Fluttering works of art, now showing in a garden near you!

Now that Spring has finally shown itself and thoughts move to al fresco living (well almost!) what could be more stunning than these wonderful Mexican Papel Picado banners fluttering in the breeze. Perfect for parties and events, store openings or whatever! I have these available in Turquoise, Indigo, Purple, Yellow, Lime and Magenta at the moment.

So beautiful are these paper cuts, I have been tempted to create an art installation by individually framing some of the sheets, who knows, I may even get around to it one day, so watch this space.

I have lots of different designs at the moment, Multicoloured banners, Red or White Amor banners which are fantastic for weddings or events of a romantic nature, and Mexican's style icon, Frida hasn't been left out either. Check out some of the images below ... photography a bit hit and miss, but all the same......viva la fiesta!

Large Multicoloured Wedding Papel Picado



Medium White Wedding Amor Papel Picado

Pretty Medium sized 'Spring' Papel Picado

And finally, here's Frida Kahlo's Paintings.. stunning!

My mexican hammock is calling!

What's a girl to do? I recently ditched my old (and rather neglected)Mexican hammock for a lovely new one and as the weather forecast today was hinting it may rise to 20 degrees, I boldly went forth with the hanging ceremony of my new jumbo mexican hammock which leaves me with a tricky situation as I really should be working..but.. hell the sun is shining and the neighbours children (lovable but too noisy!!) have just been frogmarched off to an allotment for digging duties, so birdsong abounds once more.

Maybe just a very quick siesta? Zzzzzzzzzz

Flora de los Muertos, a rare find from Alexander Henry

After much pondering, I have decided to put up for sale, the last few yards of Florade los Muertos, an out of print fabric from Alexander Henry's 2004 Folkloric range. I managed to get about 14 yards of this a couple of years ago from a US fabric seller, of course that was when the dollar was weak, so it still made sense to be able to buy for resale then. I had plans for these last few yards, but it occurs to me that since I don't own a sewing machine and can barely cut in a straight line, there are probably others more worthy of owning a precious fat quarter or two of this wonderful dreamlike mix of day of the dead and papel picado design. For those who find it, enjoy!

I adore AH's Folkloric fabric range, and am sad to see the passing of some fantastic prints, I hope one day they will make a return to print, we can but hope!

Loteria, this was the funkiest fabric ever, and I kick myself whenever I remember I never kept any back for myself! It was available with black, natural or tea backgrounds.

Cabeza's, this one was available in black, white, red and turquoise backgrounds



Star Signs - I managed to get about 10 panels of one full repeat of this wondrous fabric, it came about 24" x 24", perfect for one-off projects!

In love with Beijo Brasil

Just can't get enough of these gorgeous icon bracelets from Beijo Brasil. Based in California's creative heartland, Sonama, Beijo's distinctive style has been created by owner, Misty Darling who wanted to design fashion jewellery and accessories inspired by her love of of global iconic images that reflect the passion, culture and style of the country they are from. Beijo's range so far has in the main been inspired by some of Mexico's most popular cultural and religious icons.

So back to my favourite pieces from the range, the image bracelets, check out Frida Kahlo, vintage Mexican matchbox designs, Loteria images from a popular bingo style game played in Mexico and classic vintage tattoos. Silly me forgot to order the Saint icons this time round, but I am betting these fly out of the door quick so will be restocking soon!

A missed opportunity for some fun with snow skulls

As the last of the snow melts away from my garden I realise I missed a great opportunity to experiment with my sugar skull moulds and create a mini mountain of Snow skulls although I did hear word that snow might be returning for the weekend...

Mini Mexican Saints Wallet - too cute!

Everyone could do with some saintly protection and a pocket full of blessings right? In Mexico these curiously appealing saint wallets are carried by those who believe they will bring blessings and protection.

I may not be Catholic, but I would never turn my nose up at the chance of a saint bestowing a blessing or two upon me. Besides, they are a mini work of art in themselves. I just can't resist them.

Valentine's Day Paper Cuts

I love these wonderful 'Amor' themed paper cut banners, known in their native Mexico as Papel Picado. If you have ever visited Mexico you may have noticed similar banners fluttering in front of churches for weddings, in courtyards for fiestas, in restaurants for ambiance and during the Day of the Dead celebrations you can find the most amazing designs decorating family altars and throughout graveyards. Paper cutting is a traditional Mexican folk art dating back to the 19th centry and is still deployed in the same way by using a very sharp chisel and hammer and tapping away at the design through 50 sheets of paper at a time. More on Papel Picado another time...