Sekhmet and Bast Spirit dolls, as well as the Burma Legend Cats are all Symbolic of healing, joy and protection, these have been sold already...however I am making new Cat / Lioness Goddess dolls and they will be ready at my Etsy shop soon.
























Sekhmet was a lioness-goddess, the wife of Ptah and sister to Bast...created by Ra from the fire of his eyes as a creature of vengeance to punish people for their wrong doing, later on she became a peaceful protectress of the righteous, closely linked with the benevolent Bast.

In antiquity cats were symbolic of Sacredness and often took part in rituals for home protection thanksgiving and celebration.

Please visit Daisy the Curly Cat: Photo Hunters: Protect(ion)

A word about SPIRIT DOLLS AND POWER ANIMAL SPIRITS.

I am having such a great time reading everyone's comments in this blog...!!

The reason behind Power Animal Spirit dolls or Fetish art dolls is based in many traditions, mostly from the Egyptian and Native American, where animals were seen as sacred spirits, guides and protectors. My little dolls are simply WORKS OF ART, I do not make any statements as to their "powers" other than, they are made with love and clear intention to bring peace, inspiration and a sense of protection to everyone's home, the same kind of system used in Feng Shui. Thank you all for kind comments and if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at gristello at gmail.com from time to time I get requests to make a doll with the face of a furry friend.

I have created a series of collage ~ assemblage mixed media paintings called Crow -Raven Moon Songs using all the unfinished canvases I could find...what a great experience this was. Next, I am planing to include my polymer cabs...see what Spirit will inspire me to do next time...come back and visit, I am always eager to see what you have to say.

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade gristello.etsy.com

FABRIC MAGIC!

I got an invitation to attend a two women art show…..the artists reception was held at the Positive Living Center in Oakhurst California, where Vivian Helena Capone and Julie Mitchell have on display a collection of their works of art in the Mind Shop Bookstore.

Julie wrote:

"Last month I had one of my framed pieces…Moon Tribe VI into the Fresno Art Museums 60^th year celebration!!!

I still can’t believe it…

I was also invited to join the California Fiber Artists…this is an invitation only group of the most amazing fiber artists who show at various galleries and museums in CA and other states..."

I had a great time Julie's work as always, in enchanting ...
her spirit dolls so graceful and inviting!

Vivian Helena, had in exhibit a variety of amazing quilts and other works of art from gourds, quilted cards (I came home with two of her dragonflies) she also had her healing comfort dolls.

The trip up the mountain was a Spring song to my heart, I also purchased a book I have been wanting to read again Autobiography of a Yogi... With engaging candor, eloquence, and wit, Paramahansa Yogananda narrates the inspiring chronicle of his life -- the experiences of his remarkable childhood, encounters with many saints and sages during his youthful search throughout India for an illumined teacher, ten years of training in the hermitage of a revered yoga master, and the thirty years that he lived and taught in America. He records as well his meetings with Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Luther Burbank, the Catholic stigmatist Therese Neumann, and other celebrated spiritual personalities of East and West.

Visiting Julie and Vivian are the best gift I have given to myself in months and I am looking forward to visiting with them again soon, to play dolls of of course :)

"When women wake, mountains move."

Visit Julie at
www.juliemitchellspiritfigures.blogspot.com
http://juliemitchell.ebsqart.com

It has taken me a few weeks to finish my little dolls, but they are ready to start the New Year by finding themselves a new home.

I embellished others with polymer cabs and beads.





Using cheese cloth, I had this in my stash, and remembered treating it with tea and coffee. (if you are going to paint it later on don't treat it. The keys were painted with acrylics because they looked too new. It only takes some cheap florist wire, gold and silver and acrylic varnish with a touch of glitter and micro-beads.

I am making tree and window ornies again, this time to give away for my office and family, they were inspired by a project I saw in Cath's blog, but I guess like everything else, they took their own turn. I wanted to make wings but ran out of cheese cloth, I ended up with hearts! They are easy to make, you just need wire, Gesso and varnish. You might want to put some glitter at the end.
Once your wire is shaped, cut the cheese cloth in long narrow strips and wrap the surface without having to secure it, or you can make a knot at the end. When you are ready to apply the Gesso, the brush itself starts to separate the cloth, at this point you can move it making spaces to show the face or just leaving areas uncovered, it looks at the end like fine lace. Let it dry overnight and varnish it with acrylic sealer.
You can insert smallish items, I had some cabs and I am making others with keys that were given to me, but I think by itself, is much better specially if you leave enough holes on the side.
I love working with Gesso, it is not only a great substance to prime a canvas, but makes a non oil surface into a blank canvas, I was going to paint these, but I figure, they look okay the way they are already.
(In case you wonder about Gesso, it resembles paint, but is thinner and dries hard. Gesso is applied with a brush and must dry before the surface can be painted. It was first created for use in painting, in order to give the surface the right properties to receive paint. But for this project I imagine any kind of white latext paint would do the job)