderful art wall full of all my favourite things!
My Gibbous Fairy
I am so very lucky. Around two months ago, a great lady invited me to be her partner for an art swap at my favourite site Craftster. Of course I said yes! I love swaps so much! It's such a great feeling when you get a parcel of amazing, handmade goodness in the mail. And will you look what I found waiting for me when I got home yesterday? This amazing fairy poppet made by Bobbie. She's so gorgeous that I can't even believe my eyes. My heart was beating out of my chest as I opened my parcel and saw her for the first time. She's a million times better than I could have ever imagined and I am so proud to be able to give her a home.
Not only did she send me this amazing handmade doll (and according to my specifications, no less), but she also sent me a box full of amazing, thoughtful craft and art supplies. She turned what started out as an awful day into an AMAZING one! Thank you Roberta ...from the bottom of my heart...
Swaps, swaps, swaps...
Oh how I LOVE swaps!! I just finished my end of the swap on the weekend! This one was an Invite Your Partner swap at Craftster (oh how I love that website! It's chock full of imagination and inspiration!) and a fellow craftster (er?) invited me along with her and she's making me a fairy poppet! Both of us should be receiving our items by the end of the week and I can't WAIT! Swaps are the BEST!!! It's so much fun doing the trades and knowing that the art you lovingly create is going to a good home! And man...is it fun getting that parcel in the mail! Anyhow, I invite you all to join Craftster. It is SO MUCH FUN!!! My handle on that site is FoxyBlue (go figure, huh?) so come and seek me out and let's talk about swapping!
Happy Monday!!
All the best,
Deedra
8 track art!
So...something new! I've started tweeting today!! I wanted to try something new yesterday and figured this was just the perfect thing to do! I think it's going to be fun! So please follow me on my artistic journey! The twitter widget is in my side panel :)
I have this thing. I love buying old things. I love to pick them up and feel the history they possess. I wonder who used to own them and I wonder where they've traveled from. Then, after I've imagined all there is to imagine, I take them and make them into something new and wonderful (at least to me!). This is what I've done with this glorious little 8 track from who knows where and who knows when. I love 8-track art because it stands on its own and is perfect for being a shelf-sitter, and some of them have a little hole on either corner at the back...perfect for hanging. I buy them up by the dozens for normally twenty five cents each. The paper in the background is from a vintage book I found at an Estate Sale in Australia!
This little lovely is called A Message from Flo. Full of mixed media goodness and antiquity!
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