Thursday, December 8, 2011

Chakra Balancing Meditation music Very Intense NO ADVERT

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Making Resin Angel Pendants~show and tell




Just a quick (ish!) video before I took the bull by the horns and set the designs in resin. I don't know what I was so scared of, it was REALLY easy! I think what frightened me was that you've ony got 45 minutes once the resin is mixed with the hardener....but actually I only needed 15 minutes to do it. Sorted! I will definately be doing more of these, it was FUN!

Resin Pendant Kits from:

Just waitin' for them to dry now! 
Mustn't fiddle with them...BE PATIENT!!!! 
Love and Hugs
Serena
xxx

Sunday, December 4, 2011

New images for Angel Healing Pendants (part 2)

Here are the next 3 Archangel designs, and the final one representing Frigga.
Please keep an eye on my Online Shop as the finished pendants will be on sale this week!


Ariel:



Archangel Ariel~ Key Word 'Energising''. Other associations: Nature Spirits, energy, courage, playfulness, innocence.
Colours that radiate Ariel's energy: green, orange, red, silver.

Gabriel:



Archangel Gabriel~ Key Word ''Inspiration''. Other associations: predictions, action, fertility, confidence, dreams, dispelling negativity.
Colours that radiate Gabriel's energy: purple, green, orange.

Zadkeil:


Archangel Zadkeil~ Key Word ''Mind Power''. Other associations: cleansing, detox, mental agility, intellect, memories.
Colours that radiate Zadkeil's energy: blue, white, silver.

Frigga:


Figga, Fertliity Goddess~ Key Word ''Fertility''. Other associations: creativity, love, divination, all encompassing energy.
Colours that radiate Figga's energy: red, brown, orange, yellow.

These designs will be much smaller than they seem pictured here, but they'll be set in resin, which gives a magnifying effect, emphasising the details.

Have a great week everyone!
Warm Hugz and Blessings,
Serena
xxx




New images for Angel Healing Pendants (part 1)

Hey all, hope your weekend has been full of laughter and relaxation. 
I've been finishing off some designs (or mini paintings) for my 'Angel Healing Wearable Art' collection.
The first four are dry. I've done 7 Archangel designs and then I will have one design representing Frigga, the Norse Goddess of Fertility and Divination. I think we can all relate to Her, She's THE life force of creation!
Through my research, I have found that there is a huge interest in Angels out there. I myself have had positive, personal experiences with my own Guardian Angel and it has lead me to believe that these forces are truly ones that are all around us, guiding, protecting and offering life reforming energies that we can all tap into despite our particular religious beliefs.
These pendants are going to be set in resin and attached to cord so they can be worn on the body as both decorative and spiritual pieces.
Here are the first four images. I will be setting them in resin this week. 

Chamuel:


 Key Word ''Joy''. Other associations: love, comfort, uplifting, healing, emotional balance, anti-stress.
Colours that radiate Chamuel's energy: red, orange, pink, silver.

Jophiel:


Key Word ''Beauty''. Other associations: art and artistic pursuits, ideas, inspiration and energy, connection to spirit.
Colours that radiate Jophiel's energy: pink, blue and silver.

Michael:


Key Word ''Strength''. Other associations: protection, courage, truth, integrity, detoxing.
Colours that radiate Michael's energy: red, bright blue, silver.

Raphael:


Key Word ''Healer''. Other associations: Love, tenderness, compassion, safe travel and comfort.
Colours that radiate Raphael's energy: green, blue, yellow.

The images are representational of Angels' wings and halo with radiance of colour flowing from the centre. 
Each colour scheme is my own interpretation of each Angel's essence, for example in the above design, healing and comfort, green suggests healing and blue comfort and calm.

I really hope that one or more of them draw you in! Think about what you need in your life the most and choose your Angel image so that you can carry around that energy as you go about your daily life. I am sure that you will begin to feel the Angelic vibes!!!!


Friday, December 2, 2011

'Abandoned' (my first book written for teenagers)

I have always wanted to write for young people as throughout my years of teaching English as a foreign language in Greece, I would write short stories for my classes. As well as helping them with their English, the stories would also be great discussion starters and would allow me to address certain themes prevelant at the time. Relating to my students and their problems and issues allowed me to get them talking through stories about children of their own age and how they dealt with every day life. 
That is what I would like to continue, getting to the nitty-gritty of subjects, but in an entertaining and interesting way. Books should be friends~ they reassure people of all ages that they are not alone. They can inspire and comfort, just like Art. I hope my stories do that.
Here is my design for the cover and the basic synopsis for my first novelette. I don't want to give away much of the story as yet as  I will also include some chapters as tasters for you all to read and leave a comment on in the Blog section if you like! All comments, positive or negative, are very much appreciated as always. Enjoy!
abandoned cover

Abandoned~a teenager's journey of self discovery.
Casey is a spoiled sixteen year old. She does not appreciate her loving parents or other children who don’t dress like her or listen to the same music. When her father accepts a post as a village Doctor and they move into a beautiful old mansion in the countryside, she is determined to rebel. Bored and angry to have left her friends back in the city, she decides to defy her ‘selfish’ parents completely, refusing to make friends with neighbours Lee and Lisa, and determined to spend her days alone.
But her bad attitude is about to change. 
She discovers her punk rag doll under her bed, but it is not the Eliza she made with her own hands. This doll is sad and torn and makes Casey uneasy and afraid.  On a solitary walk she comes across a house that looks exactly like her own, but is deserted and burned out. It haunts her with terrifying feelings which will draw her back there again and again.This begins a rollercoaster ride of fear, intense emotions and self discovery.The house weaves the web which entangles Casey into a series of events connecting the doll, the boy called Lee and her fated future.
Why does Eliza the doll keep appearing in that house?
Who is the handsome boy wearing her Nirvana tshirt who hangs out in the burnt out attic bedroom and why is he petrified of her?
Gradually, Casey begins to piece together the sinister clues that manifest themselves in that house. Her journal entries and sketchbooks lead her to a terrifying discovery. Can she look deep into herself and mend her selfish ways before she destroys herself and all the people she loves?

Chapter 1
Something isn't right here
June 5th~11.35am
Casey hurled her i-phone towards the pile of crumpled clothes in the corner of her room. Angrily, she chose the loudest Rock song she could find on her MP3 and snatched the earphones from her bedside table. Her best friend Stella wasn't picking up and she really needed to talk to someone. Closing her eyes, she pushed the earphones into her ears and let herself fall back onto the unmade bed. Loud music always helped her block out the world around her and today she didn't want to be aware of anything or anyone at all. 
She hated the new house they had recently moved into. It wasn't as much the house itself, just the dread of what she would do all summer without her friends who were now hundreds of miles away. She had already seen the nearest neighbours, who were at least ten minutes walk away, sitting on their lawn listening to severly irritating chart hits. The girl, who was probably a year or so younger than Casey, seemed to her to be a bit dull in her floral dress and silly sandals. The boy, as far as she could remember, was about eighteen although it had been difficult to tell, not having stuck around long enough to catch their attention. There was no way that she was going to waste her time even talking to them as they obviously had nothing in common. She could hear mum's insistently gabbing voice in her head now,'Why don't you go and make friends with Lisa and lee, love? Lee's only a year older than you! And their parents are so nice, they came to welcome us to the village yesterday...'
'Nice'. How bland. Mum was disillusioned if she thought for one single second that she would hang out with them. It just proved to her that her parents didn't understand a thing about their own daughter. They were too busy fussing around all Dad's patients at the clinic and trying too hard to make friends with everyone. What about her? Did they care about her at all? Had they bothered asking her opinion as to whether she wanted to move or not? No. Plain and simple. Anyway, she didn't need them. She didn't need anyone.
Her Doc Marten boots felt heavy from trudging around in the woodland behind the house. They had left a muddy, wet line smudged across the pillowcase. She kicked the pillow and scraped her foot along it, spreading the mud even further. Mum would kill her but she didn't care.
She hung herself over the side of the bed, feeling the blood pumping in her temples. Twisting her head a little, she could just see dim outlines of boxes and junk under the bed, some of the things she hadn't even taken out the boxes.  Ther was the xbox that her parents had given her when they moved. She didn't want more things, she just craved someone to talk to, someone that understood her. She flipped over onto her stomach to reach further underneath and suddenly her hand touched something soft, something like wool. She laughed outloud as she pulled out Eliza by her hair. She thought mum had thrown her out ages before they moved, saying as always that she looked evil and manky. But here was the doll she had made all by herself from scraps of clothes and old socks. She pressed Eliza's dusty hair against her cheek and felt strangely comforted. She sat up and arranged Eliza so she perched, lifelike, on the edge of the bedside table, her striped, lanky legs bent up towards her chest. 
'Hi Eliza,' Casey whispered, pulling some fluff out of her bright yellow hair, 'I missed you. I guess it's just you and me now.'
Casey stared at Eliza's huge, uneven eyes that were outlined in thick black acrylic paint. She had hated all the other dolls that relatives had given her throughout the years. Stereotypical bodies and faces of 'beauty' that everyone was expected to adhere to. She had always prefered the misfits, the ones who were considered ugly for it would be them that came through as the strong ones, the ones who had good hearts and more than one brain cell in their heads.
Suddenly, Casey's eyes went blurred and a she swayed a little, overbalancing for a second. A feeling of unease gripped her chest as she tried to focus on Eliza. She turned down the volume on her MP3 and shook her head to try and clear it. Kneeling on the bed, she looked back at Eliza and what she saw sent a hot blazing stabbing sensation into her chest. She drew a breath but her lungs felt tight, too tight to breathe at all.
Eliza had moved.
Her legs were hanging down now, but not limply as a rag doll's legs would. They were bent at the knees, and her head had turned so her eyes fixed on the window. Eliza's head never moved, it was sewn too tightly!
That was not the worst. Her face had changed. Her mouth wasn't smiling as it had been when Casey made her. Her thin lips were curled down at the corners, the stitching loose and torn at one end. She had been smiling when she was pulled from under the bed. 
Casey realized she had been holding her breath for way too long and let it out with an almost deperate sigh. Something isn't right here, she realized with dread, and gasped as an icy finger slid up her spine. Without thinking any more, she jumped up knocking the bedside table against the wall with a thud, grabbed her bag and almost flew down the stairs, her hand covering her mouth so she wouldn't actually scream. She was screaming in her head though. She had to get away, as far away from her bedroom as possible.
Chapter 2 will follow shortly...............
These are some of my illustrations. I aim to totally emerse myself into Casey's world which has meant making 'Image & Mood boards', collecting pictures, researching the feel of the world and the atmosphere I wanted to portray. 

casey 1
Casey's style and clothes are important. They tell us she's not a fashionista, she's not 'girlie' and she is not taking any crap!
casey2

casey3
eliza
Ragdoll Eliza


skate lee
Skateboarder Lee


Some other initial 'concept' building images that inspired me..........
abandoned house caerleon wales
kl0022


nice wall
I just LOVE LOVE LOVE abandoned buildings and URBEX.......




woodland

this inspired Casey's woodland walks

grunge man
Kurt Cobain, Casey's Muse and styler for 'Rocker Lee'

'thumb_shoes
Sketchbook pages from Casey sets the style for the book's interior, with doodles and notes made by Casey. Song lyrics, outfit ideas, hair ideas....dreams she has.....
emo design
emooooo
lees sketch
emow
rob smith

Watch the 'Grande Finale' here...Parts 1-3 on my website :)


Please visit my website to watch the full tutorial!
Birds Become Fishes Art Tutorials
The actual card I made here is for sale in my Online Shop here:
Yuletide and Christmas at Birds Become Fishes
Wow, it was loads longer than I thought it would be and I relaxed a lot more towards the end. (Too many OKs and ERMs...:))

Please get making and post some photos so I can see the outcomes. 
Mwwwwwwwahhhhh! 
xxx

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Free Online Art Tutorials now available!

So I've finally done it!
As promised I have uploaded Parts 1 and 2 of my first Free Tutorial Series.
They can be viewed on my website:


Learn how I made this monkey:



Take some time to read the supply list underneath the video in Part 1, then you'll be ready to start!

Please be gentle on me, it's my first attempt...
Oh, and I know that a) the cam is too far away (there's nothing I can do! I've tried!) and b) that I'm always saying ''Ok'' and ''erm'' (you don't realise until you actually see yourself.)
I'm sorry! I'm going to try and NOT say these rambly things! 

Please do leave comments about it (not too rude please or there'll be tears!)

Please keep checking back because I'll be uploading more and more. 

Lots of love and Hugz
Serena



Tuesday, November 22, 2011

UPDATE! These are all on sale now from Etsy and our Online Shop

Hello everyone,
I do hope you are well and getting ready for a great Yule Celebration! Of course it's Winter Solstice first on my calendar, I hope you are considering buying some of my unique Winter 
Solstice Greetings cards?

I must apologise, as it seems that I'm always plugging my work! I am, it's true (ashamed, a bit...), but I promise that once all my wares are listed, I'm going to be doing a LOT more free 
stuff such as the arts and crafts tutorials online. I can't wait to start those!
So, here are the new items. 
First up...ART PRINTS.
You have seen some of them before:
     but.... 
I have revamped some of the designs using 3D paint and glitter gel. Sparkly and magical!












 These are now available in my Etsy Shop:


Now, for the new Christmas /Yuletide Card Collection:
'Silver Magic'





These are available individually or in packs. Please visit:


In the next blog, there will be a couple more promo items and THEN.....

freebies!!!! :)

Now, lastly, I am going to be awarding (if that's the right term?) all my current FACEBOOK fans 10% off their first order at Birds Become Fishes.
If you would like to receive this promotion offer (just in time for Yule shopping!) please head over to my Facebook Page and clicky clicky! 


See you all soon! 
Bright Blessings and positive vibes,
Hugz
 Serena
xxx


Thursday, November 17, 2011

Amethyst and Flourite Healing Bracelet~now made to order!

G'Morning everyone!
How art theez today? Heehee!

Here's my new bracelet that I created last night. We all suffer from anxiety and stress these days, so I wanted something that could be worn on such occasions, something that not only looks as pretty as can be, but performs a function. This bracelet is perfect!


This bracelet has been designed to relieve anxiety, offer psychic protection, balance the nervous system, calm the mind, sooth anger and balance mood swings.

It is made of sterling silver wire which I have shaped lovingly to give a series of decorative elements which have two types of crystal chip attached. These move quite freely which helps them to connect with the skin.

Crystals work best when kept next to the skin as the skin absorbs the crystal's energies.

Amethyst, the purple crystal, is said to be the stone of tranquillity and contentment and encourages peacefulness and emotional balance; perfect for those times of anxiety or anger.

Flourite, the pale green crystal, is said to have a harmonising effect as it balances the nervous system. It is used widely in meditation as it improves focus and opens up intuition. Perfect when you feel unbalanced emotionally.

This bracelet also has a silver Carabiner clasp.

I am working on an 'Anxiety & Stress Relieving Gift Set' in which this bracelet will be included. The sets will consist of a Greetings card taken from my original painting of Chamuel, the Archangel of Harmony, the bracelet, an affirmation card to carry in a wallet or purse and an Amethyst crystal upon which to meditate.



This will soon be available in the online shop!
I will post the link when I have listed it. 
Thanks for reading.
Namaste
xxx

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

New products for Christmas/Yuletide. Gift Tags!

(Please note: As for November 2012, all my Yuletide/Christmas products will be available from my Etsy Shop. Please CLICK HERE)

Good afternoon or evening (or even morning) to all my readers. It's really freezing in my little house today and my hands are cold (typing fast helps thaw them out!) but I've been creatin'!

Please take a look at this pack of gift tags.
There are 10 in a pack, 5 of which have the message 'Merry Yule' and 5 which have the message 'Joy'.



Each tag is decorated with sparkly glitter and has a lovely silky red thread attached for easy attachment to your gifts. 

The envelope is also hand made by me and contains the tags and protects them until you need to use them. A red ribbon is attached to keep the envelope secure. It's still a few weeks to Christmas so they can be stored safely.


Also.......

My fiance and I have created this beautiful 2 layered butterfly. We painted the butterfly design and then printed it out different sizes onto gloss photo paper. 


The butterflies also look great framed. We will be showing you what it looks like in such a frame and we will offer them framed as well.
We think it's fabulous and we will be producing a variety of colour schemes.
Please email me BY CLICKING HERE to order a Butterfly card.

Please keep checking our link, or look out for the next blog post.
Keep Warm and Cosy, Blessings! 
Serena 
xxx



Sunday, November 13, 2011

Introduction to Art Tutorials Online


Please watch this video and subscribe to my Youtube Channel to follow all the upcoming free art tutorials!
Learn how to make my popular Christmas/Yuletide Card as seen below, with free templates sent straight to your email inbox!
Blessings xx