Celtic Name Art & the Book of Kells

Instead of doing another post about St. Patrick, I decided to do one on Celtic art - specifically the Book of Kells.  Not many people have heared of the Book of Kells, but it is one of Irelands prized possessions.  It is believed the book was created in a monastery during the Medieval period and it contains the Four Gospels.  In the 9th Century the book was moved to Ireland from Scotland; where it was eventually stolen and later found - minus the cover.  The book was returned to Ireland in the 17th Century and has remained in the Trinity College since.

What sets this book apart from any other is the immense decoration and illustration throughout the entire collection.  Each page contains elaborate letter articulations and some take up entire pages - which could include figures of humans, animals, mythical creatures, and Celtic knots. The illustrations contain a broad range of colors, with purple, lilac, red, pink, green and yellow being the most dominant. In the book there are ten full-page illustrations and throughout there are numerous decorated initials and small figures of animals and people twisted into designs and knots.

I took inspiration from the letter M found in the Book of Kells and painted name art for my oldest daughter - Madailein.  I also found the letter C in the book and will do a painting for my baby, Caitlyn, as well! 

I began my penciling out the letter M and played with the color a bit.

Time to start painting!  I selected brown, green and purple - and love how they look together.



I was going to stop with just the letter M, but thought it would look cute to have the rest of her name painted after the decorated initial.

Love how it turned out!  Next step - adding more decoration around her name and then on to Caitlyn's! 

Happy Crafting!

Legend of the Shamrock

With St. Patrick's Day around the corner, I decided to share the legend of the shamrock with you!  This will give you something to think about while drinking beer and eating eggs and cornbeef!

May your blessings outnumber

The shamrocks that grow

 And may trouble avoid you

Wherever you go.

Irish Blessing

For Irish-Catholics, the shamrock represents the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Legend states that St. Patrick used this local clover to illustrate the Trinity to the pagan people of Ireland.  Ancient Celtics believed the shamrock had mythical powers and held it to be a sacred plant.  St. Patrick likely selected the shamrock to show the concepts of Christianity using a symbol they could relate to.  This proved to be an extremely effective method, as many of the Druid High Priests coverted to Christianity. 

As with all legends, there is debate over the validity.  Whether this legend is fact or fiction, there is no argument that the shamrock has become a widely recognized symbol of the Emerald Isle! 

While on the topic of Ireland, I wanted to share with you a tapestry I made as a final in college.  This tapesty showcases various Irish symbols, mainly variations of Celtic knots.  As far as my weavings and tapestries go - this is by far my favorite piece!  I just can't seem to find the right spot for it in my home; it's quite large!

Ádh na nÉireannach and Happy Crafting!





March Crafting Goals

If you're like me, I plan on preparing for Spring this month!  With the unusual warm weather we have been experiencing I feel so motivated to get started with spring cleaning inside, spring cleaning outside in the flower beds, decorating the house for Spring / Easter and working on Spring crafts.

February was a very productive crafty month even though I did not get all the projects done that I expected.  I spent a lot of time working on the fabric hoops since I was loving how they looked.  The hoops should all be completed in the next week or two. 

Communion  Veils - did not get a chance to work on these since I was focused on the fabric hoops.  This project will be a top priority for March since the craft show is in a Catholic church.  :)

Valentine's Wreath - completed first with Madailein and turned out super cute!! 

Projects that were completed but not on the original plan - Thumbprint Trees for the Mommy & Me art class (which was so fun!!) and a new flower arrangement for the tv room, which I will share in a later post.  Overall, February was a success!

March goals
- Communion Veils
- Nursery painting for friend expecting first baby!
- Decoupage eggs (idea from www.marthastewart.com)
Happy Crafting!  What are your goals for March?

Embroidered Fabric Hoop Art

Second project of the month is in full force!!  I was so excited about how these were turning out that I spent a good portion of February working on them.  Pat Catan's had the best price on fabric hoops, and they seem to be better quality than the other hoops I was finding.  Fabric scraps are in abundance between my mom and I - so that was the easiest part of the project!

After selecting my fabric scraps, I used my Brother embroidery machine to embroider various designs and pictures onto the fabric.  Some designs definitely turned out better than others, and I quickly learned which ones would I preferred. While the machine was doing it's job, I painted the hoops to coordinate with the fabric and designs.

I love how they look!  Right now I have about 12 made and a handful ready for hoops.  My goal is to make about 15 more for the spring craft show.  Simple and thrifty art - can't beat that!!

Happy Crafting!

Come join me at Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays and Penny Pinching Wednesdays!

Finding Art Ministry - Idealism

Idealistic vs Realistic.  This was a theme I explored in one of my art appreciation classes in college.  It gave way to my favorite piece that I have created, even though I didn't actually do the artwork.  Let me explain!  I transposed various works of art that I felt depicted an idealistic world onto plexiglass.  On other pieces of plexiglass I incorporated various photographs of real life.  Using screws of different lengths, I attached the different pieces of plexiglass to form an Idealistic vs Realistic wall sculpture.  Loved it!!  At the time I lived at home and did not have the vision to keep the piece - sadly it was taken apart :(

I got to thinking about this sculpture today and decided to revisit one of the paintings I had selected that represented an idealisitc life.  The philosophy of idealism is to represent things as you would like them to be, rather than how they actually are.  I believe it is human nature to have a "grass is greener" attitude. 

This tendancy to fantasize about how life could be was prevelant in art during the Rococo movement of the 18th century.  Artists of this time were drifting away from the dark, rich works of the Baroque period and moving towards a lighter, more playful and colorful elements.  Most often cherubs, myths of love and high society were painted.



The Swing, painted by Jean-Honore Fragonard in the 18th century, is considered one of the masterpieces of the Rococo movement.  This painting depicts a young lady being pushed on a swing; while a gentleman hides in the bushes to catch glimpses of her.  Cupids and cherubs appear in the lush garden - portraying the playfulness and fantasy of this time.  The overall image showcases an idealistic life - however the meaning behind the work is one of deceit and betrayal.  On the surface we see what appear to be lovers, the girl and the young man hiding in the greenery.  It is believed the man in the shadows pushing the girl is actually her husband; and she is betraying him by allowing the young man to look up her skirt. 

This painting is an excellent example of the culture of 18th century France.  I love how at first glance it gives the illusion of the perfect life - but when you dig deep and look into the shadows you see real life.  The grass may look greener; but there could be slugs and mold growing in the shadows!

February Weddings - Timeless Beauty

Queen Victoria is believed to have started the tradition of the white wedding gown.  She was married to Prince Albert on February 10, 1840 in the Chapel Royal of St. James Place.  While reading articles on her wedding, I thought of the perfect theme for February nuptials - Timeless Beauty!

Prior to Queen Victoria's white wedding, usually only poor brides wore white.  This was a statement that she brought nothing to the marriage.  It also was not unusual for a bride to wear a brown or light green dress; or even their Sunday best, as their wedding gown.  Early Victorian era dresses following the tradition of the Queen's white were made of organdy, tulle, lace, gauze, silk, linen or cashmere.  Bridesmaids also wore white and veils attached to a crown of flowers.  Typically the bride wore orange blossoms and the attendants wore roses.


Photo credit: royalcollection.org.uk
Painting by Franz Xaver Winterhalter of Queen Victoria in her wedding dress

Another tradition started by Queen Victoria was using myrtle in bouquets.  Prince Albert's grandmother gave a bouquet containing myrtle to Queen Victoria during a visit.  The Queen then planted some of the myrtle in her garden - where it still grows today!  The Queens daughter, Princess Victoria, was the first bride to carry myrtle in her bridal bouquet.  Every royal bride since has carried myrtle from Queen Victoria's garden in their own bouquets. 

If you can't tell - I am fascinated by royal weddings!  Especially since there is so much history behind them. I used Queen Victoria and her era as my inspiration when coming up with a theme for this month. During the Victorian era flowers were an important part of society - they even had their own flower language  Small handheld nosegays were very popular during this time.  For a Timeless Beauty wedding; I am envisioning small bouquets of ivory and chocolate roses.  All the colors of the wedding party and decorations should compliment this theme; in various shades of ivory, chocolate and gold. 

Unfortunately, I have had a lot on my plate and was not able to make my own vision for a bridal bouquet to go with my theme.  However, I was able to find a picture on the internet that coincides with my vision!

photo from preservedfloralsbylizann.com

This bouquet would be just lovely for a Timeless Beauty themed wedding!!!  Ivory and brown can be extremely elegant when done properly.  Add in some lace and it gives the entire wedding a vintage feel.  Don't be afraid to get as unique as you want with your wedding!  This is your time to shine!  :)

Mommy & Me Art - Thumb Print Trees Part 2!

Over the weekend I had a Mommy & Me art class at my house.  We had 3 kids plus my sister and Madailein participate.  The kids had so much fun painting!  It is such a joy to watch children paint or draw - their vivid imaginations come alive and they have a great time just exploring color and shapes.  Here are some pictures of our weekend!

Madailein getting ready for everyone!  She wanted her Mickey friends to join in the fun.

Time to get started!

Pure joy!

The finished masterpieces!



Happy crafting everyone!!