Fridalicous!

Frida was reppin it hard in my casa last week. I started out with making a Frida clutch for my mother's birthday. I used a Frida fabric on the outside and a Caliente Chili Pepper fabric on the inside.
I put in a lil Santo at the side for good luck and to watch over mi Mama.

Well, you know the old saying, the more you give, the more you receive! Yep, I am a firm believer, and within the next two days, I received two awesome gifts! My Girl, Marcella came through and brought me these killer socks! lol, just when I thought I saw it all, BAM! I get a wonderful curve ball. Don't these rawk? I am thinking of making these into a coin purse or sock monkey. These are too cute to keep under my pant leg!




The following day, I opened my mail to find a wonderful fabric wall hanging from a swap I joined on Swap Bot. I was speechless. Number 1, the swap just opened and I haven't even begun to think about what I am going to send my partner, and number two, she sent me Frida! I have been carrying around this little gem for days and have been shoving it under everyone's nose! I just know they are jealous! hehe, and they should be! This lovely piece was made by the talented, Ms. June.


Isn't that sweet? Thank you so much June, I promise to take excellent care of her! Yes, she will finally be put to rest on my wall!

And that concludes our journey to the land of Frida. :D

Lets show Ellen What Glitter is all about!

(Repost from a letter from Kath) If you know someone in the Southern California Vicinty, please pass on the word. This sounds like it will be both fun and entertaining!

Hola, my crafty friends!!

I'm writing to you to see if you or any of your posse would be
interested in joining me and other glitter lovers across the land in
standing up in the name of sparkle in front of Ellen DeGeneres'
Burbank studio!

Attached is the press release that went to Ellen's producers today,
along with some ideas for safe-sparkle alternatives. I'll have samples
of these at the rally, bring yours too!!!!

WHAT: Safe Sparkle Glitter Rally
WHEN: Tuesday, April 8, 2008.
TIME: Noon to ???
WHERE: NBC Studios, 3000 West Alameda Avenue in Burbank, Calif.
WHO: Lead by Kathy Cano-Murillo, the Crafty Chica. Also attending are:
- Mark Montano (TLC Network star, and author of The Big Ass Book of Crafts)
- Jenny Ryan (Community Marketing Manager for Craft: magazine)
- Cathy of California (LA-based window dresser and craft designer)
- Cathie Filian (co-host of Creative Juice on the DIY Network)
- Members of the various Craft Mafias, including Los Angeles Craft
Mafia, San Diego North Park Craft Mafia)
- Many more! And anyone else who wants to join us!


Background info:

Ellen wants all glitter banned!

I LOVE Ellen and was heartbroken when she started dissing glitter on
her show because it is messy and gets everywhere. She even went on a
jumbotron on Hillary Clinton's press rally and asked if she would ban
glitter if Hills became our next Prez. I've blogged about it and sent
letters to her explaining all the different kinds of glitters.

I want us crafters to educate Ellen and let her know about the many
"safe sparkle" alternatives out there. We could help her choose the
right glitter for her, so she will stop judging all glitter the same.
It is LOOSE glitter she hates, so her fans need to know to send her
other kinds of sparkle. Ellen is a sparkling chica, she deserves
glitter that suits her!

OK...I know glitter won't be banned, but I thought it would be fun if
all of us crafters stepped up with "safe sparkle" alternatives. I
think Ellen would get a kick out of it and maybe even come outside to
meet us!

Mucha gracias (holds scissors over heart in respect)!

Kathy :-)

PEACE, LOVE, & GLITTER!!

--
For more information, contact:
Alyson Udell
559-294-3335
audell@duncanmail.com
OR

Kathy Cano-Murillo
http://www.CraftyChica.com

Link to Kathy's blog

Thanks for helping my homegirl out!

One Love, One glitter flake at a time.................

Yoli

From the Studio of Girl Gone Thread Wild

AKA, my homegirl, Monica............

Monica was the brainchild of this wonderful project. I humbly asked if I can contribute, and thankfully she accepted. In fact, I believe over 150 art squares have been donated! See these links for further info. (Trust me, this project is as beautiful as it is inspiring)

• what is "the pink artist"?
• About the charity
• PINK ARTIST Button
• Pink Artist parade of squares 1
• Pink Artist parade of squares 2
• Pink Artist parade of squares 3

On to the building of the doll...............

The Pink Artist Doll Project, page ONE

From start to finish here is

the journey of the collaborative art doll project

come to be known as Love Squared.

Page one.

...

It's been a fantastic break!

The past week flew by and I admit

I only dreamed of the squares ONCE

but it was grand that I did!

Pinpricked I made a new best friend

to keep me company while

stitching in the wee hours,

enjoying a continual pouring of tea,

movies, and phone calls

that kept me tied to reality.

...

I'm going back to the start for a moment.

It only makes sense to tell you

that the inspiration for the doll body

came from a long admired doll artist,

Patti Culea using upper torso patterns

from her book, Creative Cloth Doll Making.

I knew when taking on this project

that some part of this doll had to

have Patti written all over it.

...

Omitting of course the legs and

opting to alter the length so to fit

squares to skirt. Some of you have

seen the first few photos already

in post the joys of communal artistry

so I won't reiterate those steps, jumping

forward instead to the creation of the

skirt and the sewing on of the squares...

Choosing 2 cuts of decorator fabric in colors

blue and beige cut 72" by 54" and

folded in half twice to make a center,

a hole was cut and the layers were draped

over the waist of the doll and stitched in place.

An old lace piece is stitched down to doll

covering the uneven edges.

Not noticing earlier that the blue fabric already

had "square" shapes in the design (lol) I

took this as a sign and jumped right in

to begin there, pinning the first square.

I kid you not, there is a higher power

orchestrating this doll as I have been

stress-free from the beginning and

am remaining calm and overjoyed here-

I think I even sang OUT LOUD when

applying the first SQUARE. -laughs-

The squares were beginning to line up.

What I found happening was that it was easier

to NOT preplan anything, nor did I pull

more than 10-12 squares at one time from their shelter

(ie. storage tub). I didn't lay out the squares

ahead of time. These weren't color-coded

or grouped in any way whatsoever.

Really the only measurements being taken

were the actual size/shapes of the squares.

One by one, literally the squares came together.

Hand sewing each square with PINK thread.

What did happen is a metal tomato cage

for gardening was inserted under her skirt

to help keep shape.

I found myself talking to the squares

and remembering your notes, stories,

friends and family. I'd be lying if

I said I didn't choke up once or twice...

but it was HAPPY tears for this project.

It was NO accident that I signed online

ONCE to tell a gal her squares arrived

safe & sound from TURKEY and when

doing so read a note from one wise lady

who told me of the "threads of life"

and the first thread being the umbilical cord,

also while online that brief period I read

every comment you made during the last post.

Gerry!!! yours hit me especially...

mostly because you remarked how wonderful

tho sad this project is and well,

I didn't DO NOT want anyone remembering

this project as SAD so...

I immediately started to create a face for our doll.

Starting with a grey felted sweater scrap,

sewn on the machine to resemble

a round head shape, a wooly ball...

stuffed with polyester fiberfill,

punching away on the flesh colored

wool roving from Great Britain

found in a local Yarn shop I

just recently discovered during

my last visit to the Goodwill...
(taking breath)

There she was smiling up at me,

with those pink lips and light brown eyelashes,

and curvy eyebrows.

Now, that's a Kool-aid smile!

happy-happy-happy

I'd like to tell you that all squares are now

stitched to our dolls skirt, but I was just 12 shy

when making this post. In just a few minutes I'll

update our parade of squares, page 3 to include

two more artists squares making that the

last 12 squares to go on the doll.

My goal is to have our doll completed by April 1.

.....
Please excuse the lighting in the photos.

Most often the images were taken

around midnight and by myself.

I am sooooo not a photographer.

......
Also, THANK YOU to Donna O'Brien of the blog,

The Ribboned Crown
for mailing in this exquisite donation

for our doll.

From here my next post won't be until next Monday

as I have to play catch-up, but I am officially back online,

checking emails and keeping in touch with YOU!

Next post WILL be more progress made on our doll

wso be sure to check back in March 24. w

-Thanks again & again for your support & participation-

May this doll leave your heart filled with JOY

and a smile in your every step,

HAPPY EASTER!!!

HAVE A BLESSED DAY

wait, there is more............. here is a link to part two, where the doll's face, hair and limbs are formed.

Are you as flabbergasted as I am? I just had to share and if you haven't already, subscribe to her blogs! She is a super star blogger on blogspot and she is really a down a$$ ruca with a killer personality!

Crafty Finds in Mexico, Crafty Chica Projects

I know I am major tardy with my vacation pics, but darn it if I didn’t leave my camera charger on board the ship! My camera was DEAD and I wanted to take a few more pics of our purchases in Mexico.

I had to order a new one via ebay, and since it was coming straight from Hong Kong, it took a minute to get here. (It came today)

So on with my story.........................

Like I mentioned before, the trip was off the hook! Kathy had loads of projects for us as well as a couple of guest "Artist" projects that we had the option of partaking in. We were ninja crafters! lol, one night I was the last girl standing! (I am not sure if I should be proud or shamed about this) but it happened!

Ok, ok, on with the peectures!

The 1st night of the cruise, we had a meet and greet. We were also asked to bring ATC cards for trade. I misunderstood and only made 4, but I think we were supposed to make 40! Thank Gah I brought swag bags. Here is a pic of the cards I made. I made Loteria fabric ATC cards.


This was our first assignment. Tote bags, that, by the way, were loaded with loot!
See Krissi’s blog for pics of all the goodness that was inside.



She had about 6 or 7 designs, of course I picked Frida.

Next project was painting statues. These statues/Santos will be included in her line of products. They were so much fun, and there were some really creative statues.


back.


I decided to collage mine up. I still have a lot to learn with my painting skills.

True story: So, on the way home, I wrapped my Angel/Statue in a shirt and put her in my carry on. I didn’t want to pack her in my luggage and chance her breaking in a zillion pieces. For real, you should have seen how they loaded and unloaded our luggage off the ship! (Escary)
Anyhoo, like I said, I decided to carry her with me. Why did they run my bag multiple times across the x-ray machine at the air-port? They flagged my bag, and security wanted to know what the heck was wrapped in my shirt. I told them it was an Angel. He took her and ran her through twice! For a second, I thought perhaps the statue was made of cocaine the way they were treating me! lmao. I was like, hmmmmmmm, what kind of operation is Kathy running. LOL, I keed, I keed! But really, they thought my statue was some kind of weapon of mass destruction. hmmmmmmmmmmmmph.

Next project was an Altered Journal. Kathy gave us the wooden Journals and more swag. We were told to have at it with decorating the outside. Obviously, I did not hold back.


The last project was a blank wooden Shrine. I am still working on it, because I chose the hardest one. (I think) and it had lots of small cubby holes and I am still trying to fill them. For now, I painted, trimmed and added some glitter as a backround.


Cindy offered us an awesome class on Madonna Shrines. Can you believe these are made with tuna cans, recycled CDs and bottlecaps? Awesome!


Corky (another guest) gave us a class on making a Altered Tag Book. I still have a lot to finish, so I didn’t take a pic of it yet.

All this creative fun plus SHOPPING! Hellooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

I purchased this at Casa Ramirez in Ensenada.


Pics of Casa Ramirez




I saw this, and I had to have it.

Look, it’s a small thin metal box.


Ok, open it up and looky here!


How awesome is that? It’s an instant 3d pop up Nativity Set! Awesome!

Another favorite find is this beautiful hand embroidered handbag. I loved all the colors and I think I am going to embellish it. lol, as if it needs any, but I think it is screaming for some milagros.


I also purchased a beautiful white blouse with lots of bright flowers embroidered on it, and a couple of trinkets for embellishments.

Did I mention how much fun this trip was? lol. Guess what, she is going to do it again next year, so start saving those centavos!

Local Craftista Takes Her Dream to the Next Level!

A couple of weeks ago, when I returned from a much inspired vacation (Crafty Chica Cruise) a package arrived via snail mail to mi casa. I immediately tore through that package like it was x-mas! I so love mystery packages! Did I ever tell yall about the mail I got from some fool at Pelican bay? (He found my name through the Daily recorder when I applied for the business name of Sacred Snatch) I'll save that one for later.

Anyhoo, inside my package was a lovely note from my girl Annette in Southern Cali. It was an invite to her grand opening of her store and it also included some adorable goodies!

Annette has been in the art arena for a while and has been selling her wares at art shows and festivals. She had been working on getting some store space and, finally the opportunity came and she siezed it!

I have nothing but mad respect for her. If I ever had the nerve to open a store, I would want it to look just like hers! She has lots of handcrafted items that she makes herself and she also has folk art from all over. I even spied a few familiar pieces from other popular artists too!

If you find yourself in southern Cali, please stop by and tell her your favorite "Snatchy" sent you. You won't be disappointed! Not only does her stuff rawk, but you will also be greeted by a wonderful person!

I can't wait to go visit the store myself!

Annette, I wish you all the best. May your business continue to soar with the Angels!

Your fan Por Vida,

Yoli.

Picture time:



I already used one of the Santos on a handbag and I used a mini serape on an ATC. I am going to include a few items in the Sacred Handbag auction. (last two artists are making their mark)

Check out her Calaveras!

Yes, he is rawkin an actual beanie! lol, too cute!

Here is a link to her website and address information. She has some awesome photos of what kind of art you will find at her oasis of a store.

I can only imagine all the inspiring goodies that are begging for attention!

Once again Annette, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your friendship and the goodies.

I salute you!

Yoli

Be Afraid, Be very Afraid. Pics of my estudio.

I am biting off of Kathy's blog (Crafty Chica). She dared to do a blog featuring her sacred studio, and she inspired me to come clean about my workspace.

I too, had visions of a large open space, brightly lit, overlooking our glistening pool. I even fantasized about building a small workspace in our back yard with power and and clear drawers galore with all my ephemera neatly organized and sub organized. A large desk for my lappy and new printer would face the sliding french doors and I would have one large table for gatherings and another folding sewing table. All of this space would be in a Mexican meets Moroccan theme.

I would have chica's over all the time and during the hot summers, we would create, and take dips in the pool.

It could happen!

lol, for now, I am limited to my former formal dining room. Fortunately, I have a large breakfast room that seats a large table and benches as well as a large dining bar in my kitchen. (we eat informally) Only on special occassions did we use the formal dining room, go guess what, I packed my show and nested right there on the antique table. I have pocket doors, so this mess, I mean inspiration is easily concealed.

Ok, tread carefully, I wouldn't want you to get lost or get any loose glitter on you. (Ok, I lie, I hope you find glitter everywhere. ::evil cackle::

This is where I have all my embellishments. Yes, those drawers are loaded to the gills with tools, embellishments, rubber stamps, sequins, beads, fibers, religious relics, gloss, threads and in that bag on top of the small table is where I store my sewing machine.



This is the top of my desk,work table, and cutting board. This is on a good day.


Oh, it also serves as my sewing table. I am the Queen of multifunction! (notice the gold thread?)



Ahhh, here is where I dock my IPod. (It was also here where my last one got stolen. (our casa was broken into last year, and thankfully no one got hurt and they got away with nothing but my IPOD) Under my boom box is where I store felt and colored tissues as well as boxes in all shapes. To the right, is my fabric and trim bin and my sewing basket full of Gawd knows what.....


This is my paper storage and mailing center. (actually it's where I store my stationary for notes that go in my orders and swaps)



The large bins to the left are full of cigar boxes and handbags waiting to be altered and created into something.

All in all, this space is about 9 feet long and 7 feet wide. (If that)

I told you it wasn't pretty!