Carrie Fisher and the knit Leia wig.

An amazing artist, Donald Roller Wilson, and dear friend of Carrie Fisher commissioned me to knit a Leia wig for Carrie's birthday. I knit it out of a gorgeous brown Misti Alpaca Chunky yarn.

Carrie Fisher has a new one-woman show at the Geffen Playhouse called Wishful Drinking. The show has had great reviews. At some point in the show she wears the knit Leia wig I made for her. You can see a full sized photo of Carrie wearing it in Variety Magazine here.

Winter Holiday Tree made of wood

Today I went to a coffee shop by work and saw this amazing winter holiday tree.

I usually am not interested in winter holiday ornaments, but this one struck me. I really like that is not completely Christmas oriented. I am going to try to make one. I found some unfinished wood cutouts at Michaels and Woodworks, Ltd.

Galley of Leia Wigs

I have posted a gallery of Leia Wig photos on my Flickr page. Thanks to all of you who sent me photos. They look great!

If you knit the Leia wig and have not sent me a photo, it is not too late. Send it in and I will post it with all the others.

Bohemian Hoop Earring Workshop

Do you love hoop earrings? Would you like to learn how to make your own?

I am teaching a workshop on how to make Bohemian Hoop Earrings. We go through the basics on how to make a hoop from sterling silver wire. You then learn how to embellish the hoop by binding them with beads and more wire.

Details:
Tuesday, November 28th
7 - 10pm
The San Gabriel Bead Company
325 E Live Oak Ave
Arcadia, CA
626.447.7753

Etsy, a wonderful place to shop

Etsy, a wonderful place to shop.

Many of you already know about this great site that features amazing items hand made by artists. It is a great place to purchase unique gifts.

I have linked to my Etsy store in the left hand column marked SHOP. My store is called Bleu Arts, but you have to search for me under ansleybleu. I will be adding new items as soon as I get a chance to photograph more of my handcrafts.

Pincushion Bracelets

I saw this fantastic tutorial on how to make wrist pincushions over at My Little Mochi. I knew I had to make a few as presents for all my friends who sew.

I went to buy elastic headbands and found that the round elastic ones were only available in boring colors. I chose ‘ouchless girls reversible headwraps’ by Goody, which are flat, brightly colored elastic.

I went to my favorite fabric store in Downtown LA, Michael Levine. I found this colorful floral fabric called Celebración that was designed by Kathy Hall of the Museum of New Mexico, Museum of International Folk Art. Andover Fabrics printed the fabric.

I used a compass to make a circular template out of cardstock. That way I could trace out a perfect circle on my fabric before I cut it.

Sous Le Soleil, an outdoor artist boutique Nov. 18th

You are invited to Sous Le Soleil, an outdoor artist boutique.

Saturday, November 18th, 12 - 5pm
330 Redwood Dr.
Pasadena, CA 91105

Featuring the handmade jewelry, clothing, plushies, drawings & more of:
Ian Atol, Kari Atol, Tyn Atol, Michelle Caplan, Ansley Davies, Renee Dominique, Shari Enge, Emilyn Eto, C. J. Metzger, Miss Mindya, Jennifer Morris, Matt & Erin Sloan, and Denise Young .

Live music provided by C.K.T. and guests.

MAP TO THE EVENT

How to: Create your own lip balm recipe.

A couple of years ago I saw a great lip balm tutorial at Not Martha. I was very inspired by it and decided to create my own recipe. It was a little difficult finding information about what works best. After a lot of research, I compiled a list of what to do.

The Basics:
For a firm lip balm that can be used in a tube or tub, you will need a ratio of about 2:4 solids to liquids. Solids meaning wax & butters, liquids meaning oils. If you find your final product too thick, add more oils. If it is too thin, add more solids.

For solids, I use bee’s wax & mango butter. Other solids are also available.

For liquids, I use sweet almond oil, olive oil, castor oil, and avocado oil. Other types of liquids are available.

Put all of your ingredients in a double boiler and let them melt. Make sure to stir the mixture. Add essential oils just before you are ready to fill your tubes or tubs. This way they will not have a chance to evaporate.

When creating a recipe, be sure to write down the ingredients you have added to each batch including the measurement. I add ingredients a half teaspoon at a time until I get it right. Once you get it right, you will know just how much of each item you used. There will be no need to figure it all out again.

Equipment Needed:
• Stovetop
• Double boiler to melt ingredients in
• Measuring spoons
• Plastic pipettes (droppers) to help you pour melted ingredients into your tubes or tubs without spilling.
• Tubes or tubs to hold lip balm. I prefer to use metal tins instead of plastic because they have less of an environmental impact.
• Labels, if you plan to sell or give as gifts.

Where to shop:
There is a big selection of recipe’s at the Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe. I shop at Majestic Mountain Sage. They have many exotic oils and good prices. Be sure to check the net because there may be a new company that has popped up that worthy of attention too. If you can’t wait to get started, and good health food store or Whole Foods Market will carry most of the ingredients you need.

About ingredients:
Castor Oil will make your balm glossy.

Shea butter can be stinky and needs to be melted at a certain temperature. If you do not pay attention to this it will become grainy. Use mango or another type of butter instead.

Stay away from hydrogenated oils because they are unhealthy.

Vitamin E Acetate is an antioxidant and extends the shelf life of your product. Make sure to use it in every recipe. I use vitamin E oil that comes in gelatin capsules. They are easy to puncture and squeeze into the mixture.

If you prefer a sweet lip balm, add some honey.

If you like tinted lip balm, add some of your favorite lipstick to the mixture. If you want to experiment with making your own colors you can purchase Iron Oxide, Mica Powder, or D&C colors to add to the mixture. Mica Powders will add a shimmer to you final product.

Avoid artificial flavors. There are many natural essential oils that can be used which will increase your lip balm's healing potential.

About Essential Oils:
Use essential oils such as tea tree oil, rosemary, sage, peppermint, spearmint, anise, vanilla, cinnamon oil, camphor oil, lavender or ginger. A combination of any of these can be nice as well.

Tea tree oil is known for its antibacterial, antifungal and antiseptic qualities.

Camphor, and mints are cooling.

Cinnamon and ginger are warming.

Do not use any essential oils that are from the citrus family because they make the skin photosensitive.

About Labels:
If you want to make up your own labels, Dover Publications has a great selection of clip art available. You can sign up for free design samples that they e-mail to you about every other week.

Other uses for ‘lip balm’:
These balms are good for cuticles and hands, if you create one without color or sweetener. Balms are great if you work with PMC too, just as long as you do not use any petroleum products in your recipe.

Public Art at the LA County Zoo

I visited the LA Zoo on Halloween weekend. This may be considered unfortunate because it was a Boo at the Zoo day, so there were hoards of people there. Luckily it was fun to see so many kids wearing Halloween costumes.

I was surprised to find a nice selection of public art throughout the zoo. Many of the structures that house the animals can be considered works of art, but I am referring to actual sculptures located throughout the zoo grounds. The first think I noticed was an amazing fence made of sculptural animal silhouettes.

I liked the recycled glass that had been pressed into the concrete of the entryway.
Just inside the park there is a great curving rusty wall with animal cutouts.

I also enjoyed the mosaic cow and fantastical sink just outside the petting zoo.

Creative Arts Group Annual Art Festival

Creative Arts Group is hosting their
Annual Art Festival

Friday, Nov.10th, 7 – 10pm
Saturday, Nov.11th, 10 – 6pm
Sunday, Nov.12th, 11 – 5pm

The work of more than 70 professional artists will be available for sale. Some of my fused glass necklaces, fused glass magnets, and mosaic flowerpots will be for sale in the gallery. It is a fun event and great place to pick up interesting, one of a kind gifts. Be sure to pick up a workshop schedule too. They have great workshops for children and adults.