Creating Gratitude

Easter is the Gratitude time of the year, and as a Witch I like to follow the intention of global celebrations, even if I follow that intention in a very personal and non-traditional way. As a way to stay away from business while I recover completely, I’ve decided to make only gifts this week. I have been given the gift of a second, “adoptive” family in my life and I wanted to say a huge thank you to them as I’ve been cared and protected while I was ill like a real princess. And what says thank you as something you’ve made with your own hands?

I made this pincushion for my mother-in-law. It is built in velvet and suede, with a crocheted and embroidered array of flowers and beads. Though due to my cervical lesion I can’t sew much, I really enjoy making this little sewing projects when I feel fine. We visited her yesterday and she loved it.

I’ve been also working on two Easter baskets – this time for my aunt and a friend, who have been the greatest nurses on Earth. I used cupcake moulds and made the birds and eggs in air-dry clay, a favourite medium of mine.

A few more gifts are in the way, so you will see a second part of this post soon. I feel so grateful to have so many thank you’s to say!

Read Full Post »

Music

Almost twenty years after its release, this song still moves me completely. I just wanted to share some music today.

The Very Lovely Rena Klingenberg sent me yesterday this song by Roger Waters:

Here are the lyrics for those who are not English – the audio for the video is not that good. Thank you so much Rena!

Lyrics for Roger Waters’ “Lost Boys Calling”:

Come hold me now
I am not gone
I would not leave you here alone
In this dead calm beneath the waves
I can still hear those lost boys calling

You could not speak
You were afraid
To take the risk of being left again
And so you tipped your hat and waved and then
You turned back up the gangway of that steel tomb again

And in Mott street in July
When I hear those seabirds cry
I hold the child
The child in the man
The child that we leave behind

And in Mott street in July
When I hear those seabirds cry
I hold the child
The child in the man
The child that we leave behind

The spotlight fades
The boys disband
The final notes lie mute upon the sand
And in the silence of the grave
I can still hear those lost boys calling

We left them there
When they were young
The men were gone until the west was won
And now there’s nothing left but time to kill
You never took us fishin’ dad and now you never will

And in Mott street in July
When I hear those seabirds cry
I hold the child
The child in the man
The child that we leave behind

Read Full Post »

Crazy Life Of A Witch… And A Tea Recipe

A crazy weekend has been mine! Just when I was ready to start working on a “Love Parcel” for a friend, which means a gorgeous weekend with lots of crafts and fun, I got asked to make a hurry-hurry review on a friend’s new book (you’ll have more info very soon when the book is published) and was ordered a custom magick pack from a customer. So, a lot of work but not a thing I can show, as the custom magick pack is a surprise from someone to someone, and you won’t see the lovely pics until the recipient has got the Magick in her hands.

I didn’t want to leave you with just some boring updates, so I’m adding a recipe of a herb tea I made on Saturday night for us; this tea is an all-purpose herb tea that I have baptized as “Vibe Tea”, as it balances aural energy wonderfully and it is digestive, slightly sedative and antioxidant. Here’s the recipe:
Vibe Tea
-Half a litre of distilled/mineral water, at boiling point;
- 2 teaspoons of chamomile buds;
- 1/2 teaspoons of orange leaves, minced;
- 1 teaspoon of lemon balm;
- 1 teaspoon of anise seeds;
- 3 teaspoons of Oolong Ti Kuan tea.

Of course, the vintage tea items help a lot… well, I just love rituals! Notice my husband’s super-cool readings -who said all tattooers were rude bearded guys? Mine can be bearded but definitely not rude!

Read Full Post »

Celebrating The Crone

Submission for the March Edition for the Dawanda Shop Directory Blog Carnival, themed “Vintage Crafts”.

The rose corsage was part of the parcel’s wonderful packaging.

Yesterday I received a wonderful gift from my friend Krista in Estonia – I already gave it a whole post so click here if you want to read about it. I wanted to do something with the wonderful wrapping paper she had used, so I decided to wrap the parcel’s box with it and use it for my crochet threads and WIP. In a house with three cats threads are too much of a temptation! I am making a crochet pouch for my mother-in-law and though I planned to work more on drawings this week, I also felt a strong need for sewing, a craft I love to make but that I have neglected due to lack of time.

I try to be flexible with my work plans and give some time to intuitive needs, because they can end being my best works. Did you know what I was doing on New Year’s Eve? Working in my doll Eliza, one of the pieces I’m more proud of. I also think allowing myself to follow that creative sudden needs is a way to balance my tend to overwork. Crocheting (and sewing) is a patience process that helps me slow down and just relax.

Sewing is one of my inherited crafts. Both my two grandmothers and my mother were/are professional sewers and the three of them worked and taught sewing at home. I’ve been surrounded by thread, fabric and scissors since I was born. When I was little my grandmother taught me to sew, crochet and knit, and until I moved with my husband I was the Permanent Apprentice at their work rooms, ironing and sewing buttons. I started to lose interest for it at school, where we were forced to sew things I didn’t like, and the routine of their life as sewers finished separating the concepts of creativity and sewing in my mind. I could tell true from fake silk with a glance, but I didn’t want to hold a needle ever again in my life.

Detail of crazy patch quilt – unfinished – and embroidered cuffs. 2007

Until I had Internet at home and started exploring the Crafty Blogosphere, I had never seen things like free-form embroidery and crochet and was hooked from the first look. Actually one of the first sites that made me crazy about embroidery was Krista’s site – who would tell me I’d meet her two years later and call her my dear friend!

I’ve been making slow progresses in embroidery in the last two years and have enjoyed every minute of it, and always regret not to give it more time, always favouring my business first. So today as I was having my coffee, I saw the line of coincidences was already too long and that today I would Celebrate The Crone, which is the name that is given to elder witches and deities. The Crones weaved the destiny of humans; today I would weave the line started by my own elders, brought again to me by wonderful internet artists like Krista.

Jimi Hendrix Portrait, pattern made from one of my own drawings, 2007

Recognizing the power of inheritance is essential for a Witch, whether if it’s directly inherited knowledge from family, or globally from clans, totems or affiliations. Connecting with ancestors is one of the more powerful ways of keeping our knowledge and legacy fresh and balanced, so it is a regular ritual procedure in a Witch’s schedule, just as sometimes we celebrate the Maiden, the Mother, the Newborn Goddess.

Later today, scrolling down posts of the Dawanda Shop Directory, I read the theme of the Blog Carnival was vintage and inherited crafts. I had to laugh and write this.

Read Full Post »

Amazing Love

There are some days when everything is perfect, like TODAY. The postman came unexpectedly early this morning to deliver this wonderful parcel from Krista in Estonia! I had asked her for some local herbs for my collection – but she really went way overboard!!! While I was opening the wonderful box, I was crying and laughing at the same time, and if some pics are a little blurry is because my hands were shaking, so I think you will forgive the lack of focus!

All packed in roses paper…. first chills….

Look at the colour of those herbs!

Bits and ends for dollmaking…

And look at what her daughter made for me! A handsewn gecko plushie! I looooove it!

And last but not least, this amazing work of Art!!!! I feel like if I owned a Picasso! The quality of her embroidery is even more unbelievable in real life – I really can’t find words to describe the beauty of this piece. How do I thank this? I feel honoured.

Krista, I have no words for this but THANK YOU!!!!! My heart is full of love and joy today, and that is the most treasured experience a person can have. Get ready for a Love Parcel flying back to Estonia soon! That may express my thankfulness and love better than my words.

Read Full Post »

The Story Of The Vincent Price Lover Bracelet… And A Collection Of Rings For Janice

In exchange for her collaboration on the Yemanya Article, I offered Janice from Goddess Findings to make a submission for a series of posts about her blog reader’s ring collection. I have a passion for them too – have loved, lost and broken quite a few on the way. Usually I only wear my grandfather’s wedding band, the only heritage I own from him – and the only comfortable ring I have when working with pliers, varnish or beads! But when I make my Tuesday’s Tarot readings, I weight a couple pounds more only in bling!

Rings are such a powerful tool for a Witch. Is there is a symbol that is still sacred and meaningful in modern life, that is a ring. From the origin of humanity, people have exchanged and given rings to express a position in society, from wedding rings to the Pope’s ring, from NBA rings to Witch rings, they all mean something and define our place, origin or affiliations. Rings bind and protect us.

On my thumb, you will find a huge rhodium horned skull ring I bought to a Peruvian artisan on the street. The horned God symbol, representation of the male principle, reminds me of my goals and inner strength as provider and creator of Ideas. Rhodium is really lightweight so it’s more comfortable than it looks!
On the index finger, a wire-wrapped ring I made myself last year with a dichroic Italian crystal. Red is the colour of Eleggua, my patron Orisha, so this is a way of honouring him while looking gorgeous!
On the ring finger, an exquisitely made Chinese dragon silver ring that me and my husband bought, one for each, at a shop quite a few years ago. We’re both born in the year of the Dragon by Chinese Astrology and we both love oriental iconography so it was an easy choice. Of the two original rings only one survived our crazy life so we now share this one. I think here lies a very beautiful metaphor that means that once we were two Dragons, and now we’re only ONE.

Yes I skipped the middle finger… I wanted to save this piece for last, because this is not only a ring, but a whole slave bracelet, one of my favourite pieces of jewelry. I made this piece while watching The Mask Of The Red Death and The Raven, both directed by Roger Corman and both starred by one of my favourite all-time actors, the super awesome Mr. Vincent Price.

The colours, textures and spaces that Corman created are simply breathtaking – an incredibly well-fitting mixture of gothic ambience and radiant, over-saturated colour combos. Inspiration Galore!!!! And of course the wonderful, impeccable, hilarious and SO classical acting of Vincent Price is a delight from start to finish.

The ring+bracelet assemblage was made using vintage filigree findings, apple coral chunks and a wonderful red vintage button, plus many tiny charms and bells. The ring was made with more vintage filigree and one of my handmade charms with a traditional image of Eleggua on it. The movies inspired not only the piece, but the pictures also. As you can imagine, I’m not putting this for sale!

Read Full Post »

Featured by Lorianne Jantti of Plumevine!

A few days ago, I was delighted to find a pingback from Lorianne Jantti from Plumevine featuring this blog! I didn’t know Lorianne before, so finding someone you have never talked to before follows what you do is such a moving experience. And she wrote the sweetest words!

“Carolina is an inspiring witch. She runs the Little Magick Shop which can be found on the web. What makes her so special is not only that she stocks her shop with her own hand-made and hand-picked magical goods, but how she presents them. She makes all of her presentation material by herself, takes meticulous care to put together the daintiest, loveliest of things for you and takes so many beautiful pictures of the them, along with lovely tales of all kinds of things regarding the life of a witch.

I’m not a practicing witch but I do love and appreciate her art very much.”

Lorianne is a wonderful jewelry artist. She handcrafts magical, dream-like pieces from her studio in Norway, a very magickal place by itself. Her pieces are inspired by Nature, Fairies and everything between worlds. She works in a variety of techniques – with wonderful skills I have to say – in what could be considered Mixed Media, but with a touch of fantasy and a taste for texture that makes it stand among the rest. I am so glad she found me because now I can be a fan of another wonderful artist! Aaah, the joys of Internet… here’s a hint of her work:

I love a good display!

Thank you so much Lorianne! Meeting a Fairy sister is always something to celebrate!

Read Full Post »

Second Batch Of Promos For The Dawanda Sellers Bags

Today my husband sent the second batch of promos for the Dawanda promo bags – it seems like they are selling fast!! I think this is a wonderful idea and I wanted to participate since Sara, the Dawanda Shop Directory blog editor, started organizing it. This time, I’ve sent her a dozen laminated Prayer Cards, made with my own photographs of religious items, and ten good luck charms, five with Mother Mary medals and five in a more pagan style, with stars, moons and animal totems. I’ve been making them in small amounts during the week, a great task while doing boring things like inventory or business papers.

I love making promos. I already have another batch of cards ahead to do for my Tarot consultants so you will be seeing more of it soon. Now, rushing for a quick lunch and back to work!

Read Full Post »