Amanita Muscaria

If you've looked at my drawings that I've posted and are paying attention, you would've encountered my red mushrooms that I painted in the 1980s...
well, I've been discovering some very interesting correlations between spirituality, shall we say, and the mushroom Amanita Muscaria, in particular, as presented by the author James Arthur. I was so inspired that I redesigned my "Magic Mushrooms" which I secretly called these to be totally transformed into the Amanita Muscaria by the addition of a few spots! I hope you take the time to acquaint yourself with mushroom lore... Oh, and I hope you enjoy my mushrooms revisited as the Amanita Muscaria...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon...

The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon...hmmm...how soon is "too soon?" And is that double entendre...hmmm.... Anyway...hope you like him, the textures on him were fun to create...

Kitten Heels and Leopard Leg / Arm Warmers...

okay, I'll admit that these pink and leopard print stilletos are waaaay over the top but the metallic hot pink leatherette was peeling off from these shoes and I decided to peel it off completely from the top and apply this animal print with permanent markers...they're for sale on Etsy if you like...

I also found these leg warmers which are being presented here as arm warmers, so they're double-duty, if you will, anyway...these will probably not go so well with the slides above but they will go great with any brown, beige or khaki shoes... I'm including them here because they can be repurposed as arm warmers...

Confetti Skirt and Scarf

I'm really into long flowey skirts these days, paired with simple t's or slinky tops, like here, and I had some of this confetti patterned silk jacquard material from the 90's; the scarf will also double as a belt or sash for the hair. Time to wear it...this ain't no dress rehersal...wear it baby...about time...

Baby, Do You Like My Button?

a repurposed rhinestone and pearl button now a nifty necklace...yeahhhhhh!!!

Army Surplus Style Duffle Coat RePurposed / ReDesigned

I picked up this duffle bag of a coat in the 1990's for a couple of bucks at a clearance sale. Didn't touch it for a couple of decades and since they're IN this season, I redid the loooooong sleeves by shortening them and adding elastic to give them a cinched look, and then took in the waist by cinching the cord tie at the waist and hey, it's BEAUTIFUL!!!

looks cute with this crinkly rose print skirt with a broad black band...the cutesy skirt also gets a bit toughened up...but I think I'll wear it with skinny jeans or leggings...

ReDesigned Boots

here they are the pair of imported Chinese made boots that began to peel even before their first wear. I gave up and peeled off whatever I could and added these leather patches, secured by a little red embroidery thread and turned them into argyle patterned boots!!! Ladies...NEVER THROW ANYTHING AWAY... hehe ;-)

Lariat Necklace ReDone

I'd made this Rosary Lariat with a cross that I felt was too somber and religious to wear for everyday use. So I decided to repurpose it and put a tooled design heart from the 1980's that I'd stopped wearing... I'm sure this necklace will get regular use from now on! Thanks Mike, The Situation, Sorrentino from Jersey Shore to remind me of this ReDesign that needed to get done...

and here's the old Lariat Rosary Necklace with strong religious overtones...

Mike Sorrentino a.k.a. the Situation shown here with his many layers of lariats...party on...
I will be catching you on mtv.com for archived full episodes, Mike, and never again will I ever view the expression "the situation" in the same manner again! hehe ;~) um no, I don't think you can Trade Mark or patent that expression either... j.k. ...

Shorty T-Shirt to Embelished Top

Ever got stuck with a shrunken down T-shirt which barely covers your boobs? This one is quite a snug fit on, so I added a remnant from a skirt shortening and added a removable rose pin to the side...

here's the rose pin detail, a few ready-made rosettes sewn onto a pin...

worn with the shortened skirt it looks like a layered dress, you can also add a shrug that ties in the front for colder weather layering...

Loafers to Mules

these size 8 leather loafers felt just right at the time, with the 8.5 being too big and I thought they'd chafe the back of my feet(I'm actually a true 8.5 and rarely a true 9), when bought some 8 years ago that is...but I only wore them once really and howled in pain all day! So...why not turn them into MULES? Here they are:

the raw edges were finished off with a black Sharpie pen and the back have a small loop fashioned from extra leather I trimmed off, stuck on with a hot glue gun. They're super comfy now and extremely wearable...a success!!!

Chocolate Raspberry Sandals

I had to make 'em mine...

I got these sandals in too bright a pink and regretted that perhaps I should've got them in the dark brown instead! E Voila, the Chocolate Raspberry Sandals are born...makes the pink part all that more tasty...I suppose...thanks Sharpie...I think... :~/ they'll grow on me...I'm sure... Hey, they'll go well with this scarf...good enough! :-D

oh, and this pink and brown coin motif Indonesian pareo found on the web would be delish with it as well... Turtle Island Imports: http://www.turtleislandimports.com

they've really got an amazing variety of all sorts of goods from all over...

Batik Bra Top to Headband and Sash

I had this old batk bra top for well over a decade which I never could wear(a little too small!)so I turned it into a sash(RHS) and the back of the top was turned into a smocked headband(LHS). Both terribly wearable now... :-)

the headband and sash's print closeup...

enjoy your summer and for goodness sake, be TROPICAL! Have a little Indonesian food-maybe a really good Rendang or a bit of a Sate...but do it...

Jonquil Jumper Redesigned

Hmmm...all those horizontal stripes...remind you of someone?

yup, the Michelin (Tire)Man...it's gotta be redone!

simple and uncomplicated...longer sleeves, V-neck for some breathing space...I'm feeling much much better now... :-)

Jonquil Jumper

OK...so this is my very first ANYTHING that I've knitted! I wanted a yellow sweater and viola! - I KNITTED one!!! The previous day I had received my very first instruction on how to knit...so I must be forgiven for its shortcomings... ;-D

took one week to complete...not bad for a first go...I think...but then again, I might unravel it and make it V-necked now that I've taught myself how to make that through trial and error! More knitted items coming up soon...

Redesign: Black Cloche to Licorice Allsorts Floppy Hat

Remember this little black and pink cloche I made earliter this year?

Well...I saw these incredibly yummy looking licorice allsorts, which were brought out for the Christmas season...and I felt compelled to create this Licorice Allsorts Floppy Hat, which has a Hippie-cum-Aussie Digger Slouch Hat vibe to it...and here's an example of the Aussie Digger Slouch Hat, which is still part of the Australian Army's Uniform and goes way back to the ANZAC uniform of World War I...

I have this cute little bee pin, which I thought would be gorgeous in the middle of the flower...

yup, the little bee completes the look...

the little licorice hat changes yet again, this time in 2016. I've also added lilac...

Redesigning Long T's

These were long, masculine looking T-shirts which I have given boat necks, and shortened or given tie front waists...

Bodmer's Dog Dancer - autumnal colors!

My Pumpkin Harvest T has been cropped and turned into a tie front...works!

This graduation present has been turned into a sequened cropped T, love it! Like a phoenix rising from the ashes...lots of fun to wear!

Autumnal T-Shirts

The leaves are falling(again!)and I just had to do something with an Autumnal theme, so here are acouple of T-shirts that I did last week using Slick Paints...

Based on the beloved Hello Kitty, here's my "Autumnal Kitty T" with Falling leaves and flowers in corals, rusts and browns...
and one with a harvest theme...so here's my Pumpkin Harvest T in plums, oranges, gold...

Yellow Cloche Hat With Fall Colors

The sunny Spring cloche gets a new lease on life for the Fall with this brooch in autumnal colors. I've also added several rows to the brim of the hat to give added shade outdoors...

Crocheted Cross-Over Shoulder Bag

Now that the weather has cooled down a bit and it's starting to feel like Fall, I'm thinking of little projects to do. So...I had a bit of yellow wool left over from the last project, so I got busy and made this cross-body purs. It took a full day of crocheting...
This one could be worn as a shoulder-bag but it is best worn crossed over the body from one shoulder to the other hip...

Inspired by Roman Glass...

Learning so much about ancient Roma and her antiquities has inspired me to produce these sets. Although these did not scan all that well, they will give you a general idea...

violet hued vine leaves with iridescent top glaze, combined with brass, amethyst glass and celadon crystal beads; Bacchus would be proud...
an Arte Nouveau head with a distinct classical Roman detail, violets in violet frosted glass with iridescent glaze, paired with amethyst glass beads and crystals...

a set in pale blue frosted beads with iridescent detail, more like moonstone than mere glass, that has a "heavy metal" feel to it!

see, this is the sort of piece I'm talking about...isn't it just gorgeous?

Oak Leaf Cluster Brooch

I had this old vermeil pin with jade ovals so I made an "Oak Leaf Cluster Brooch" with jade acorns, and copper foil oak leaves from a garland I had for ages...looks great on this tweed jacket!

Tiger Tiger Burning Bright...

anyway...yes, the beads have been very much "animalized" by me...tigers, leopards and that other stripy thing...oh my!

A tale of two tigers: this one I call my "double barrel" or "two tiger" necklace!

so I guess I'll be reading Rudyard Kipling next...

Meeoooowww!!!

Inspired by Marigolds...

these glorious marigolds have inspired me to make the following scarves, earrings, necklace and bracelet...

a scarf with an unmistakeable marigold motif which doubles as a wrap...

and a headband made out of a little extra material...

which would pair well with these yellow topaz and garnet bead earrings...

an almost neon, bright yellow scarf with delicate red floral and squares motifs...

which would pair well with these sunny golden heart earrings...

a saffron and gold filigree scarf which pairs well with this slinky maroon tank top...

and marigold hoops with almost every color that they come in...

and a memory wire bracelet with amber, golden, maroon and crimson beads...

and this necklace in shades of tangerine and orange colored marigolds...

which pairs perfectly well with this tangerine tank!