Hand Made Holy Cards

I really enjoy the meditative process of creating.  It is especially rewarding when I am creating something that expresses faith. 

These are just quick doodle sketches.   I enjoy doing them.  I live in faith world where angels and saints are real.  My faith has wavered at times.......but I am back to it.  I gave it up when I felt that negative things happened to me of which I was undeserving.  Mary called me back in a dream.  She appeared to me as I was awakening in the form of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.  This is a medal which works especially with people who are intractable.  She showed me her hand and then her hand was pouring water.  She called me back to my baptism.

June Brandlin's Art

My mother was an artist.  She had many forms of expression.  Mostly she did watercolors, but she also sculpted, did photography and acrylics.

Here are her some of her watercolor works of art that I have hanging in my home.

of Keuka Lake

of Keuka Lake

of the North Sea

of a Goat

In Bruges

I apologize for the reflections in the glass.

Printing Workshop

I attended a Craft Weekend workshop locally and had a great time.  I really enjoyed getting my creative juices flowing again.  We did wood block and linoleum prints.  Our supplies included paper and tools and the use of the ink and brayer.  We each received our own cutting tools.

I have a low confidence problem.  I am constantly finding fault with my work.  I want to work on that about myself.

We first began with a cut out of paper to experiment with black and white.  Next we were given a wood block and tools and a lecture about always remembering to cut away from your body and other hand to avoid injury.

We painted the wood block with green acrylic paint so that we could see the design that we were creating better.  It is difficult and you must carve out the light areas.  You have to train your mind to think in opposite and in reverse.

My first project was inspired by a Vermeer.

The girl on the beach was from a photo of my daughter which I cannot share. This was colored after it dried with watercolors.

Below is the linoleum carve out.

Its hard as I wish her toes were more anatomically correct and I am unhappy with the piece of beach above her legs.

 Our last project was a print of cloth made from a rubber stamp.  This design came from a collection of African aboriginal religious symbols.

I plan to do more art work, I even bought a brayer and some ink today.  I need to get paper and plastic trays and some linoleum or wood.

The Toad House

I gave my son a copy of an organic gardening book that I found at a book sale earlier in the year.  He was captivated by the idea of a toad house that is mentioned in the book.  I went on a Gurdjieff work week locally and made a few pieces of pottery, one being a toad house.  It was crafted with a mulberry roof!

How to make a Poppet

First I take charcoal and trace a form on some material.  I had been using muslin but an old sheet works too.

I trace the human form out on double folded fabric and stitch around on the charcoal line.  Next I cut it out  and right side it.  This photo is of my process to turn it right side out. 

You must clip corners and trim curves prior to right side outing the doll.  This one I left his shoulder for the stuffing entrance but sometimes I leave a side open.

This little guy needs to have a blue suit made with a red tie and white shirt.

Lavender Sachets

I had another blog, Amiable Blogservations which I have been writing for years and years.  I decided to eliminate it because it has socially incriminating thoughts and ideas in it.  I have three months to change my mind. 

I sew for a local organization and this is my work.  These sell for 18 dollars for a group of three.  They are lavender sachets.

If anybody reads this who is a reader of the other blog and wants to advise me, that would be great.  I would like to hear if I should keep it on the internet.

Saint Henry of Uppsala

This is St. Henry and a poppet of myself.

St Henry became a martyr when he excommunicated a murderer.  The murderer murdered him, wo he was wise not to absolve him.  Pope Francis likes to sell a Christianity where there is no limit to God's forgiveness.  There is actually, and a watered down version of Christianity is not honest or fair.  If you blaspheme the Holy Spirit, that is an unforgivable sin.  If you do not have true contrition, then you don't deserve absolution.