Thursday, July 28, 2011

Treasuries GALORE!

     WOW! If you haven't checked out these treasuries...do yourself a favor! They are eye candy! Lovely pieces from some of my friends and Mary's Graces Team Members!




Saturday, July 23, 2011

What Rocks.

     You know what ROCKS??? When you make something...someone BUYS it...and then they send you a photo of it sitting in their room. Awesome. When I sell something I made it's really a mystery to me where it goes...it's just GONE. But PikachuAnne showed me how awesome it is to know just where my art ended up! She sent a photo of my bo sitting net to her lovely Gaudalupe candle her bedroom table just to the left of  my postcards...'sigh'...Just Awesome! Don't you folks wonder where your stuff ends up?

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Fountain of Art

     So....have you ever had one of those awesome days where the Art flows like water...well I DID today! Woot! I mean it was like boom boom boom idea after idea and I almost finished 3 projects and got the ball rolling on a SUPER awesome shrine that will have a light inside! Oh...so cool! I am almost finished with a special order for an " OMG you sold that already? But I wanted it!" Had to special order a part...it'll make her happy I bet!

    So tonite I go to bed completely covered in glitter. The ONLY way to be...for me!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Big Idea!

     So I make Lots and LOTS of small shrines. When my kids were on vacation I decided to make something BIG! I found a pair (yes I'll be making another) of vintage wall sconces that look like lanterns...and with a week or so of painting and absolutely NO trial and error I came up with this fabulous Blue, Green and Gold wall shrine! It is a big 9" wide x 20" long and is a focal piece just begging to be set between two small mirrors or candles! This is my best yet!


     I have one more unfinished "lantern" and will be making one more. Any ideas for a theme or color scheme?

Friday, July 8, 2011

2 Weeks of no kids=ART

     My children were BOTH far far away for 2 weeks. Aside from eating nothing but cereal I got a lot of artwork done! Having more than five minutes at a time to work on my projects was wonderful and I was able to concentrate on tiny details a lot more. Here are a few of the pieces that sprang from my alone time...




Click on each photo to view listings

     I am however VERY happy that my kids have come home tonite. 2 weeks was too much for me even though I was excited about the thought of being alone for so long. I wonder how long it will take me to adjust back to getting up at 7am instead of 1 in the afternoon? hrmmmm......

WORD TO THE NOT SO WISE
     I have also discovered (like I do every year) that this is the time to STOP trying to spray clearcoat on my projects. 'sigh' the humidity does AWEFUL things to the finish and I have ruined yet another project by thinking "It'll work this one last time...it's not THAT humid". 2 weeks of painting one statue...and one coat of humidity-infused clearcoat = a sloppy looking, drippy figure coated in a. uneven layer of bubbles and fog. :( Don't do it kids. Set those projects away for a DRY day. 
     ALSO, remember to put the color caps back on your spray paint cans....so you don't accidently coat your project with white primer instead of clear varnish. Yep...I did that too. :)

Mary's Graces: GIVE AWAY

Mary's Graces: GIVE AWAY:

This is our first give away and we are excited. I found a beautiful old sparkling crystal rosary at the flea market. The woman in the booth gave me a very good deal so I thought I’d pay it forward and give it away to someone who would love this old beauty full of prayers. Our Lady of Lourdes will hold onto it until the winner is chosen on Monday July 18th. Why Monday? Because I thought it would be a nice surprise for someone on a Monday morning. So you have until midnight July 17th to enter.

CLICK HERE to enter on The Mary's Graces Blog

Thursday, July 7, 2011

A New Team!

     I am so excited to be a part of this! The Woodwife and Devata have put together an awesome team called Mary's Graces. Mary's Graces is a garden of art, beauty and inspiration.  Full of Creations that inspire and set the heart alight! Sounds good doesn't it?!

Who can join?

A limited number of members
Etsy shop owners who also have a blog
Inspirational art and art that focuses on the divine feminine, Mary, Goddess and the Sacred Heart of Love

     If this sounds like you click here to apply!
     I have made some wonderful friends though my religious art and look forward to many more! Many of my newest friends have shops AND Blogs of their own. below you will find all the newest additions to my link page. If you would like to be on it just drop me a line!



DissyB's Bizarre Bazaar on Etsy
 Dissy's Jewelry Shop

Dissy's Blog

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Rhinestones and Glitter...

     OK! So my new venture...Black Forest Rose is going better than expected! What started as a love for anything plastic and saintly has turned into a Lovely shop full to the brim with Vintage Religious Treasures! Not only that but My artwork has taken a turn as well and building super sparkling shrines has become one of my newest talents. I have ALWAYS been drawn to anything shiny...now I have a perfect venue to showcase my Assemblage Art pieces that speak in rhinestones and glitter!

     My favorite subject is the Lovely Virgin Mary in all her various forms. Whether the Virgin of Guadalupe or Mary of Lourdes...she is such a beautiful image to work with! I am learning so much about the Catholic Religion in the process...and I never knew there were so many wonderful Saints! Here are a few of my latest creations! Click on the photo to go to it's listing on Etsy.

Hot Pink Mary Shrine

Golden Mary Shrine
         
         I also have amassed a huge collection of Religious Kitsch and Vintage Figurines that I am offering for sale as well. They all come from my personal collection and have had former lives all over the globe! Saints figures, miniature Mary's, Italian shrines, pocket Saints and paper ephemera are some of my specialities. I am happy to be able to share my collections with Etsy shoppers all over the world! And I have tracked down numerous treasures for people who miss something they had as a child or that their Grandma had. Is there something special you would like? I may just have what you are looking for! If I don't I'll do my best to find it for you! A big thank you those who got me to near 150 sales since the opening this January! 
        And an even BIGGER thank you to those special people who have helped me price items, figure out which Saint is which and who have given me their honest opinions on the shop! Click on the photos below to go to their lovely shops.
Thank You So Much!