This year, however, is proving to be rather different all the way around. I have been busy reconfiguring all three of my online businesses... moved two over to ArtFire.com & I am attempting to learn the ropes there for an overall different experience and I have completely reorganized brizel4TheAnimals on Etsy.com. What keeps me there is my animal advocacy & marketing team... I am currently lining up 'all the ducks' for Team EFA's September Charity of the Month- Defenders of Wildlife- which organization I am responsible for nominating. My animals at home are in need of daily special care which requires me to push through personal growth issues and research late at night for appropriate homeopathic remedies. Twilight is happily producing apples, pears, plums, quinces, figs, olives which I am conservatively picking as I can... AND my sanity requires that I craft so that has to be built in as well :)
I celebrated my birth day with a full moon in Pisces which not only is out of the ordinary but is also my lunar return. Such a special occasion to have one's solar & lunar return on the same day. I could not let the 23-24-25 pass by without taking time to create something very unique.
Meet my new Silk Tapestry Table Pouch...
... a custom bag for my Medicine Cards, a set of animal totem illustrations by Angela Werneke, as presented by Jamie Sams and David Carson. The above shot shows one of their template cards sitting on top of my pouch to display the inspiration behind my color scheme & design.
In the past, I have always made custom divination bags with fabric and beads (you can see my portfolio on flickr & on the bottom left hand column of this blog) ... but my love of silk sari and banana silk yarns, as well as buttons, has had me 'hooked' in this technique for many years now... and I am delighted to continue my affair with such divine crafting materials.
In the Medicine Card tradition, when I did my first card spread, it was to find which animals are my lifetime totems. These are my animal guides... creatures that have selected me to learn and navigate the waters of life under their tutelage.
The front of my medicine table pouch is embellished with the first four directional totems... east, south, west & north...
FOX
CROW
DOG
SPiDER
The back of the Silk Tapestry Table Pouch has my second set of animal guides: above, below, right and left...
BEAR
SKUNK
DOLPHiN
SQUiRREL
And the interior features my ninth totem teacher, within...
BAT
and then there is a tenth guest... a representation of 'me' with Eagle, who soars the highest of all creatures and can deliver my prayers to the great spirits !
I began this pouch on full moon eve, August 23rd, and completed it by sundown the day after full moon climaxed on August 25th. My medicine Silk Tapestry Pouch spent that night and the two following nights moon bathing... so that each side would be 'charged' by the moonlight.
I am still soaking in this beautiful new creation !
RESOURCES
Medicine Cards
Of course, I want to thank the creators of the Medicine cards- whose images I have not shared here due to copyright, information about them can be found on Jamie Sams website HERE.
Silk Tapestry Table Pouches
Brizel Handcrafts has ready made Silk Tapestry Table Pouches which you can peruse by visiting my art studio on ArtFire.com. Click HERE and feel free to contact me for any custom work you'd like me to consider !
Brizel Handcrafts also makes animal totem Silk Tapestry Boxes... you can find these in my Etsy shop brizel4TheAnimals :)
Buttons & embellishments
The Animals Magic Shop & The Faerie Cupboard on Etsy are a fabulous resource for beautiful animal themed buttons. Lisa & Sky are valued members of Team EFA: artists helping animals. Visit their shops by clicking on their store names !
Beads
The hand painted crow bamboo bead was purchased through OutPostJewelry. Click HERE to visit Etsy shop.
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What a beautiful work of art. It definitely is YOU!
ReplyDeleteWow - how charming, thoughtful, heartful and beautiful. And my sense is that you deserve this. Enjoy your creation - all of it. Peace.
ReplyDeleteHow wondrous is this moon-filled creation! What a fabulous and spiritual way to spend your birthday. Your pouch is a gorgeous work of art and I believe it will suit your lovely spirit so well. Hugs and blessings flying your way, dear one.
ReplyDeleteVery magical and creative, just like you my friend. Thank you for mentioning us - we are honored you chose some of our buttons but most valued by us is your friendship. Lots of Love, Lisa and Sky
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing your work with us, and I'm so glad to have been a part of it! :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful creation, so interesting about all the totems!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!