Kalaya Steede

This week I've been working on a gift to give for Valentine's Day but my mind gets in its way and says things like... it's more stuff, more clutter, and I don't want to give something to someone for it to become their burden. GET OUT OF YOUR WAY ALREADY! Now I'm stuck on my own ideas, and my own judgments.  What's really going on here? Hahahaha!!! Okay anyway, I came up with this design satisfying two needs.  One, the need to give, and second, the need to let go. My partner in crime needed something to send in to a race called the BIGFOOT 200 . So I designed this key chain.  He can decide to keep it or send it away. Either way my feelings won't be hurt.  It was a way not to attach myself to a piece or even an outcome. If that makes any sense at all? Here is the process if anyone is interested. I think you can get it all from the pictures. Cut it all out, AND THEN just put it all back together. Kind of like Humpty...

Bonjour beautiful people! I usually start off the year with big plans of making many pieces for the holidays.  Meaning for winter solstice!  I know...it is at least 11 months away but before you know it, it will be the end of summer and then panic will ensue!  Hahaha!!! My most recent piece I made was for that special lady who travels in a caravan with her ' Sisters on the Fly ' group.  I only had a week to finish this project but the idea had been simmering in my brain for at least a week prior to the deadline.   First the rough draft... I decided how big it was going to be and made a sketch with notes on what I was "planning" on doing.  So far so good.  You can see the cut out tin, a button for the wheel, and a glimmer of what will be the door.  That small window was cut out prior to cutting the shape of the trailer because it makes it easier than cutting it out later.  Trust me...I know!!!   The back pl...

"While death burns the lips of other cultures,  Mexicans are familiar with death,  joke about it, caress it, sleep with it,  celebrate it;  it is one of their favorite toys and their most steadfast love." ~Octavio Paz I have made a lot of designs in jewelry but am always happiest when making skulls.  A friend of mine last night actually told me that she thought my best work was with the skulls and why not concentrate on that alone?  Oh...would not that be business suicide?  Hahaha!!! Who knows but I think I need to do what I love. Currently I am having mucho fun at making these skulls and am in the process of designing more skulls of a scary kind.  These skulls are made from recycled Louisiana license plates, found objects, and tin collected from several places, Mexico being one of them.  Although a friend of mine brought the ones from Mexico on over. Words are stamped on the back side of everyone of the TinSkulls....