tarot cards of the day

Tarot Card: Six of Swords
Character: The Anointed One
Upright Meaning: Departure. Movement away from difficulty or danger. Journeys. Overcoming of obstacles.
Reversed Meaning: Unexpected developments, temporary relief from difficulties. One obstacle after another. Negligence. Possibly a stranger.
Question: Is your current journey physical or mental?
Advice: Sometimes what looks like a savior turns out to be a decoy. Watch out for false solutions and quick fixes that never work long term. Also, ignoring the problem won’t make it go away.




King of Cups: A successful professional who is in a powerful position. Does not always clearly display feelings and can have hidden depths. Honest and faithful lover.
Inverted: Someone whose talents are washed out by emotional excesses. Could be great but dwells incessantly on emotions. Alternatively, a totally dishonest person with no conscience who will lie and deceive with no remorse.

Well, OK then. Apparently the King of Cups is not going to leave me alone until I do something about it. Note to self: make time to call, it won't kill you. It may irritate you slightly, but just deal.

And as for you, oh annoying one, you are the creepiest of the creepy, so it's hard for me to take advice from you. What looks like a saviour may be a decoy. I think that's already happened. And ignoring the problem won't make it go away. Why, oh why, is that always true, eh? So what's the best way to address the problem? Not ignoring it. But perhaps taking a look at myself and how I react - they're not going to change. I can choose get frustrated or not. I will try to choose not this week. We'll see how it goes.

Cryptic much?

banners

I'm experimenting with some new banner ideas for my etsy shops. Opinions would be welcomed.

The former banners:

yellow

It was difficult to pick a favorite yellow picture from the flickr photo challenge, because they are all really interesting this week. There's some more wonderful fall foliage, a couple of raincoats, a rubber chicken...

But I have to go with Katie's star fruit party as my favorite this week.



I love the shiny blue plate and the reflections. Of course we like to anthropomorphize everything, don't we? And these little guys really do remind me of, well, little guys! I expect another one to meander in with its slightly aloof cowboy gait, holding a beer in one hand, er point, that is, and a glass of punch for his star fruit girlfriend in the other.

Here's my yellow photo.




I was entertained to see the yellow Troeg's beer tap right smack in the middle of the row at Applebee's during my regular Tuesday night outing with the Cumberland Singers crowd. Troeg's is a nice, rich Pennsylvania beer that comes in several dark-ish varieties. Personally, I like the Dreamweaver Wheat.

etsy front page

I think this might be the first time I've been on the front page of etsy. Needless to say, I was very excited. This front page was up (I think) from about 8 am to 11 am or so this morning. The item in question in my cane work egg shaker, amid a page of other wonderful handmade instruments.



The way the front page of the etsy site is chosen is through the treasuries. Etsy members (buyers and sellers) can curate treasuries of a collection of 12 favorite items. The collections stay visible for 1 to 3 days (random), and then the etsy staff picks from the treasuries and posts one of the front page every so often. It's pretty fun, and it means that lots of different items make their way to the home page of the site.

Here's another one of my clay cane work egg shakers.



I really enjoy making and playing these. They start with a plastic Easter egg (which means these are nice and sturdy) filled with beads, seeds, rice, or other noisemaking materials. Then I cover them with thin slices of polymer clay cane work (this particular cane is named Danielle) and other clay embellishments, like this one's spiral "belt."

This one is available here at my etsy shop. I've been known to play one of these at gigs, and they have a really great sound - each one is slightly different.

tarot of the day

Feeling the need for some more Buffy guidance.





Tarot Card: Ace of Cups
Character: Oz
Upright Meaning: Love and happiness. True love. Good fortune and pure intentions.
Reversed Meaning: End of a love affair. Failure to find love. Negative influences of the subconscious.
Question: Who has been taking control more often lately, your true self or your alter ego?
Advice: If love has just arrived, nurture it. Don’t let negativity creep in and ruin it. If love has left, don’t despair; this is to make room for a better situation to begin. Either way, do some dream analysis to better understand your subconscious influences.

Oh boy, my alter ego really did take over a bit today. I ran out of patience with a situation that has been festering for a while, and my wolf definitely came out for a minute. OK, so what would Oz do? Oz would chill. He would look at all the sides of the situation rationally, and he would make every effort to fix it if it's worth it or he'd let it go if it's not. Problem is I haven't decided whether it's worth it or not. Must ponder.

tarot card of the day

I couldn't decide which deck to use, so I used both. And well, it's awfully manly, ain't it?


Tarot Card: Major Arcana, 19. The Sun
Character: Principal Wood
Upright Meaning: Inspiration. Glory. Happiness. Victory. Approval. Abundance of energy. Masculine nature.
Reversed Meaning: Nostalgia and dwelling on past successes. Resting on one’s laurels.
Question: Are you basking in past glories and neglecting the present?
Advice: If you’re bursting with energy, use it. If you’re dwelling on the past, get over it. Don’t be afraid of what’s next.


King of Cups: A successful professional who is in a powerful position. Does not always clearly display feelings and can have hidden depths. Honest and faithful lover.
Inverted: Someone whose talents are washed out by emotional excesses. Could be great but dwells incessantly on emotions. Alternatively, a totally dishonest person with no conscience who will lie and deceive with no remorse.

OK, then. What can I take from this? Two really strong masculine figures, but both with some fairly monstrous emotional issues. I definitely have abundance of energy and creativity right now. I am in fact bursting with energy. Am I using it? I think so, although in a rather haphazard way - could be more focused. Every project is getting influence by the next and the previous. That can be good and bad, depending on the project, I suppose.

Also, the king of cups brings a few people to mind. One is a friend who "is" the king of cups in my deck. I haven't talked with him in a long while, even though we live in the same town. Probably time for a call. Also, the picture reminds me very strongly of a relative of mine. (Ahem, anyone else see the resemblance?) I doubt he has any purple pants, though. (Then again, what do I know?)

And as for the sun card - I almost never pull it for myself, at least not in my original deck. I never pulled it once in the first 10 years I had that deck (although it showed up in lots of readings for other people). So why is the epitome of masculinity jumping out today? Well, if you'll excuse me, I'll have to go ponder that one.

orange

The second color is up at our rainbow photo challenge over at flickr. This is a great time of year for orange! We've got leaves, flowers, Halloween "peeps" and other good stuff. My personal favorite this time is my sister's Pumpkin Patch photo. I am a sucker for pumpkins, especially laid out by the dozens in fields. I like the shape of this photo, and I especially love the way it shows bunches of different shades of orange. Because after all, you can never have too much orange.

My photo for orange (admittedly a copout, because I was way short on time this past week) is one of my necklaces. It's a real attention grabber, with bright complementary colors and various shapes and textures. It's name is Alissa, because that's the name of the cane originally created for a PCAGOE challenge. The challenge necklace (quite an extravaganza) is here, and this is the second one (a little less mammoth this time).

If you're participating in the challenge, don't forget to vote for orange and starting thinking about yellow!

poinsettia jewelry

It's almost time again for dressin' up festive-like and hunting for unique and wonderful gifts (not necessarily at the same time...)

Here are a few pieces from the DivaDea poinsettia collection. I don't work in red and white too terribly often, partly because of how the red clay and the white clay like each other a little too much and tend to get mergy. Nonetheless, I talked them into behaving for this poinsettia cane, and I got some crisp flat beads and some yummy, Christmas-candy-like millefiori beads.

The bracelet measures about 7 inches around, strung on stretchy cord, so no clasp. The necklace is 15 inches long with a silver-tone barrel clasp.

The cane slices for the earrings were cut before the cane was reduced too small, so at over 3/4-inch across, they are big and crazy party earrings!

These poinsettias and a few more will be making there way into my etsy shop this week!

Red

Since I'm not actually voting for entries in my rainbow photo challenge on flickr, I figure I'll post my favorite for each color here every week.

This is bell shadow by ColleenM. A bell across the way makes a silhouette in the red light. I love the way the red is sort of the background of the picture, but yet it's what you notice because the color is so vibrant.

As for other red photos, there are shopping carts, reflections, produce, and toile, all fabulous! Here's the entry I did about my red photo, a scene at Eastern Market in Lancaster.

Buffy meets South Park

OK, I admit it. I think South Park is funny. I know that makes me a bad person, but hey, that's not my only personality flaw.

I followed a link from the etsy forums (where else?) to here, and here is the resulting hilarity.

It was like I just couldn't stop myself... I still want to make Joyce, Dawn and Drusilla. And maybe Kendra. And Riley. Oh, and Harmony. Oh dear...

My annual trip to Avalon

"They have not forgotten the Mysteries," she said, "they have found them too difficult. They want a God who will care for them, who will not demand that they struggle for enlightenment, but who will accept them just as they are, with all their sins, and take away their sins with repentance. It is not so, it will never be so, but perhaps it is the only way the unenlightened can bear to think of their Gods." Morgaine of the Fairies

Ain't that the truth.

One of my great joys is the annual reading of The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I read it once a year, need it or not, and it never fails to delight, fascinate, comfort and challenge. One of the themes that grabs me every time is the philosophical struggle between the Christians and the Pagans. Personally, I jive with the idea that we are born again and again with lessons to learn and karma to repay each time. And that there are people in our soul group who we find over and over. Am I sure? Of course not. But there's no reason I can't be fascinated with the idea of it and hope for the best, is there?

The same way one character at a time in my beloved Buffy takes hold of my mind for weeks at a time (Giles, leave me alone already!), at each reading of this book, there's a character who jumps out at me and holds me hostage until I agree to do some thinking. This time it's Kevin Harper, the second Merlin of Britain to show up in the story. Is he a traitor or only doing what he was ordained to do? What is treachery anyway? When do we hold on for dear life to a tradition, an old-fashioned way, a dear belief? And when do we realize the thing we love and thing we hate are at their roots the very same? Did he deserve his fate? What is the definition of loyalty? Is he a better person for having suffered all his life, and if he'd grown up to be an everyday shopkeeper type, or even a regular Druid priest instead of Merlin, would he have been much more simple-minded and shallow? Note to self: appreciate the biggest bummers from the past - where do you think your life smarts came from anyway?

"For all the Gods are one God," she said to me then, as she had said many times before, and as I have said to my own novices many times, and as every priestess who comes after me will say again, "and all the Goddesses are one Goddess, and there is only one Initiator. And to every man his own truth, and the God within." Morgaine of the Fairies

black and white

I'm loving this one, made of shiny paper, recycled greeting card, and embossed images. On the inside it says "Life isn't black and white." Because, really, it isn't.

It's living at my etsy shop with many of its snarky friends.

Red

This is the first week of my flickr rainbow photo challenge. (There's still time to join if you want!) Here's my red picture:





This is at Lancaster Eastern Market where I sometimes sell, or attempt to sell my clay creations and greeting cards. There are vendors there who sell art, locally grown and organic produce, Morroccan food, organic Ethiopian food, fresh flowers, and other stuff. There's usually a musician or two who play in front of the tables shown. The mural in the background is really huge and fabulous. Even though you can't tell from the picture, Eastern Market is located directly on the street in Lancaster city, so there's traffic, dirt and noise galore.

Congratulations, really.

For that friend or family member who's getting married for the nth time, may I present...

Fill in the blank greeting card.

thepaperwhisperer.etsy.com

Lancaster Art Walk

I will be hanging about with piles of polymer clay goodies as well as Halloween and other greeting cards at Eastern Market (308 East King Street) this Saturday, 10/6, from 9 to 2. This weekend is Lancaster Art Walk, so lots of stuff will be going on, and galleries will be open. Should be good fun. Hope to see you there! (I will be at regular Eastern Market on Saturday, 10/13 also - come visit me!)

New photo contest on flickr!

I'm hosting a photo contest on flickr. It starts next week, and you can find the info here. It's all about colors - one per week, to be exact.

Anyone can join - you just have to have a flickr ID and a camera. The challenge will last 7 weeks, and there will be prizes! Read the group info page for all the rules and whatnots, and feel free to email me at admin@divadea.com if you have any questions.

I'm looking forward to meeting some new people and taking and seeing some new cool photos!

Invite your friends - everyone is welcome. Oh, and there will be prizes!

mokume gane

The November challenge for PCAGOE is mokume gane. I figured I'd get a head start and see if I could do it. So I grabbed some colors I don't really like, figuring if I made nothing but a huge mess I wouldn't have wasted my orange clay...

I read a few tutorials and then starting piling up the clay. Amazingly, I liked the result so much that I decided to cover a frame with it. The next attempt will be better, because I'll use better colors and add some metallics and paints, but I'm pretty happy with this one, too. It's straight out of hippie psychedelia and so easy to make. Fun!

I crack myself up...

I'm finally finding time to finish cards and post them to my new etsy shop, the paperwhisperer!

**Caution: Snark to Follow**

I showed some of my latest greeting to my father and my uncle, and they laughed. Quite a lot actually. Which tells me that perhaps my cards are appealing to middle-aged men. I am fairly certain that this is not the main demographic at etsy. Or craft shows for that matter. Yet, I press on.

Here's a useful one for that person who has seriously moped long enough. The inside message is: get over it.



And here's a beauty to congratulate someone on her new baby:
At least it's not triplets.



There are also some cards of the non-snarkilicious variety, like seasonal note cards for fall and Halloween, made from scrapbooking paper, stamped images, recycled bits of magazines, and other embellishments.


Check thepaperwhisperer often - I have about 80 more cards ready to post :)

Arriving soon: snarkified wedding cards!

Glory??

It's random tarot card time again. This time I pulled Glory. Hmmm.



Tarot Card: Major Arcana, 16. The Tower
Character: Glory
Upright Meaning: Ruin, disaster and destruction. Catastrophe, often unforeseen. Sudden loss. Major disruption and change, eventually resulting in enlightenment and freedom.
Reversed Meaning: Less severe disaster, but still big changes and loss. Virtual imprisonment in circumstances outside of one’s control.
Questions: If the disaster has already occurred, what will you do to minimize the effects? If the disaster is upcoming, is there anything you can do to prepare? Are you refusing to see the signs of a coming upheaval?
Advice: Running away probably won’t help; the problem is likely to follow you and find you. When you’ve picked your way through the rubble, something will emerge new and improved.

Again I say, hmmm.

I think this has to do with an issue I'm not ready to discuss publicly just yet. Someone's going to be unhappy with a decision I make, and it may very well lead to disaster. But I'm sure it's going to lead to something new and improved, so to speak, which is why I will forge ahead. But it's apparently not going to be without some trauma. Sigh.

Or possibly I just really need to dye my roots - Glory does have her some fab hair.