The Yule Goat and an Honorable Mention

Did you know that the Yule Goat preceded Santa Claus in the lore of yesteryear? Apparently, he used to go around demanding gifts.  Maybe someone thought that wasn't very nice and then the story changed to the Goat giving out gifts for Yule.  Then, the Goat morphed into Santa Claus.  Above, you can see Father Christmas riding the Yule Goat. Hmm... interesting.  A way to transition the old with the new or is it like Durga riding the Tiger?  If you would like to read more about the Yule Goat, go to Wikipedia's link here.

As of late, it has come to my attention that while the mass consumption which supports large corporations is a sad mess, the idea of a magical guy who brings joy to children is something that appeals to me. Angelo knows that Santa is a "game of make believe that grown ups like to play too", but still gets excited seeing images of Santa Claus.  He knows Mommy and Daddy bring him presents, so it isn't the gifts that make Mr. Claus magical to him. It warms the cockles of my heart. :)

If you are into Santa Claus and other vintage Christmas imagery, you can check out my ornaments section in my Etsy shop. Or, if you're in the area Dec. 11th, you can come to the Local Artiste Market at Sterling Yoga.  I'll have magnets, journals, cards, jewelry, etc. 

A new camera is mine! So, I won't say there will never be another iPhoto pic here, there will be lots more photos in a better-than-they-were way. :)  Plenty of sewing projects on the docket ('tis one of the sewing seasons), so hopefully I'll be able to get some pictures of those to share with you soon.  

Oh, the Honorable Mention?  My Alice Girly over at the Altered Alice! :D

Shop Handmade on my Etsy shop!

There are some Black Friday/Cyber Monday price reductions in my Etsy shop!!  Journals, original collage art and more.  There's a swap/sell gathering I'm going to tomorrow and I'm vending at the Sterling Yoga Artiste Market Dec. 8th 2pm-8pm.  Send me good selling vibes! :) (thanks in advance).

Oh, and there's the Decorative Papers workshop at Sterling Yoga December 2nd! Super fun!! Join us!

Altered Alice Fall Colors Challenge

This time, I'm gonna make the deadline!! Whoo Hoo! Drew this Alice Girly for the Altered Alice Fall Colors Challenge.  Colored her with Prisma pencils, chalks and acrylic paint (a la Suzi Blu's La La La coloring methods, with my own interpretation). The background is acrylic paint, sponged ink and a stamped Tim Holtz tree.  I punched the leaves from some index cards I painted.  Distress Stickles are around the border. 

Maybe we should have a Mad Tea Party instead of Thanksgiving dinner...

Copyright 2011 Narah Kimberly A. Minardi All Rights Reserved.

On Gratitude

I do not have a picture to share to go along with this video, and I didn't see a way to embed it, but I am very Grateful to have found it.  It is quite inspiring.  It brings Giving Thanks to a whole new level.

"Live every day as if it were your first and your last."

Enjoy this 10 minute talk by Louis Swartzburg. (Warning, there is a naked rear in there, in case you care about that sort of thing. ;0)

Card for Baby J

copyright 2011 Narah Kimberly A. Minardi All Rights Reserved

This is a card I made for my college roomie who's having a baby soon.  I seem to make Love the central idea in baby cards because I've not known greater love than for my babies and am happy for my friends and other loved ones who are about to experience the same.  (P.S. A decided I should add the string and I think it's a wonderful addition. :)

Make Decorative Holiday Papers!

I have another workshop coming up on Dec. 2nd.  It is 7-9:30 pm at Sterling Yoga in Dormont, PA (2889 Glenmore Ave.) I'll be covering several new paint and ink techniques you can use on paper to use in gift wrap, gift tags, ornaments, holiday cards and collage!  You can even "re-claim" the gift wrap if you see it heading to the recycling bin to use in projects later.  Or, encourage the recipient to do so.  :) It's going to be lots of fun! There will even be wine and chocolate to get your creative juices flowing.

$40 includes wine, chocolate, instruction and all supplies.  You'll be able to use these techniques for years to come, so you can always have a creative, personal touch to your holidays and beyond.

I hope you'll join us!  If you do, please register so I'll have enough supplies on hand: 412-260-0533 or sterling yoga@verizon.net

Check out this holiday collage I made with examples I created for the workshop:

copyright 2011 Narah Kimberly Arrington Minardi.  All rights reserved.

Beautiful Digital Art

Keeping track of another link here.  Some beautiful digital art, website templates, etc.  Check out: http://avalonrosedesign.blogspot.com/ 

Handmade Halloween Costumes

You'll recognize the mask DH is wearing as the one A  painted.  A's costume is made of wool felt from a pattern I drafted.  Dana's "ghost" costume is just material tucked into her collar.

Here, A shows off his spider legs.  The black widow marking was my husband's idea and handiwork.  It is automotive reflective tape- decorative and a nice safety feature for an all black costume. It consists of a pair of pants, and oversized long-sleeved shirt with a casing/elastic at the bottom and a separate hood (though, I did tack it down after he had it on. No sticking him with the needle, believe it or not.) The legs are stuffed with poly-fill and tied off for the segments.  the ends are all connected with quilters' thread.

My ghost costume was inspired by this one. (I opted out of the fishnets and heels.) It's the one I ironed the material, drafted the pattern for, cut and sewed in about 3 or so hours (lots of anti-perfectionist methods in play).  Now, deciding on a design... well, that took quite a bit longer.  There are no finished seams or hems, but there was a lot of snipping and ripping.  If you'd like to know more, please contact me.

Out collecting Treats.  You can see the Trick-or-Treat bag a little better here.  The outside and lining are both quilter's cotton for cuteness and strength.

Hope your Halloween was awesome!!!!!

Unrelated, I found a site that lists sheet music images from the Library of Congress. It is massive and though I'm not sure I'll ever get through it all, I'll have fun looking!


Also, check out www.VinegarandGlitter.com for the Altered Book Workshop flyer.  Today is the last day to register!!