happy holidays…

Posted on December 23, 2013 by susie carranza studio

can you believe Christmas Eve is here?!

December ends with me trying to do more painting…

excited about the reaction to my hand painted wood ornaments & seeing the last of my hand stitched ornaments sold (as seen on the beautiful Christmas tree from Frozen Ropes Sports Training Facility in Glendora where several of my ornaments hang) …

and hoping for a peaceful, no-drama Christmas Eve with my familia.

I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas. 2013 was rough & I’m happy to see it end. hoping 2014 brings lots of love, laughter, and dreams finally coming true…♥

(the beautiful angel figurine in photo is from my mother’s Nativity scene.)

my sister patty…

Posted on November 1, 2013 by susie carranza studio

it’s Dia de los Muertos time – a time i LOVE. the tradition, the colors, the altars…all the beautiful ways of celebrating the lives of loved ones no longer here on earth.

i had planned to blog about Dia de los Muertos: share photos from events we planned to attend, share new Dia de los Muertos artwork, create a new altar and share with you…

then, on October 20th, 2013, we unexpectedly lost my sister Patty.

everything stopped.

i closed my Etsy shops indefinitely. stayed off of Facebook. retreated. looked after my parents.

one day i’ll share with you the story of my sister Patty. she was one of my biggest supporters. she would go to my Etsy shop without telling me and buy LOTS of items – never asking for a discount, AND paying for shipping. (we live in the same house.)

as my brother Tommy best describes it – “your story is one of redemption, inspiration and love.”

me & patty

i miss my sister. whenever we have our own home and set up our altar once again, and when i’m ready, i’ll have a very special place for her.

rest in peace, patty.

’tis the season – for Dia de los Muertos…

Posted on October 17, 2013 by susie carranza studio

i love this time of year, when there are lots of events and shows celebrating Dia de los Muertos. i was going to write about it, but realized i already did last year, which you can read at Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead: Honoring Loved Ones No Longer Here. i also love creating pieces Dia de los Muertos style, like these hand painted & embellished mini wood coffins. they’re perfect for keeping on your home altars for your loved ones who are no longer here, with space inside for small mementos or treasures.

hand painted and embellished mini coffins, Dia de los Muertos style

i’m happy to say that the first three sold quickly after i posted photos on my facebook page – so i created more today:

mini wood coffins, hand painted and embellished Dia de los Muertos style

hand painted and embellished mini coffins, Dia de los Muertos style

here’s just a sampling of some of my DOD (Day of the Dead) work on our website:

and some from my Etsy shop:

i learned so much about Dia de los Muertos from Annette Armas (i’ve mentioned her before, Annette of CJ’s Angels and our Arte de Nuestro Corazon business partner). she creates Dia de los Muertos art like it should be: beautiful, colorful, culturally-inspired, in a way that honors the tradition of celebrating loved ones no longer here.

check out some of Annette’s work for yourself, and let me know what you think:

work by Annette Armas

Annette and her daughter Theresa also have a gorgeous 2014 calendar out right now, with 14 all new images, all Dia de los Muertos (the calendar is available for purchase right now at Arte de Nuestro Corazon, while supplies last!):

So – do any of you celebrate Dia de los Muertos? what do you do? if you have a related blog post, please share in the comments. i’d love to see what you’re up to for Dia de los Muertos…

from black and white to color…

Posted on July 23, 2013 by susie carranza studio

i LOVE drawing in black and white. give me a Sharpie and some white paper (preferably cardstock) and i’m happy!

i posted back in April how a visit to Huntington Library with my husband and my sister inspired me to draw. and i did draw – a big sun, with shooting rays, some stars, over a cluster of flowers.

then i took it from black and white to vibrant and bold COLOR…

…and i like it! what do you think?

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if you like my work, please follow me on Facebook at Susie Carranza Studio. i post there regularly.

playing with my Gelli Plate…

Posted on June 12, 2013 by susie carranza studio

i won a Gelli plate on the Crafty Chica Cruise in April and i’ve had so much fun playing with it! i wanted to share some pictures from my first time using it.

i started with gathering up some items i thought would make cool impressions: angel wing die cuts, flower shapes, ribbons, feathers, a piece of tulle, beaded necklace, bubble wrap (my favorite!), and yes – those are the triangular thingies that come with your delivered pizza to keep it from sticking to the box.

then, i just experimented on white cardstock. my very first print was using bubble wrap with my favorite paint color, Americana Calypso Blue…(click on photos to see larger images.)

my favorite effects were the simplest items: bubble wrap, a simple piece of ribbon, and shapes i hand cut from card stock.

the more i use my Gelli plate, the more possibilities i find. i can’t wait to start incorporating it into my mixed media pieces!

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the size i used here was the 6″ x 6″. well, this past weekend my husband bought me the next size up – the 8″x 10″ – as an early birthday present. i can’t wait to use it!