My personal #Chakra #SelfCare #CheckIn #Toolkit

I can’t help but love the magical thinking that happens when considering the chakras! The 7 Chakras are the energy centers in our body in which energy flows through. Blocked energy in our 7 Chakras can often lead to illness so it’s important to understand what each Chakra represents and what we can do to…

Special edition sugar skull sock monkey

This handmade, handsewn sock monkey is a special version of my sugar skull sock monkey line! She has an embroidered face and her dress is soft stretch cotton with crow design.  She is adorned with flowers and a little bird sits atop her head. Materials: Work socks Hypo-allergenic polyester fibre stuffing Embroidery thread Cotton Felt…

Sock monkey with hummingbirds #craftivism 

“If the hummingbird shows up in your life as a spirit animal, it may remind you to enjoy life’s simple pleasures and take time to enjoy yourself. The hummingbird’s wisdom carries an invitation to take part in and draw to you life’s sweetness, like you would drink the nectar of your own flower.” [source] —  —…

My special hand-sewn sock monkey kits now on Etsy!

Sock monkey kits! Now on my ETSY SITE! My special hand-sewn sock monkey kit includes: • Pre-sewn sock monkey body (ready to stuff and assemble and personalize) • Needle and thread • Felt heart • Button eyes • A little worry bird (made from glove finger) • How-to info • Information about my local to…

Craft: three birds, two monkeys, one tea towel. 

   This cozy sock monkey measures 18 inches tall and wears a tea towel dress and a little bird on her head.  Let her accompany you in your kitchen; she’s washable- so let her infuse your kitchen with magic as you wipe your hands on her dress.  The little blue bird adds an extra delight and…

Owl wisdom

Taking a somewhat silent retreat today to regroup and prepare for transitions.  Picked up an old sweater (80% merino wool, 20% cashmere) and created these little one inch plus tall baby owls. Perfect for holding in the palm while figuring stuff out. I have always found that sewing and drawing owls is a powerful experience. Stay…

Craftivism: Operation Sock Monkey’s Hummingbird Project

Today I worked with a group of Operation Sock Monkey craftivists to create hummingbirds for a very special cause.  Over 5 hours, we created 40 little ‪hummingbirds‬ for the Liz Elliot Memorial Ceremony and Potlatch happening on September 11, 2015 ‪at the SFU Centre for ‪Restorative Justice. SFU criminologist Liz Elliott, who was a champion of restorative justice,…

ART-INTERPRETED PERSONALIZED EMBROIDERED PORTRAITS- now available to order

   Portrait illustrated here of Ixquel Delaluna — ORDER YOUR ART-INTERPRETED PERSONALIZED EMBROIDERED PORTRAIT: ONLY $175 FOR 12″X17″ PORTRAIT (plus $20 shipping when using PayPal) HOW TO PAY: 1. Email transfer to britakatarina@gmail.com (save on shipping costs) 2. PAYPAL EMAIL ME FOR MORE INFO   

Recycled sock craft: dead crow. #Graphicnovel fundraiser. 

The crow guides my healing journey. It gives me the courage to enter the darkness of the unknown and to let go of fear. The crow reminds me to laugh, live and love fiercely as I embrace my life’s mission.  According to folk lore, finding a dead crow implies good fortune awaits.  I feel they…

Autopsy and the somewhat autobiographical nature of my graphic novel

I have been on a bit of blog-haitus of late.  Just experienced an amazing pull back into the past as a dear friend spent 9 days here visiting from Sweden.  We dove deep.  Real deep.  Drenched in Swedish.  Endless necessary exhilarating conversation. Fully open and torn open- finding old wounds long hidden- releasing them. Reflecting…

Lilla My #fanart custom made composition books. 

I love customizing composition books.  Prepping a new one for today. I am particularly in love with this one so I’m making this version available to you!  Lilla My fan art custom made composition books: Ready to contain your hopes, wishes, dreams, ramblings, musings, to-do’s, purges, goals etc. A safe place to vent as you…

10 Tuesdays. 10 Fridas. Frida No. 9: Frida and the magpie portrait

I’ve been celebrating my blog with an art event. The event honors the woman who inspires me to keep it going as an artist: Frida Kahlo. — For 10 Tuesdays, I have been creating/posting 10 different portraits of Frida Kahlo (plus some additional posts here and there) in some form/medium or another. It may be a…

Limited edition hand-embroidered print sale #graphicnovel

— I am making available 10 hand-embroidered prints entitled Who is it that can tell me who I am? featuring an original image from my graphic novel, Molly. —  — The print captures the moment a crow, the magician of the forest, adorned by a child’s skull as a crown, looks, with intense curiosity, into Lost Lagoon…

Day 4 and 5 Inside Out Project Summer 2015: Digging Deeper

INSIDE OUT PROJECT: OWN YOUR JOURNEY- Breaking the cycle of violence through creativity Inside Out Project – Own Your Journey SUMMER 2015 is a three week intensive arts-based program running out of Mountainside Secondary School (July 6-24, 2015) for youth ages 13-20 that uses the vehicles of therapeutic art, photography and stop motion animation to teach life and…

Pay attention to the birds: Part 6- Starling

Ah, the birds— and their delightful ways— this time of year in particular.  I just LOVE watching them! And I love when I feel something extra special in a particular moment that makes me stop and pay attention. The other day, I observed a flock of starlings.  I know many people call them rats, greasy…

Frida Kahlo handmade miracle sock doll.

I need a miracle.   Don’t we all have that sentence running through our minds at some point? Sometime we need to hold on to SOMETHING.  Like a doll. So… what would a miracle doll look like? So… I sew. The result: This Frida Kahlo Tehuana Headdress sock doll becomes a reminder to release and to stay…

10 Tuesdays. 10 Fridas. Frida No. 6: Sock doll in Tehuana headdress

 I’m celebrating my blog with an art event. The event honors the woman who inspires me to keep it going as an artist: Frida Kahlo. — For 10 Tuesdays, I am creating/posting 10 different portraits of Frida Kahlo in some form/medium or another. It may be a drawing, an object, a doll, whatever… A surprise. I…

“Crime Scene” creative process #graphicnovel

   — “CRIME SCENE” Testing chapter heading visuals for: Molly, my graphic novel. Creating on nickels and dimes. ‪ “… even if I had to paint my pictures with my wet tongue on the dusty floor of my cell.” – Pablo ‪Picasso‬ I can’t stop despite money worries and fatigue-inducing insecurities… Can I pull this off?…

VanCaf Reflections Part 5 of 6: Inspector Pancakes- lessons on marketing

  Fabulous afternoon at VanCaf Day 1- the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival on May 23, 2015! I have broken down some highlights from my visit into 6 blog posts: 1. Julian Lawrence, Drippy the Newsboy, Conundrum Press: BLOG LINK 2. Kat Verhoeven, Towerkind, Conundrum Press BLOG LINK 3. Emily Cowan, Boundary Comic BLOG LINK 4. Jasmine Schuett, Spaceclub Comic BLOG LINK 5. Inspector Pancakes…

Personalized One-of-a-kind Paper Dresses

Personalized paper dresses in MY signature style and YOUR chosen theme! HAND DRAWN HAND SEWN ORIGINAL ART WITH EMBROIDERY DETAILS UPCYCLED/RECYCLED — CONTACT ME at britakatarina@gmail.com TO CUSTOM ORDER Expect 6 weeks until delivery Many of you have seen my paper dresses come and go on the blog here. SAMPLE LINKS: THE BYPOSTSTREET LAUNCH PAPER DRESSES THE BYPOSTSTREET PUNK…

3 part Frida Kahlo interpretation.

At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can. – Frida Kahlo —         — Nothing is absolute. Everything changes, everything moves, everything revolves, everything flies and goes away. – Frida Kahlo —   

Sock sparrow. #recycledcraft

    My personal therapy is randomly picking up an old scrap, grabbing needle and thread and seeing what happens. In this case, I was donated a cozy pair of wooly socks and their color just told me- make a sparrow.  Recall: Pay attention to the birds: SPARROW “The sparrow reflects self-worth.  If a Sparrow totem…