faith

faith
Originally uploaded by rosa murillo

This is the topic for found art tuesday for next October 14, 2008.
In case you want to play along this week, We will make a piece of Found Art with the topic of "FAITH"

"There are some who pass through life as through a tunnel, without ever understanding the splendor, the security and the warmth of the sun of faith."
Saint Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer

If you want to participate, make a piece of art with "faith" as a topic, and leave it in a public place for someone to find, then share it with us through the flickr group or post a link to your website.
Thanks! have a great weekend everyone.

cardinal pendant

cardinal pendant
Originally uploaded by rosa murillo

I am posting this from flickr today, I hope this works so that I can update this blog more often, it sometimes feels like squarespace (the host I'm using for the website) is a tiny bit complicated .... it's got a ton of things you got to do before uploading a new post, kind of like adding an item on etsy (if you got a store on etsy you know what I mean) for example there's the password checking, the picture uploading, the password checking again, the passport review, there's of course the customs agent, and the x-ray machine (just kidding...but not really.)

Here's a new pendant I just finished, it's made on blue clay with a tiny touch of silver paint and white colored pencil. So fun! so Christmassy! What do you think? I'm adding one to my etsy shop, *soon* will keep you posted...

I have a 100th heart at Etsy!

Guess what?! It finally happened! I got my 100th heart at my shop in etsy, What is a heart, you may want to know, well, it's a way of people to tell you that they liked your store and that you rock!  Also this way, everybody can keep track of what stores they like while browsing etsy, because it can be a big and scary place. Sometimes it's really easy to get lost, and one stores lead you to another and all of a sudden you're in the not so safe neighborhood anymore...

If you remember, way back when, I said that whomever (is this whomever grammatically correct?)  got to be the 100th heart would get something special, well... we have a winner!

Congratulations   Im a ginger monkey  

Poor thing had no idea about my secret giveaway! but nonetheless, she'll be getting one of the Christmas decorations I've been working on for an art fair next month. she's all the way in England, so I hope it makes it safely! congrats my ginger friend! her store is faboo, so be sure to check it out!

Cigar Box with Epoxy Resin

Hello everyone! it's been a while since my last post, which is good news, because that means that I've been on the studio working. I made a new video of a collage box with epoxy resin. This is going to be auctioned, (along more cigar boxes, starting on Oct 10) to raise money for the street children in Oaxaca, Mexico. You can see the other artists who are participating in Recuerda mi Corazon blog.(thanks for the link, Kathy!) I enjoyed making this collage and I am so happy that the money is going for a great cause.

The music is by Zoe Keating

It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

Geez, I know, Christmas already? I just can't help it, because it is my favorite time of the year, so when the weather starts to change, the Christmas countdown begins!

I was very inspired by Craft Pudding to make my own stamps, so I ordered this material from Dick Blick, or you can also use a white eraser, you will also need a tool to carve the stamp with, I already had this linoleum cutter set I had not used in ages...

I found a picture online of a red cardinal I wanted to do, { :: newsflash :: CARDINALS are the new robots, owl, tree, doll, quilt, softie:: } so I just outlined the picture with an HB pencil, turned it over and rubbed the pencil on the paper to transfer the outline of the bird, I wish I had taken pictures of the process but I was not sure how it was going to turn out, this is the first stamp I make! 

My idea was to use this stamp on polymer clay, so I needed to think about what areas would be "positive space" and "negative space" when you are carving a stamp, you need to figure out what would be the areas that will be darker or left blank,

this is how the stamp looks on paper:

And this is how it looks on polymer clay:

More alive, that on paper, right?

I will be participating on my Church's Christmas Bazaar this November, so I am thinking on making a few very lovely cardinal tree ornaments! and maybe a few pendants too, I think I know what all my Christmas presents for my family in Mexico will be! How fun!!

AND carry on

Have you seen this poster? It seems to be EVERYwhere, at least I see it very often on design blogs, I must say I am a little addicted to design blogs too, so I bump into it almost everyday, it seems everyone has one of these either on their studio or living room, (sfgilrbybay has a very prosper etsy store, in case you are interested!) the first time I saw it, I thought that the message was brilliant! simple and to the point, because it's always good to remember that when something happens (like in these times when a LOT is happening! the economy, the war, oh where to begin?)  we need to remember to keep calm, and yes, carry on. The most important part, I think, is the CARRYING ON, keep things moving, keep living your life, I did a little googlin' and found out where it comes from, looks like the good old British gave this to us during WWII, Thank you, Britain! (hi undaunted!)

This statement makes me think that there's someone making sure everything will be taken care of, and at the same time, there's this thing, the keeping calm... it started bothering me when it dawned on me that it can also be interpreted as being very passive, as in "Just Don't Care, and Carry On" Won't you agree that there must be times when it calls for freaking out a little? sometimes when an emergency arises, freaking out is acceptable and required! but yes, the important thing is, to carry on...

A few examples:

Freak out when you see you are in thousands of dollars in debt, think of a way to get out of it . Do it, and carry on.

Freak out when you see someone abusing their child, do something, tell someone, and carry on.

Freak out when you see the gas going at $4.19 a gallon! write a letter of complaint to the oil companies, and carry on.

Of course there are a lot of things to freak out about, and even if sometimes it feels like you can't do too much about it, that doesn't mean we have to be passive about it, writing one letter to your congressman could change the world! we just have to believe, because all of us are powerful, even if it is just in our own bubble of influence, being a model citizen, a model mother, a good neighbor and good friend, caring about others, and freaking out good at what we do. It does matter, you are making a difference, the important thing to remember is, are you making a good difference ot a bad one?

I still believe we are all important even if we are just tiny specks of dust in our big big planet.

This will be my new motto for what's left of the year, there are so many things to freak about, not worry, but get them sorted out.

I made this new poster on Photoshop, feel free to download it and print it out! Freaking out is good! just don't forget to carry on.