It's BOO time!

It's October, the BEST MONTH EVER!!
Hey, not growing up in the U.S. means I get to be a kid in October. There is nothing wrong with that, right?
I have been having the time of my life with my little family- crunchy Fall walks, bike rides, purplish air brushed sunsets, every kind of pumpkin baked concoction you can dream of, not to mention haunted houses...I had to miss a craft meeting I was REALLY looking forward to because of a sinus related annoyance but I managed to get my hands into a craft this weekend anyway...So simple. And super cheap. In fact, it was almost free... So this is what you need:
mini pumpkins
some Halloween themed paper (or if you don't have any like me, just get whatever)
some wire (to hold the cards)
a jewelry wire bending tool or your pliers from your toolbox
whatever else rocks your boat (for embellishments)
* I am not a scrap booking girl, so if you are, the possibilities and endless. I just like to slap some glue around and be done with it.

wire card holders

little cards made out of card stock and other stuff

adjust your swirlies to make sure your card stays put

start putting it together...

go find a place to put it!

Fun stuff!! Thanks for checking it out and have a FANTASTIC Halloween :)
Beijos,
Ally Pye.

1 year later- Got a paintbrush? Then toss it my way!

It's been a year since my last post.  I have missed blogging so much!
It has taken me 6 months (since finishing grad school) to recover from choices rushed by unclear threats of vulnerability and an unfamiliar craving for security.
I have since made some radical decisions in an attempt to refuse a life of settling- my job was eating away at the very core of my being, depleting me of all things that matter, so I left it.
I picked up a paintbrush about a week after I cried myself to sleep everyday over leaving a good paying full time job in Michigan- which at the time seemed like the stupidest thing I could have ever done.
Things are now shaping up slowly and I could not have hoped for a better future for myself and my family. Patience in speech, action and thought have been indispensable in this journey, along with remembering that the best answer is found only within. I am grateful for my husband's generosity and understanding in the past few months and for the unceasing joy I find in my children.
From my personal "Dark Ages" to the resurgence of light, I am still standing as a dynamic, resilient being who is ready for her Renaissance!

Here are the latest paintings:

Thank you for reading! Its good to be back:)
Beijos,
Ally Pye.

Paintings for Lizzy

I have had the pleasure of working on a series of paintings for a couple who is having their first child (a baby girl); the mother happens to be one of the most patient people on Earth, and has provided the most loving daycare for my Bella Boo for a few months. This job gave me a chance to further develop some sketches of animals derived from my elephant drawings from months ago and an excuse to hang out in my cave (basement studio area) for many hours. So here they are, finally done!

I hope you like them! I am pretty proud of the way they turned out and hope that Lizzy will enjoy them too :)
Thanks for reading!
beijos
allypye.

Birdies- sewing adventure # 3

I've started to look at patterns while in stores and realized that if I ever depend on them to sew it will just NOT happen. I don't know what it is but patterns confuse me more than quantum physics, so I am not going there as of now. I've decided to sew these little birdies, which I hope will be an effort eventually multiplied to 30 (? arbitrary number...) so I can redecorate our Christmas tree. These were my first attempts:

These guys sure made my day. A super easy, rewarding sewing adventure!

Thanks for reading!
beijos
allypye

This is my newest piece. I worked on a different painting project yesterday for 7 hours, and even though I was exhausted after that, I still wanted to make something just for fun. This little painting has a bit of collage, some thread and acrylic paint. 

It is starting to combine some elements that have been a part of my sketches for months now, so it feels like I am developing some sort of recognizable pattern. Although I realize that I might be overusing this color palette, its just too much fun to stop...

I hope you like it!

Thanks for reading!

beijos

allypye

In Defense of Food

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book gives you a perspective on viewing American eating habits that goes beyond food itself. It tells you how we got here (to the age of obesity, heart disease and diabetes)- and then it helps the reader in finding ways to escape this mess. I LOVED it. note that the last chapter has a lot of the same info found on "Food Rules".



View all my reviews

Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Picked this up 5 hours ago. Flash read! great advice, simple and straightforward.



View all my reviews

Bella Boo Fun- FEET PAINTING!

Hey everyone, I just wanted to share some pics of my amazing four year old stomping away with her rainbow toes! It felt amazing to watch her! So much fun! If you want to try this at home or share it with someone, here is a quick list of what you'll need:

PAPER PLATES

ACRYLIC PAINT

BIG SHEETS OF PAPER

WATER (FROM A HOSE IS BETTER)

OLD TOWEL

Put a good amount of each paint color on the paper plates (one color per plate) and have your little one step onto it covering the bottom of their toes with paint (be careful, its super slippery!); Have them step on the paper and make different designs with their feet (dancing on the paper is fun too). Make sure to hose off the little toes before moving on to a different color. 

Thanks for reading!

beijos

allypye

new painting

Quick post to share this new one. I working on drawing a bunch of these whimsical fairy type girls. Today I just needed to paint something... It was a lot of fun!!!

Thanks for stopping by! There wasn't much "reading" this time!
beijos
allypye

Sewing Adventure #2

hello all!
Today I am going to share my second sewing project with you. Please keep in mind that I am an infant. Therefore harsh criticisms aren't fair  ;)
We have a fairly large dining room table, and I lOvE dressing it up with interesting place mats and table runners (the World Market appreciates this obsession very much!); so I've decided to make place mats! This first attempt turned out to be completely useless, but I am madly in love with it nevertheless!
Second cautionary note: The stitching is a crude mess of thread so just try to be patient with my newborn attempts to survive in sewing land!

Cut out leafs

Trying to embroider a little

back, or front, if the other side gets dirty;)

 That's it my friends!

Thanks for reading!
beijos
allypye

Little Paintings...

Well, I don't have to say that I am having a little affair with fabric lately right? 

It just so happens that I am working on a series of children's paintings for a new bundle of joy who is to arrive later this year- my first COMMISSIONED set of paintings, if I may say so humbly!

But before I painted the series, I've decided to get some practice with actually painting on a canvas again. The combination of needing to paint for practice and not being able to let go of my new found love of fabric gave birth to these little OwLs...

I like them. not sure yet about the metallic blue background, but who can resist a request from a angel faced 7 year old?



NoT Me :)

Thanks for reading!

beijos

allypye

I made a dress!!

As unbelievable as it may sound, allypye, the daughter of a wedding dress seamstress does not sew. The machine sits and waits but my insecurity trumps the desire to hear that oh so familiar sound of the foot pedal, the needle up and down, stitching and mending new and old things. I remember as a young girl standing very still while my mom took measurements for silk pajamas which matched silk pink sheets, making me feel like I was sleeping on a slippery Popsicle.
Sewing was her thing, and she was so good at it, I couldn't even try to measure up.
But years later, thanks to my WONDERFUL mother-in-law, I tackled the first step to what I hope will become one more outlet for creative bliss!
I bought this DRESS for Bella from Amy @ Small Potatoes and although the pattern seemed so simple, I had doubts that I could make one myself; just for messing around sake, I went to Freshly Picked and shared the link with Cindy Lou who encouraged me to buy the fabric so we could tackle the project together.
And we got it done in one afternoon!
Check it out peeps!!!

I tackled a sewing machine. YAY!

Thanks for reading!

beijos

allypye

I am beginning to like the sound of this!

Lately some things have clicked in my mind about crafting. I love making stuff for kids (especially girls, but hoping to expand to boys too soon); although the line that separates fine art and craft still makes a buzz in my ear from time to time,
I've decided to gear my Etsy Shop to Children's ART and Accessories. Making this stuff makes me feel great, and it provides a whole new avenue for expression. I think it can only do good things for my future fine art endeavors, rather than harm them, as I had previously assumed. The frame of mind that I put myself into while making kids crafts is incredibly energizing. Being immersed into a world of color, beauty and fantasy inevitably gives me a more positive outlook and a different perspective not only in art but in life as well.
As I write this, words like fullfillment, joy and satisfaction come to mind, and I become amazingly humbled to know that these are the things God knew I needed in my life! How amazing are the gifts and their amazing power to heal and renew.

Thanks for reading!
beijos
allypye

Girlie picture frames

This weekend I decided to work on these picture frames that were laying around in the basement; I really didn't want to spend any $ so I dug out some fun paper and forgotten pop up stickers, grabbed some paint and went with it! I REALLY enjoyed making these! They will look quite adorable hanging in Bella's room! Check it out:) 

The basic process was to put a coat of paint on a wooden frame, and then play a little with textures to give the project a rich base. I picked out papers to compliment paint colors and decoupaged it onto the frame with some Mod-Podge 

I then added some pop-up stickers, but as a suggestion, i would do that before using the mod podge

since the stickers did not stick on so well the first time I tried these.

Final touches were made by adding some self-stick gems

and that's all!

 thanks for reading! beijos,

 allypye

Hair stuff for my Bella Boo!

OH my GOSH! I have craft fever!!!! SERIOUS CASE! So excited about making stuff this summer I don't even know where to start:) What a great problem to have huh? I am pretty sure I will be working on some fine art stuff as well (more on this later), but right now I am working on making hair accessories for my beautiful daughter! I had a post about the same thing last year during Halloween but I like these new ones much better!

Thanks for reading!

beijos

allypye