Wishing.

September 22, 2015 ~ Seeking Spirit Designs ~ Leave a comment

Ways to Make a Wish Card — *Ways to Make a Wish* Card

A woman at a recent craft fair, looking at the wish bone illustration on this card (second row on the right):

“You know, wish bones have worked for me every time. I grew up on a farm so we often had wish bones. I kept wishing for a horse. It took several years, and then finally, my parents got me a horse. You know what I named her? ‘Wishbone!'”

You can find my wish card here.

Collage: before and after

September 2, 2015September 2, 2015 ~ Seeking Spirit Designs ~ Leave a comment

I posted a picture of this work in progress yesterday. I wanted to post it again to show the contrast between that stage of the process and now:

Before:

I call it "Chakra Spirit" Collage — **After**: I call it “Chakra Spirit” Collage.

September 1st Snapshots

September 1, 2015September 2, 2015 ~ Seeking Spirit Designs ~ Leave a comment

I had the realization that business social media account-wise, I tend to post a lot on Instagram, occasionally on Facebook, sometimes on Pinterest, and rarely here. My intention is to start blogging more.

I’ve been working hard – prolifically making jewelry, figuring out prices, planning for my next craft show (on September 13!), editing my digitized oracle cards on Photoshop, putting up a few new items on Etsy, and getting ready to go away for Labor Day weekend to visit my love.

So, here’s a taste of what I’ve been up to recently:

I found these brass flowers at a local bead shop/art gallery and knew I had to make them into earrings. Brass Flowers with Lapis Lazuli Leaves Earrings. Up on Etsy here.

Triangular turquoise in sterling silver. Also on Etsy. Seen here with a beautiful piece of selenite, one of my recent favorites from my stone collection.

Ways to Make a Wish Card - I see this as a birthday or general encouragement card. It's blank inside. Here on Etsy. — Ways to Make a Wish Card – I see this as a birthday or general encouragement card. It’s blank inside. Here on Etsy.

Collage/mixed media piece in progress. I wonder what it will become. At this point, I know it will have more layers, but I’m not sure beyond that. There’s something really soothing about creating with glue and paper.

I took this photo early Sunday morning. I woke up because the moon was still so bright, and then decided to get up and take this picture.

Moonglow, Sunday night. I came back home after seeing live music, and turned around to see this. The picture doesn’t capture the full beauty, but it does capture some of its essence.

August 2015 Gallery

August 30, 2015August 30, 2015 ~ Seeking Spirit Designs ~ Leave a comment

Here are some pieces I made this month. I had a lot of fun playing with my materials and new styles.

Did a print with a Gelli Plate and then played with the paint to create this

Black tourmaline and malachite chain power necklace in copper

If you are interested in any of these pieces, please feel free to contact me for pricing and more information.

Stickers!

August 19, 2015 ~ Seeking Spirit Designs ~ Leave a comment

I ordered three of my illustrated affirmations in sticker form, and I think they turned out pretty well. I’m selling them as three sticker sets on Etsy here. Check them out!

Creative time and new items up on Etsy

August 10, 2015August 10, 2015 ~ Seeking Spirit Designs ~ 2 Comments

Etsy items 8:10 — New Items in my Etsy shop!

On Saturday, I spent the day mostly offline. In the morning, I went down to the Rio Grande and took a walk. I also spent some time just sitting by the river. Then, I came home and created up a storm: I made prints, jewelry, and a watercolor painting. I was really grateful for this time: after all the busyness of the past few weeks, it felt wonderful to call a time out of sorts. I need to take intentional time offline more often – it allows me more space to dream and to refill my energy reserves.

Nature and river — From my time by the river

I also took some time this weekend to write out a few new listings on Etsy, and posted them this morning. You can find them here.

Recent news – August 2015

August 7, 2015August 7, 2015 ~ Seeking Spirit Designs ~ 1 Comment

I’m slowly easing into the rhythm of daily life after a weeklong Nia intensive training in Santa Fe. Nia, a form of dance fitness, is one of my other passions and expressive outlets. I am now a Nia White Belt, which is the first level of certification for anyone who wants to teach or wants a greater depth of understanding of the principles and practice. I am so grateful for my experience there – it was both healing and enriching. I’m also feeling really inspired, and I already see that leaking into my creative life.

I brought a few of my jewelry pieces with me to the training and ended up selling three things. I now have learned to bring more items at similar events in the future, and also to have a good stock of business cards with me at all times. One of my classmates is a successful jewelry designer and I hope to connect with her more soon.

I’ve been working on updating my website! If you have a chance, please look at it and tell me what you think. I’ve been working with a friend on online marketing and she suggested that I work on making the home page more visual. In any case, I had fun playing with the images.

I signed up for a craft fair in September, and I’ve been looking at the possibility of selling some of my pieces on consignment at local shops.

I also submitted both poetry and art for consideration for the 2017 We’Moon calendar and datebook. I’m excited for more opportunities like this – no matter what the outcome, it’s good practice and exposure.

Also, I got proofs of my oracle cards! I made the originals with pencil, pen, and watercolor two years ago as part of a project. Since then, I have digitized them in Photoshop. I’m still working on editing and rewriting the card descriptions, but hope to have them ready and available to sell at some point soon!

Update and Sale on Etsy

July 16, 2015July 16, 2015 ~ Seeking Spirit Designs ~ Leave a comment

I have a weeklong Nia (dance fitness) intensive training starting on July 25. I’m nervous and excited. Dance is another one of my creative outlets, and it also is great exercise. In the meantime, from today through July 23, I’m having a sale on Etsy – 15% off with the coupon code NEWFOLLOW. I just added a few new items to my shop, too. www.etsy.com/shop/seekingspiritdesigns.

Also, I’m looking into printing some of my drawings and two-dimensional art pieces to make them into cards and larger prints. I just ordered one set (for proof purposes) of my oracle cards and should get them next week. Exciting times!

Recent Works: July Gallery

July 9, 2015 ~ Seeking Spirit Designs ~ 2 Comments

Citrine Light and Shadow Earrings in Silver

I’ve just started making bracelets! More to come!

Just a few of my recent works. I’ve been busy learning how to market myself on Facebook and Instagram while also consistently making new pieces. I’ve sold a few items on Etsy, too. I’m loving what I’m learning and realizing that it takes a lot of persistence and patience! I am determined to continue doing what I love and sharing it with others.

My jewelry making journey

June 7, 2015June 7, 2015 ~ Seeking Spirit Designs ~ Leave a comment

When I was in late elementary school through middle school, my father dated an artist – a potter, to be specific. She made everything from teapots to bowls to rattles, all with a fanciful and semi-Southwestern flair.

I always got the feeling that she didn’t know what to do with me as an adolescent. However, she did know what to do with me as an artist.

Her studio was an artist’s playground. Of course, she had clay. She also had the materials for stained glass, jewelry making, collage, and much more. I could spend hours there creating. She also showed and taught me some things: how to make a bowl from a mold. How to solder stain glass together. How to make earrings with beads and headpins.

Of the techniques she taught me, jewelry making stuck with me most. I made several pairs of earrings and put them up for sale at my dad’s yoga studio. While it would be years before I would return to the basic wirewrapping techniques, they somehow stayed with me. Years, later, my boyfriend’s mother gave me a wirewrapped pendant. I loved it and wondered if I could make something like it. She gave me some copper wire to experiment with.

I didn’t until I held a piece of blue kyanite in my hand, a stone that my mentor told me would be good for psychic protection. “Are you going to wire wrap that?” She asked. I resolved to try, and used the copper wire to wrap the piece, complete with a spiral in the center. And that was my more recent beginning with playing with wire and stones.

I wrapped a few stones after that, and then resolved to really learn and refine my techniques this past fall. I took classes. I spent hours experimenting and practicing, and discovered what worked for me.

Agate Pendant I made after taking a class in February

Now, I have my own materials and a solid collection of stones. I am still learning and playing. Sometimes, I have a design in mind. At other times, the wire and stones speak to me and turn into something that surprises me.

Sometimes, I think about when I started making jewelry, how exciting and rewarding it was to create a finished piece. And honestly, it still is. It’s often the activities that I enjoyed when I was younger that suit me best now as an adult.

Quartz and Copper Pendant from March 2015

Someday, I hope to have my own studio, full of all kinds of arts and craft supplies. There, perhaps I will teach someone else a technique, and this will inspire them to create for years to come.