Full Moon in Leo Double Artist Feature

Full Moon in Leo
January 29th, 2010
10:18 pm PST

Let Leo's energetic and extroverted energy inspire your self-confidence. Generous warmth and vitality come more easily now in this fiery Leo time of the proud heart. Let dramatic outbursts entertain and feed your creative appetite. Leos ARE special and need special treats too, especially to feed the inner child. (Excerpted from the We'Moon Datebook).

Nina Glaser
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
shop: ninaglaser.etsy.com
fine art: www.ninaglaser.com
I've always thought it was funny that Leo's are known to be extroverted and crave center stage- because I consider myself to be pretty shy! The more I think about it and analyze it though, the more I realize that while I'm not extroverted in personality and demeanor, I am a lot more open and up front in my paintings! I'm definitely a lot more fearless in my art, so maybe my creative side is right on with the Leo's!
I went to college for painting and illustration and recently earned my Masters in painting. After painting non stop in grad school for two years straight, I felt like I wanted to use my creative energy towards something different. I was excited that many of the patterns and images that I created for my paintings could be easily transferable into home decor and paper goods. And thus, my love affair with Etsy began.
Block Printed Napkins


Starting my own business and getting to be my own boss has been really fulfilling for me. A common Leo characteristic that I've always related to is the need for control. Leo's are determined not to fail, and at the end of the day, need to feel like they have accomplished something. I love that I get to make my own products, promote them, converse with customers about them (sometimes I even get to hear lovely stories about why the customer is buying my products), and then ship them out! Its the full process, and I find it to be loads of fun!

On my most ideal day, I get to sit at my desk with a cup of coffee in the warm shining light of the sun and create create create! I'm a fire sign, after all!

Lesha McElvy
Herndon, Virginia
EarthRitesBags.etsy.com

I have always known I was a Leo in heart and spirit: generous, loving, independent, faithful - I am all of those to the extreme, but creative, self confident, spontaneous? Me? There must have been a mistake somewhere, or so I thought.

As a Leo, I am in constant battle. My brain, the male lion, is always working, calculating, thinking, and analyzing. The playful cub that is my spirit, wants to chase after butterflies, wander into the woods, be in awe, and wrestle with the other cubs. The male lion and cub bicker all the time, fighting to win, needing to prevail. My heart, the mother lion; loving, giving, nurturing, cries for harmony and unity. This has been the way I lived my life.

One day, I can not tell you which or when, but one day, my heart slowly won. By following my mother lion, she found a way to bring about change, harmony and happiness. There are still days that the fighting goes on, but my heart if I listen, can still it. And like any great woman, the male lion and cub are willing to follow.

EarthRites Accessories was the mother lion's idea: analyzing, organizing, structuring, visual geometry? My brain is spinning in circles and thrilled. Touching, feeling, experiencing - my spirit dances in delight! My heart can flow through my hands, guiding my work, loving and creating. There was a self lesson in this for me as well. Creative, self confident and spontaneous? Well, I guess I just needed a nudge.

Silk Lined Tarot Runes Bag

Starting EarthRites was a scary process for me. Jumping right in and following my instincts when lacking the self-confidence was no easy task. There was no thinking because I would quickly think my way out of it. I still hide the receipts in a box that I have not tallied up, knowing that if I look at it too soon, I'll stop. I am mixing fabrics, stones, metals, and even herbs and nuts to make bags I know will belong to someone one day. As each one sells, I am gaining my confidence, truly "knowing" and understanding this is what I am supposed to do. I finally feel like I am headed in a direction going somewhere, instead of spinning in circles.

When I make a unique bag, I know it is for someone in particular, I can feel it in me. My hands instinctively pick out the fabric and I feel the intuition flowing through me, guiding my every step, fighting with logic, to make the perfect bag. I am pulling out things that I would never think to include, mixing colors that make my brain scream. I can feel myself channeling the other person's energy and when it is completed it sits on a shelf until that person finds my store. As I send it out I know it was made just for them, special, just like they are.

My spirit guide said to me one night, "Loving is creating." This is how I work. This is how I live.

You can read more Full Moon posts here.

New Moon in Capricorn Artist

New Moon in Capricorn
11:11 pm PST
January 14, 2010

This month’s New Moon is in the sign of Capricorn, a cardinal earth sign, meaning that Capricorn types like to be the boss, but in practical ways relating to the earth, foundation, structure and whatever brings value, meaning and status within society and our fellow human beings.


Some key words for Capricorn are: ambitious, status quo, self-discipline, common sense, logic, patience and self-sufficiency. I like to associate Capricorn with paternal figures, landlords, bosses and rules!


The shadow side of Capricorn relates to workaholism, emotional constriction, sorrow, loneliness, and time-serving. Capricorn also relates to our bones, and especially our knees that can give out when we work too hard, haven’t you noticed?


So as we enter this New Moon phase get ready to:


- Ground your intentions in right action in the material world.

- Strengthen your willpower and commitment to purpose.

- Channel your ambitions in accord with your duties.

- Get serious.

This month's New Moon in Capricorn artist is Shannon, a Canadian jeweler I recently discovered on Etsy. I do hope you enjoy her exquisite work and her passionate writing as well!


Shannon
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
GiftedDesigns.etsy.com

I've always enjoyed astrology and I've always played with it a little, but it's interesting to see just HOW my sign interacts with everything I do. According to many people, I'm not at all your typical Capricorn; my personality is too open and friendly and I'm always laughing whereas Capis are usually seen as serious, reserved and driven by an almost obsessive need to achieve and succeed.

Not to say that I don't have that drive, but it's countered by my Ascendant Aries which is where I think I get all my fire and verve!

That said, I definitely have some less immediately noticeable traits that are unmistakably Capricorn and that definitely come into play in my jewelry and pretty much everything I do. They often mix in with my Aries Rising, but they are still there.

Let's take that obsessiveness. When I start something, I jump into it with both feet first and I am SUPER passionate about it. I read and I learn and I want more of whatever it is. This is definitely true when it comes to gemstones, I NEED to know what they are and how good they are. I need to know what the different types of metal I am using are and the terminology involved. The more I do this and create, the more I have the need to know more and the more I have a need to have the BEST gems and metals!

Multi-colored Glass, Antique Brass & Aqua Tiger-tail Necklace

That's where materialism comes into play. Capricorns can be quite materialistic; they like having the best of the best and achieving the best possible positions in whatever they do. They like being around successful people and being successful themselves. In that aspect, I'm no different. I LOVE owning beautiful beads of precious stones, love knowing where they came from and how good they are. I love knowing that these creations of mine are not inexpensive both to own AND to create and that the people who will own them can afford to buy them. I love that each and every single piece is OOAK (original, one-of-a-kind) and unique and so to own the piece means you own something no one else has. I love knowing that each sale is a small step towards success for me and that that will lead me to fulfilling other goals.

Aside from just loving the stones for their beauty and value, I feel a deep connection to them because they were once a part of the Earth. I think part of that is because I am an Earth sign and so I feel grounded and of course, the more playful and fiery Aries does counteract that quite a bit with some high-spirited flightiness, but when it really matters I'm serious and in control and ready to take on what I need to to get ahead.

Sterling Silver and Red Bamboo Coral Pendant Necklace

In terms of work ethic, I LOVE the minutiae of creating jewelry. It's just SO meticulous and you need to have so much patience. I love handling small pieces and knowing that when I'm done, I will have made something that is beautiful and something to be proud of. I love being able to adjust a jump ring so precisely that if I have to open it again, it'll take me a few minutes to find the seam. I love being able to align pieces together perfectly and to create asymmetrical designs that are JUST SO and so they have their own sense of symmetry, at least to me! The perfectionist in me is always out when I am hunched over my desk working on a particular piece. I even go so far as to wear all necklaces , bracelets and rings for a day so I can be SURE that whoever purchases it will be happy with it. I keep track of the good and the bad and whatever is bad gets adjusted until it too is good. Only then will a piece be listed.

In terms of organization, the Capi and Aries in me fight it out on a daily basis. On one hand I can be organized but on another my environment can be chaotic and messy. Either way, the chaotic mess always ends up being conquered at some point when I get fed up of looking at it. Even when the mess is there I still know precisely where everything is and so it's really less of a mess and more akin to orderly disorder. It just LOOKS like a mess! If my Aries were just a tad weaker, I doubt I'd ever be disorderly. *lol*

Mexican Turquoise, Serpentine and Silver Necklace

I love the competitive feeling I get when I see other artisans' pieces that I love. I love knowing that those beautiful items are competing with and complimenting mine. I take pride not only in my work, but the work of others and I aspire to reach the heights the artisans I admire so much have reached. I love being told my pieces are beautiful and that I have talent and will go far. It feeds that need to succeed and reaffirms my commitment to my craft.

So when people look and interact with me, they see a vivacious, positive, happy young woman with immature tendencies. Once they get to know me better, they realize that there are much deeper levels to me and that I have a rigid streak inside me, that I like things to be done in a certain way, there's an order to things after all! They also see that there is a serious side to me. My need for symmetry and perfectionism, my drive to keep going and not give up even when I sabotage myself because of insecurities that I struggle with daily. My need for acknowledgment and to make and have the best. My single-minded determination to accomplish whatever I want. All these things are Capricorn and all these things come into play in what I do. I can be thankful for them because they allow me to create the wonderful pieces I create along with my more playful Arian traits. Both compliment each other well and give my pieces a signature that is uniquely me.

To read more New Moon Artist features please click here.

Capricorn Artist – Kara Mother Henna

New Moon in Capricorn
January 14, 2010 11:11 pm PST Annular Solar Eclipse 11:06 pm PST
This month's featured Capricorn artist is a vibrant and vital part of communities both online and offline. I hope you are as touched and inspired by Mother Henna's tale of strength, knowing and compassion as I am.

Capricorn Resources: Self-discipline, common sense, logic, patience, persistence, self-sufficiency.

I love doing henna as body art, but I also love using it to make intricate sugar skulls.

The heART of a Capricorn

by Kara L.C. Jones aka MotherHenna

When I was young, it was a mystery to me why I was a Capricorn. I hate gravity. I am not an Earth lover, and I do not like digging in dirt and playing with earthworms for growing my own food. I always hated the idea of climbing because it equated to social game-play where we try to climb from lower class to upper class. My heart was and is the five to eight year old child who spent every moment of summer daylight in the ocean or swimming pool until my mother dragged my raisin-crinkled-skin physically from the water so I would eat and sleep in preparation for another day in the water the next day! My fascination with hotels stems from the fact that we visited many a swimming pool when we traveled. To this day, a hotel pool on a hot day with a cool glass of iced tea - wow! Feeds my heARTist being big time.
It was only in recent years that I fully began to understand and SEE all that Capricorn is. It is not just the skilled climbing of craggy rocks that the Goat does best. Capricorn also has a *Fishtail*!!! She is watery. She swims to the depths of the sub-conscious and brings her dreams to the Earth, made manifest in spite of gravity and linear space-time. Oh! I get it now.

I love to work digitally, too. My Capricorn Goat likes the orderliness of digital work. My Capricorn Fishtail loves to swim in all the possible palates, brushes, layers. Every single move made in Photoshop creates a different version of my heART!
How is my heART influenced by Capricorn? Heck, my heART *IS* Capricorn made manifest. Forget "influenced by," I AM! My heART IS. As I began looking, not just at the finished art pieces, but also my process of being a heARTist, I could see my Capricorn birth all over the place. There are a million tiny steps up the craggy slope, no matter what medium I work in for a particular piece.
Photography: Which camera, digital or film? What kind of film? Lighting? Set up? Development?
Digital: What elements do I want to pull in? Colors? Layers? Brushes? Filters? Crops? Alterations?
Henna: Which plant powder? Moroccan? Rajasthani? Sticky agent? Molasses? Honey? Terp? Lavender? Cajeput? Do I want to henna skin on body or instrument head? Or wood or paper or as layer on canvas?
Physical: Canvas? Paper? Book? Carve a stamp? Which blade for stamp carving? Thick or soft acrylic? Transfers? Materials for doing patterns? Bottle caps? Produce netting? Bottle corks? Edge of credit card? Colors? What images appear?

Every step shifts the path of a piece. And I love swimming through it all! My days are full of swimming these kinds of options as I build up a piece layer by layer. But my days are also full of swimming through a creative life. My life is a million steps up craggy slopes, swimming a million items on the to-do list. Make time for art-making. Research. Write. Do proposals for heART presentations and workshops. Inventory and re-supply. Balance the books and invoice for work done. Get finished pieces photographed or scan to share online, send out for submission possibilites. Do those submissions which include images, applications, emails. My work is about creativity and grief, so there are emails, calls, meetings with bereaved families and caregivers who want to explore this with me or need other creative support. Actually doing blog posts and updating the website. Keeping our catalogue current and promoting it so more commissions are generated. Making sure we are getting and sending all that needs to come and go via the post office. Not to mention things like, oh I don't know, eating, seeing the kids and grandkids, maintaining our romance and inspiration by doing things like art dates, connecting with friends. Oh, and sleeping.

Pretty sure it is my Goat who just keeps taking another step, one at a time, making our way, being present for the journey, regardless of outcome. And it is my Fishtail that loves the swim, and unstructured structure, the choices, the ability to make my own meaning as I go through it all.

Madame Zolda and the 1,000 Faces Deck

It all became a metaphor and guide for making my way through the aftermath of grief when our son died, too. There is the Earthy, one extremely rocky grief step at a time, the marble jar full of my son's ashes. And there is the drowning wave of having a different emotion every three seconds, the tumult of grief, the swimming through my subconscious as I try to relocate love now that his physical body is gone. Creativity during grief definitely involves art for me, but art is just one possible creative grief tool. My practice has become more about the creativity it takes to start at the moment of trauma, and then moves the body across space-time into learning to live life in the face of loss. That movement is different for every single one of us. There is no prescription for grief. So I let my Capricorn self come to full manifestion in doing grief and creativity work. We all have the common context of taking one step after another in grief's wake. But the swim through the heART process and finding out which tools will actually work for us, is unique.

With that full picture of what Capricorn means, I was able to come into my own. Re-birth my heART and understand my Capricorn birthright. The mystery now is just the awe of watching it all unfurl, one step at a time.

About the heARTist:
Kara is Grief & Creativity Coach over at www.MotherHenna.com and creator of the 1,000 Faces of Mother Henna project. Some of the 1.000 Faces pieces are available at her www.MotherHenna.etsy.com shop.

You can read more New Moon Artist Features here.

Full Blue Moon in Cancer Double Artist Feature

Full Moon in Cancer
December 31, 2009
11:13 am PST
Partial Lunar Eclipse at 11:23 am PST

"As she moves into Cancer, the moon brings up memories and all the emotions that accompany them. This is a fertile time as tears fall more readily nourishing your roots. All arts are encouraged, especially the alchemy of cooking. Cancer Moons are natural empaths; they feel so deeply that sometimes they need to retreat to their shell and renew. They understand what nurtures our culture and they're challenged to stay open, to find strength in their spine and not just in their well-defended shells". Excerpted from the We'Moon 2000 & 2009 Datebooks

Jenni
dutchtouchbeads.etsy.com
dutchtouchbeads.blogspot.com

The moon pushes and pulls at my creative juices, just as it controls the tide. It is this ebb and flow of emotions that provides the breadth and width of my designs. From simple earrings to complex necklaces, I never know what a new day will bring in my studio as it is dependent on my mood. I love working with watery elements, pearls in particular, as they provide great soothing to my soul.

Having a little studio tucked away inside my cozy but busy house is a delight. I pour so much of myself into my home and yard, desiring to provide my family with a positive and peaceful atmosphere. Some of my most cherished moments are of watching my children play outside my studio window while I work inside and being overwhelmed by the feeling that all is right in my little world.

Havana Green Turquoise & Topaz Crystal Earrings

Granted, I'm a sensitive little crab, but I believe that this is what allows me a greater ability to really understand what a customer is seeking and to be able to design incredible custom pieces that delight the receiver. I am very organized and hate waste! Many of my one of a kind earring designs incorporate left over pieces with creative flair as I simply cannot imagine not using all my beads! I've very curious to see what creations unfold during this December full moon period.

Amy
glenandconstance.etsy.com
bobbinoodle.blogspot.com
athomehiptser.blogspot.com

I am a twenty-one year old Cancer from sunny California who just can't stop working with my hands. During the day I'm a student of Theater Arts and at night I'm a wig stylist, assistant costume designer, stitcher, blogger, tv watcher, dog lover, playwright, and Etsy seller. My Etsy work and most of the work I do outside focuses on eco-friendly fashions in honour of my love for transforming something old into something new.

My Zodiac sign definitely affects my work! If my moods change drastically my work will also change. The sensitive side of me shows up when I receive negative or positive feedback about my work. My parents are also artists so I've always been subject to creative criticism. If someone doesn't like the price of an item, the Cancer in me wants to lower it - I'm a people pleaser. Luckily the business woman in me usually takes control.

Couture/Avant garde neck piece


While my work is often soft and beautiful, it is also rooted in humor, and I believe my sense of humor is my strong suit. Perhaps the greatest influence upon my work is my overactive imagination. I will spend hours at a time when I'm at work, at school, at dinner parties or at the grocery store, lost inside my head, developing new spectacular things, or maybe just imagining the next color to dye my hair.

You can read more Full Moon Artist Features here.

Full Moon in Cancer Artist Feature

Full Moon in Cancer
December 31, 2009
11:13 am PST
Partial Lunar Eclipse at 11:23 am PST

"The Moon in Cancer reconnects us with our depths, the oceans of emotions, and can make us homesick for our idealized home. We can choose to feel overwhelmed and get defensive, or find home within ourselves, cozy up our world, and reconnect with our true feelings".
Excerpted from the We'Moon 2009 Datebook

Jennifer Lester

WisdomPathArt.com
WisdomPathArt.blogspot.com

As a Cancer I am already personally connected to the moon apart from my astrological sign. The moon has always been important to me and right now with both a full moon and an eclipse happening at the same time I am filled with energy. During a full moon, I always feel more productive and I seem to get more done leading up to it.

Recently, I started painting the goddess Athena, along with one of her symbols, the owl. I enjoyed the owl so much that I created a separate painting of it, and included a full moon in the background. I didn't really think about why I did this, it was intuitive. Now in retrospect I can see the significance of it.

Athena's Owl - 8" x 10 " - pastel & pencil

I feel that the moon brings us energy from the divine feminine along with time for reflection upon inner truths and wisdom and I'm very excited that we will be starting out the New Year with this kind of energy. I feel optimistic and inspired going forward and I am sure the moon will continue to influence myself and my art.

Eva
Shop: LadyArtisan.etsy.com
Blog: LadyArtisan.com/elusivemuse

I’m very new to Zodiac-related stuff, other than the basics that everyone knows (like what my sign is) but have been surprised (and somewhat amused) to find so many Cancerian characteristics that fit me to a tee, both personally and artistically.

My personality and artistic nature both fit the dual nature of Cancer well. I much prefer to work alone and find it quite hard to create anything when I have an audience of any kind, even one that’s not actually watching me. At the same time, teaching is rather easy for me and I love the one-on-one type of relationships and connections that an artist and small business person makes with their customers. I enjoy being able to help people figure out what exactly they want in the piece I make for them or help a customer find exactly the right piece to suit them.

I definitely love the past and most things related to history, and this reflects itself regularly in my work. One of my favorite aspects of making a piece is the research I might get to do while preparing or planning the design. History plays a huge part in my thinking and imagination and I like to indulge in it while working on my art.

Leaf Seasons Journal Pamphlet

On the less stellar side of the sign, I definitely have a tendency toward being untidy, moody and irritable. But I find that as long as I have regular, consistent time to work on my art, I am much less apt to fall into moodiness and irritability.

I am a self-taught artist, bookbinder and sculptor. I’ve been sculpting for over eight years now and binding books for around five years. Working in leather is my latest love and something I’ve been working on for about two and a half years now. My non-artistic career was as a secretary, both executive and administrative, but I much prefer being an artist.

You can read more Full Moon Artist Features here.