Follow me to the Renegade Craft Fair...

Hi Folks!  I'm so so happy to announce that made by l'moore will be at the third annual Renegade Craft Fair in the City of Angels this summer!!  I'll be sharing a booth with two amazingly talented and hard working artists, Kattuna and Bows and Anchors.  Come and get your craft on, and support local indie artists and designers.  Don't let the shut down of 405 Freeway discourage you from leaving your homes this July weekend...Hop on your bikes!  Take the Metro!  Carpool with your crew!  Come by and say "Hello"...

Stories from the Sea...

This weekend my cousin and I hiked to Smuggler's Cove in San Pedro...It was an arduous journey (by my city gal standards) in 80 something degree heat, with only our wits (and the google maps gps system on my phone) to guide us.   Once we reached our destination, I was taken back by the textures and colors the low tide revealed along the shore.  I'll let the photos tell the story :)

Making do...

The first reversible necklace I ever made was for a job interview three years ago.  I had applied for a fashion design position at a notable global corporation...after many moons living (quite modestly) as a freelance designer.  This available position was, at the time, my idea of an absolute dream job, and to my absolute delight (and fright), I was called for an interview.  Fabulous, right??  Hmmmm....my every day wardrobe up to that point included sweat pants, comfy tees and mis-matched socks.  I had enough in my (modest) budget to buy a new top and a pair of shoes...but what I REALLY needed was something to pull the outfit together...something unique...and cheap (did I mention I was broke??).  I decided to make a necklace...using whatever I had handy...fabric scraps, left over foreign currency, embroidery floss and a cheap metal chain and voila!  I was hired two days later...Today the necklaces are made using die-cut metal discs and sterling silver Italian made chains...but the same spirit that motivated me to create the first piece, exists in each newly created piece.  Please visit my etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/madebylmoore) to see more...

Spring Fleeing

Spring ushers in a sense of rebirth, renewal...and a return to Self.  Our senses come alive as the leaves and flowers come alive, and we are reminded that life is cyclical...beautiful...and fragile.  It's time to awaken from our Winter slumber and venture out into unfamiliar territory.  It's time to set out and discover new lands, new neighborhoods, and new quirks about ourselves.  In the interest of returning to ourselves, we must flee!  Pack up a satchel with only the essentials... 

This vintage-inspired satchel is packed with field guides to familiarize oneself with local bird and butterfly species, a fabulous coin purse from Bows and Anchors, and of course, the essential conversation piece...a reversible necklace from Made by L'moore...available soon on Etsy.


Leave now...Your life awaits!

Paper & Stone

Yesterday I took off work in honor of my Birthday.  After having lunch with my parents at Veggie Wokery,  I was told that my parents wanted to surprise me by taking me "somewhere special" in Norwalk.  Norwalk, eh?  I couldn't imagine anything "special" that would surprise me in Norwalk.  Are we going to get an oil change?  Perhaps walk around Costco?   I sat quiet in the back seat of my Dad's car, feeling 20 years younger, watching the drabness zoom past my window while listening to his easy listening radio station.

Hmmm....Norwalk...the city of my youth... I've spent countless hours, in every square inch of this city, with friends and loved ones...and have experienced every emotion and sensation possible in this semi-gritty suburb of Los Angeles...and still after accumulating so many vital life experiences that have aided in the formation of who I am (!), I still have the nerve to think of this city as nothing "special"...ordinary...drab...

We stopped at the Norwalk Sports Complex off of Norwalk Blvd. and parked.  My parents proceeded to explain that the night before, they attended a special Artist's Reception at this park in honor of an artist who travelled to Italy to bring back a slab of marble, which would eventually become a public art piece in front of the Norwalk Social Services building.

The artist John Fisher, set up the marble piece in the court yard of the sports complex, in order to bring art to the public, and display the process of his craft in public view.  Wow!!  What an awe inspiring idea...!  We spent the next hour chatting with John and his artist wife, Sandy Oppenheimer, about the importance of the public's interaction with art and how witnessing the process can effect lives.  After only an hour in the presence of these beautiful people and their works of art, I felt transformed...grateful and hopeful.  Thank you Norwalk for surprising me with such beauty and inspiration...

Adjacent to John's work space is an art gallery displaying more sculpture and Sandy's beautiful paper creations.  John and Sandy will be there creating/chiseling until late March.

Traipsing through the Arboretum...

It had been almost 3 years since my last visit to the Los Angeles Arboretum.  It was like catching up with an old friend...

"The (number) 11 is the most intuitive of all numbers...

 It represents illumination; a channel to the subconscious; insight without rational thought; and sensitivity, nervous energy, shyness, and impracticality. 

It is a dreamer.

The no. 11 walks the edge between greatness and self-destruction. 

 Its potential for growth, stability, and personal power lies in its acceptance of intuitive understanding, and of spiritual truths. 

For the 11, such peace is not found so much in logic, but in faith. 

 It is the psychic's number...."

 http://www.decoz.com/Masternumbers.htm

                                                   Happy, Happy New Year Everyone!!

The Little Dress Shop

I went to a post Day of the Dead event in Claremont California this weekend, and met the owner of a little boutique situated in Claremont's Old Town area.  The Little Dress Shop is owned by a dear friend of my Aunt's...a woman named Marsha Valencia.  In conversation, I learned that she has an object I created a few years back on the altar inside of her store.  As a Christmas gift for my Aunt one year, I had dipped a Corona beer bottle into latex paint and, once dry, I carved out an image of La Virgen De Guadalupe with a sharp needle.  My Aunt eventually passed this bottle on to her friend Marsha (fabulous!), and now it lives on top of her altar...surrounded by objects of beauty and spiritual significance.  If you're in the area, you should stop in this cute little boutique and treat yourself to something unique...!

chez sucre chez: looking back, looking forward

I'm such a fan of cross stitching and other needle work. Check out this blog...I wish I had the energy to turn out a whole phrase in cross stitch...Bravo!

chez sucre chez: looking back, looking forward: "remember these? i've been thinking of them often lately. i think it may be time to start stitching up letters again to make up some mor..."

Honoring the Dead in Atwater

These are images of a beautiful altar assembled by Pablo Alvarez and Michelle Castro.  It was constructed to honor and remember past loved ones (including pets) during Dia De Los Muertos.

Dia De Los Muertos at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Dia De Los Muertos Quilted Table Setting

My talented mother hand made these fabulous quilted place mats for Dia De Los Muertos.

This is a wall hanging that she made to coordinate with the table setting, but I'm using it on my sofa instead :)

Halloween in West Hollywood...

Happy B-lated Halloween!!  I made it my mission this Halloween to re create Lady Gaga's meat dress that she wore to the MTV Video Music Awards...vegetarian style, of course!  It turned out to be more difficult than I imagined it would be...but I managed to turn it out 4 nights before the Halloween party at my work...Woohoo!  I didn't win a prize, but I had a great time showing it off Sunday at the West Hollywood Halloween Parade...

   

Handmade Dia De Los Muertos Banner

Here's an example of a simple handmade papel picado banner I made to decorate my kitchen in honor of Dia De Los Muertos.

The first panel was folded in half and cut with scissors (like a paper snowflake)

Cutting out the black panel...First with the exacto for the skull and then scissors to create the flowers, diamonds and hearts.