Angel Blessings for the New Year

Here is an angel that I sold at Christmas. She holds the energy of the Great Mother. She is connected to the earth and the sky. I had so much fun creating her. I call her the "Eclectic Angel." She reminds me of an old world Santa laden with gifts. Her gifts are purely spiritual in nature and filled with abundance and joy!

I am filled with joy and gratitude as I enter this new year. I have experienced so many miracles this season. Facing my upcoming surgery has brought me deep opportunities for healing my past. The healing process is creating new space within me that is rapidly being filled with light, hope, and grace...Amazing how facing difficulties can lead to the clearest path to ourselves, others, and our connection to our own spirits, the universe, and to God...

I am grateful for all of my friends and family who are supporting me so tremendously at this time. I am often moved to tears by the support that I am receiving from my newer and most special art blog family...It is so amazing and affirming to form bonds so quickly with like minded, gifted, wise, creative women so filled with love and huge compassionate hearts...

And, of course, gratitude for my animal family...more soul shamans in my life...Frenchy and George, the large red fox who lives nearby, and the Great Horned Owl who calls to me daily from the tree just outside of my upstairs office window...

The Owl King

I love his wise flower eyes!




Here he is with The Keeper of the Keys.

This is “The Owl King.” He came through immediately following the completion of “Keeper Of The Keys.” I seem to have numerous forms of owls presenting themselves to me both in my art dolls and my daily life. I was playing with a piece of batik fabric when I spotted a tree branch design that looked like a beak. My hands took over from there and before I knew it, I was stuffing this whimsically regal owl.

Like his predecessor, the “Keeper Of The Keys,” he has a large key attached to his chest. The beaded picot edging was inspired by Robin Atkins’ designs in her book Spirit Dolls. I used two multi-faceted beads with green flowers on them for the intensely playful eyes. The beak is constructed from multiple shapes and sizes of bronze-toned beads.

The frog is a Japanese design carved out of wood. I added an antique Chinese coin to the leaf that holds the frog. Many of my creations contain a frog element right now. The frogs are playful and they represent transformation. I used to collect pollywogs in the lagoon next to my beach house where I grew up. I loved watching them transform into frogs.

“The Owl King” also has a bronze-toned wreath of acorns combined with filigree gold trim for a crown. I used three golden metal leaves to embellish his right wing. He actually embodies qualities of both the owl and the frog. He represents a metamorphosis himself!

I am also experiencing a deep process of metamorphosis myself as I face the many details and emotions related to my hysterectomy in January. The winter solstice takes place this weekend. I am emerging from a dark time into the light. I am experiencing a sense of reconnection as I examine many parts of my life. The emotions that have been flooding through me over the past week are providing me with a deep sense of healing and cleansing of issues from the past. Not an easy process but filled with beauty and renewal...

Keeper Of The Keys Details

Here is a close up view of "Keeper Of The Keys." His beaded face was the first part to emerge. It came through in such an intuitive way. I added a "stacking" technique that I learned from Robin Atkins' new book "Heart To Hands Bead Embroidery." The stacks give his face a wonderful three dimensional furry quality. The left arm/wing called for many charms from the sea, air, and, of course, keys...The right arm/wing holds a magical glass bottle that I filled with iridescent glitter flakes. I attached a frog for transformation to the outside of the bottle. My final addition was a Moonstone bead that I placed at the center of the heart charm on his chest. I used to collect Moonstones on the beach where I grew up.

Keeper Of The Keys

Here is one of my recent spirit dolls. He is called "Keeper Of The Keys." His shape and picot beading around his edges were inspired by Robin Atkins' book "Spirit Dolls." I had an insight prior to his creation about the ways that I can keep myself trapped behind the bars of cages that no longer serve me. I realized that the door to the cage can be standing wide open inviting me to fly free from my former constraints and feelings of bondage and I can still choose to pull the bars back over myself like a warm and familiar blanket. I am challenging myself to assess these patterns and the construction of this amazing Soul Shaman has led me to new and powerful insights and discoveries about myself and the world. I randomly chose the black and white batik fabric without knowing that I would experience an astounding encounter with a black and white Barred Owl during this creative process! I had no intention of including the sea in this process until I was called to place the iridescent fish bead in the center of the body. The words that I heard as I held the fish tentatively in place were "To truly heal, you must return to the sea." I immediately secured the fish to the body!