Happy New Year Everyone!

Happy New Year everybody! Over here in the UK it's a good piece after midnight and officially 1st January 2012 despite the date/time display on blogger.
My New Years Blogging Resolutions:

• Post at least once a week.
• Catch up on posting the handmade blog features I have piling up.
• Get photographing!  Sharing pieces in progress.
• Sort out a proper nice new look for my blog(s)
• Update the shop on this blog with one off special pieces or workshops available here only (not even my etsy shop or website will have it just yet.)

Create beacause Art Heals,even when I feel down or think I have no ideas.

This is the core of Spiritflower and how it came to be.As a way to help others heal using creativity,a way to remake/remodell their enviroment and gain confidence in themselves as well as adorn themselves in objects,textures,colours that helped with creating a postive self image and enhancing an individuals beauty and unqiueness.
Whats your New Year Resolution?What do you resolve with all your heart to do?

Good exposure and a big fat flop.

Evening all, it's been a little while since my last post. I,ve been creating some more pendants for my upcoming stall at The Old Spitalfields Jewellery Market on Tuesday December 20th from 9am - 5pm. If your in East London come to my stall and have a butchers and a nice rosie lee (in cockney rhyming slang, "butchers hook" means "Look" and "rosie lee" means "tea".)

You may have noticed a bit of change with the blog, a nice new font called "Pacifico" which is one of the webfonts that blogger offers for use in the design-advanced section. Decided to change it up to blend better with my in the works website. More about that when it's furthur along.

So whats the Good Exposure and Big Fat Flop, i,m referring to in the title for this post?
Well last post i did a giveaway. I managed to tweet about it and post about it on my facebook fanpage as well, but the thing i without a) big following (b) a softer poll/sell approach and (c) a facebook fan page badge how was anyone really going to know about it?
So i,ll do giveaways once i have some more of the above in place.

The good exposure..... I have a double page spread interview about both House of  SpiritFlower and House of ShadowFlower in Alt Fashion Magazine!!!!!! plus three articles I wrote on other  etsians http://www.studioleanne.etsy.com/ http://www.redribbons.etsy.com/ and a fantastic burlesque performer Gem de la Creme. Go to http://www.altfashionmagazine.co.uk/ to buy a copy (black and white and colour pictures) or a digital full colour version.

alt fashion magazine issue 20 http://www.altfashionmagazine.co.uk/

Coming later this week part 1 of my feature on the lovely label Kindred DreamHeart.

Hi all it's a GIVEAWAY!

Hello all! Oh my it's been a hectic few days for me of typing up my business plan, beading,stuffing,sewing and finding more beads and fabric as i,ve been decluttering yay!

I can't believe christmas is just around the corner! So feeling in a pre-christmissy mood i,m doing my first Giveaway ever!!!! How Exciting!

Whats the prize? A custom pendant made using a choice of your three favorite gemstones and colours! I will be picking 2 winners Giveaway ends Sunday 13th November 2011

All you have to do is leave a comment answering  this question :
" What is your Favorite Pendant and why?"
Choose out of the three below and leave your comment in the comment box along with a email address/ blog address/ or etsy shop or website url so I can contact you.

Rose Pearl Goddess Pendant

Pearl Amethyst Goddess Pendant

Spiral Amethyst Goddess Pendant

Goodluck!!!

Behind the Seams: Show and Tell work in progress

Happy Tuesday all! I hope you had a great all Hallows Eve. I personally went dancing with my brother and my boyfriend and apart from my feet being tortured by my killler heels, it was a great night.

So what have I been up to? Well I have been sitting on my comfy sofa beading,beading and more beading! having photo's of work done by my boyfriend and getting more dolls stuffed and ready to be listed. Heres a sneaky peek at whats coming to the etsy shop soon. Also have you noticed a new page under the header on this blog? The Shop page? Yep I will be putting selected products from what i,m making currently onto a dedicated shop page on the blog! yay! surf my blog posts then go there and buy a piece that also comes with more colour options than the product in my etsy store. But of course you can also peruse my etsy store as well to see what other goodies are there to delight you.

so heres whats coming soon!

Amethyst pearl Goddess pendent

Delicate Amethyst Flower Goddess Pendant

Blue waves Flower Goddess Doll

The keeper of spirit Goddess Doll

Designs for Hope Dolls using a limited colour palette of blue,purples,yellow and orange

So thats whats done and whats in progress or on the beading table at the moment. What do you think?
Don't forget to check the etsy shop AND the Shopping page here on the blog.

Audrey Kawasaki plush dolls

Hi all! I was perusing one of my favorite artists blog's Audrey Kawasaki and her livejournal blog http://www.i-seldom-do.livejournal.com/ I have been thinking alot about creating a series of dolls, doll jewellery that is intended to be a meditation,healing and rehabilitation aid.

What I love about these dolls is it combines her beautiful oil painting and womens faces and delicate hands on a simple felt form. Enjoy the pictures below.

Oil painted doll's face and hands on canvas

One of the dolls during making process.



Cool huh? for more pictures from audrey's blog about this piece go to http://www.i-seldom-do.livejournal.com/160812.html
Audrey's main artwork is innocent yet sexy young women interacting with macabre natural forms,each other and the viewer. She mainly paints on wooden panels using oils but also does artworks in pen and ink on paper. Audreys work is in such high demand that many pieces sell out within  few hours! Do take a look at this talented young lady's website as well to see why i,m so in love with her artistry http://www.audrey-kawasaki.com/

Behind the Seams: Etsy Shop is Open!

Hey everyone! after putting the date back and back, as I was having so many technical,personal and confidence issues I have finally opened my etsy shop! The url has now changed as Etsy has finally allowed people to change their shop name. Before my shop was opalorchid (dot) etsy (dot) com but now my url is http://www.houseofspiritflower.etsy.com/

I only have 1 item at present but 2 more pendants will be coming this week! They just have to have the backing fabric sewn on and a beautifully decacdent edging of pearls,amethyst, coral and beads added to them. As well as Loopy hair which doubles as a bead loop bail. Heres some pictures of the pendant below. I forgot to name her in my item description.

I name her: Pearl Rose. (much nicer than pink,purple,lillac pendant!)

Pearl Rose Goddess Pendant aka "Pink,Purple,Lillac Pendant"

 As you can see I love my pearls. She has 81 in all that are various shades of creams,pinks,lillacs. The seed beads are small size 10's.

In this picture here on the left you can see the closeup of the beaded loop bail. It was done slightly off center just to make it look more interesting. When hung on a thin cord or chain the pendant doesn't look askew but hangs nicely.

I,ve actually kept this pendant for myself, as I know one of the best form of advertising is wearing your goods yourself.But I never manage to keep anything aside for myself. So When I went bead shopping i found a cord with magnetic fastening and put my pendant on and got compliments immediately from the staff In Bead Aura in Covent Garden, as well as a few ladies glancing at it while I was on the train.
Below is a image of the center of the rose motif and the pearls used.

Close up of rose motif center ,seed bead colour blending and pearl cluster.



Pearl Rose worn by me



The above image shows a closeup of the pearls that were used. I love the luster of pearls and frequently use them as if they were seed beads adding as many as I can to my bead embroidery to give it additionally texture. For sparkle I use facetted seed beads, czech glass bicones and swarovski crystals as you,ll see very soon. The pendant came out a bit bigger than I expected.When I was doing the artwork for it originally it seemed so small, but once it was beaded,lined and edged and the bail had been added it looked much bigger. Unfortunately i,ve made a rookie mistake (well i am a rookie!) and forgot to list the dimesnions I will measure and add those here and to the listing later today. Hmpf!

So what do you think? You like, do want to see more variations in colours? maybe slightly smaller (bring on the size 15 beads that will take oh yeah!!! plus the magnifying eye thingy's i,ll need and the ribbing i,ll get from the other half!lol) comments welcome as always. Dxo

Sorry for the silence.Heres a update!

Hi  all "i,m not dead" in the immortal words of artist pink!  I have had a rough few  weeks with my brother in law to be (i,m engaged to a wonderful man!)  who had to be rushed to hopsital for emergancy  surgery on hios spine or risk being paralysed. So i was supporting my neice and family members.As well as redecorating my mum in law to be's house along with my various (read numerous) in-laws. Plus i did my back in a little bit and couldn't move  much because of it.

Album cover from P!NKS  first album Misunderstood copyright retained by her record label.

So whats gonna happen now?

dollar sign clipart.Princes Trust logo is a registered trademark  go to http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/

Well I have 5weeks to finalise my business plan and get my etsy shop up and running! and go for funding from the fantastic Princes Trust. If you,ve not heard of this organisation. The charity was started up by His Royal Highness Prince Charles   35 years ago and they help people aged 16 - 30 with setting up their own businesses,providing small grants of £250 to test trade and can also offer up to £4000 in funding. They also do many other programs such as helping young people find a trade and employment through special work placements such as within music,fashion,construction and recently farming. They also help young people get into sport and give money to groups of teens who would like to start their own after school/after school center. check out the Princes trust http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/ (if the link is wrong just google  Princes trust).

I,ve also been spending alot of time beading,beading and more beading my healing art dolls.Which I hope will help people feel stronger,postive  and be a therapuetic aid to be used alone or within art theraphy and counselling scenerios. I also hope to offer doll kits so people can make their own  with clear written and photo instructions or maybe even videos on a data dvd you play in your computer.

bead tubes found on flickr and gorgeous art found online representing the depth and sadness of depression.

I have so many cool ideas!!!!! It's hard to focus sometimes so i write them all down and carve out time to research them a little.

thought bubble clip art.The  amount of amazing ideas i could fill in that!

So yep thats what i,ve been up to. Sorry for lack of pics will have some soon!  Stay strong,Postive and remember you are  cool,unique and amazing! Have a great Saturday! Dxo