Daily Inspiration: Aztecan

I'm inspired again. I have a serious love affair with indigenous cultures especially the fabrics, jewelry, clothing, foods and spiritual practices. Right now I'm totally feeling the Aztecan vibe. The fabrics are so lush and warm. I would love a blazer or a nice pencil skirt crafted from some of Aztec fabric.

   OmiD

Third year reflections

Thursday marked the three year anniversary of my Osun Initiation (7/12/09). This continual process has taught me so much about my spiritual and physical self. I am so far removed from the woman I once was, yet still miles away from the Goddess I'm striving to manifest inwardly and outwardly. These few years have been challenging, yet extremely rewarding.

The biggest lesson learned thus far?

Don't get comfortable living in old destructive behavior patterns.

Osun is often referred to as a "cool" or "sweet" Orisa. This is true in terms of how she approaches and deals with her children. However, like any mother, when she's fed up with her children's hardheadedness she can become extremely heated. It's often said that Osun is the one Orisa you DO NOT want to anger! So, if there are some character, behavioral and/or personal issues that you've been neglecting to address, Yeye will put the mirror in your face and force you to do the needed introspective work in order to move forward with your destiny. Osun is about uprightness, powerful divine womanhood, and moralistic behavior. When you are not honoring these principles, your not walking in her light.

Being able to do the introspective work needed for self-development is not simple. It's a life long process. The the Holy Odu Eji Ogbe, says "bit by bit, we eat the head of the rat," meaning tackle each issue, each problem one at a time. However, if spirit tells you to fix something, don't ignore the request. The consequence for such an error can be grave and result in life altering changes.

As I embark on this next year, I'm striving to do better, be better and live better. Honoring and uplifting Osun in every step. This blog was created to highlight some of my creative works, focusing on sewing. Not just sewing of clothing, but sewing good health, sewing good spiritual practices, sewing good relationships, sewing good self-image, etc. Continue to follow me in through this journey.

I've been really bad at posting. I'm going to do better... for real this time!!!   

Love,
OmiD

...:::alignment:::....

Things change, energies shift.We have plans, ideas as to how our life should go. Then the Creator steps in and destiny occurs: sometimes good, sometimes bad. But destiny nevertheless. All you can do is be present in it.With finishing up my PhD studies, the death of my beloveded cat, and various other personal concerns, I was been pretty consumed with self-pity and sadness. And the gloomy weather didn't help much either. I'd spent weeks engulfed in my blankets, finding security in the dark solitude of my bed. Not thinking, not really sleeping, just there.Yeah, was that kind of time.

Today I've decided enough was enough. I had fully acknowledged and wallowed in my circumstances and it was time to heal and move on. As a person who has had person struggles with Affective disorders, I knew I had to do something about my mental state fast or I would get stuck and become totally non-functional. So I pulled out my yoga mat.Took a deep breath and exhale into downward facing dog, flowed through several sets of sun salutations and got grounded with some balancing poses. I finished the session with a quick meditation (10 mins) and 3 chants of "ohm shanti shanti shanti." I felt better.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanti_Mantra


Afterwards I energized my body with some fresh juice. A mix of cucumbers, asian pears, spinach, etc. I call it my Goddess blend. Then flushed with some alkaline water.

I try to live my life in a wholistic manner, recognizing that the mind, body and spirit are connected. Therefore, if an area is out of balance (the mind and spirit in this case) I correct this by doing something that will recharge this energy. Now I'm not saying go run a marathon. But do something to gently recharge the energy. Yoga and consuming live (raw) foods does this for me. It takes me to a place where I'm present and aware of my physical, mental and spiritual body. It grounds and recharges me. I especially like meditating directly following a yoga session. I'm way more centered and am able to maintain my posture for larger periods without discomfort.This practice really helps me manage depression and anxiety. Needless to say, the "dark cloud" really impeded my productivity and I've not been posting (bad blogger). I'ma do better. I promise.

Daily Inspirations: Dolls, Dolls, Dolls!!!

Photo credit: http://www.native-languages.org/dolls.htm

Lately my maternal nature has been kicking in. I don't know if it's my biological clock telling me to hurry up and procreate or just a desire to make awesome clothing and toys for the potential little one... Anywho... I've developed this recent obsession with dolls. Every little girl has their favorite toy. The cute little baby doll you would imagine was your child. Feeding it imaginary (or real) food and pretending to stop it from crying. Or your favorite plush bear/doll that you would hold tight for comfort or protection. Whatever it was, we all had that one toy that we relied on for satisfaction. Truth be told, many of us still sleep with our favorite childhood "friends." This love affair with dolls peaked my interest in the historical usages and significance of dolls in indigenous cultures. In short, dolls were made to model the human form and used for rituals and religious practices throughout the continent. Dolls were giving to ensure fertility in developing young girls and often times handed down from mother to daughter. They also functioned as tools for teaching and protective charms.

Here are some examples for dolls found around the continent of Africa:

Linga Koba dolls -

Photo credit: http://www.thefolkartgallery.com/

From the Nedebele tribe in South Africa, these dolls served several purposes. When courting a young women, the potential husband would often place a doll outside her home indicating that he wanted to propose marriage. During preparation for the marriage, woman are given Linga Koba dolls inwhich they name and care for. Her first child will then carry this name.

Akuaba Dolls -

Photo credit: http://www.skeptiseum.org/index.php?id=105&cat=superstition

Akuaba dolls originate from the Ashanti people in Ghana, West Africa. The dolls have large disc-like heads, which were traditionally carried on the backs of woman wanting to conceive or to ensure the attractiveness of the child. The Akuaba symbol is identified with good luck.

Ngambwe Doll - 

Photo credit: http://www.ezakwantu.com/Gallery African Dolls/ Fertility Dolls.htm

From Angola. Used in a similar manner to the Akuaba dolls. 

Zulu Fertility Dolls

Photo credit: http://www.ezakwantu.com/Gallery African Dolls/ Fertility Dolls.htm

These dolls are from the Msinga area. They are made by girls during their time of engagement and worn during special occasions. When married, a red cloth is place around the head of the doll, as a indicator of her marriage.

The teaching purposes of dolls still holds true in today's society. However, the spiritual and cultural connectedness is absent. What a great gift it would be to give your child a "blessed toy."  A doll that is prepared with love and good energy to help support the child in their development. I think I may make some dolls... 

Iyadoc

Creative Sistah of the Month

Hello Fellow Crafters!!!

Here at Sewing Sistah, we embrace and celebrate the divine feminine spirit of creation/fertility. In honor of that energy, once a month a Creative Sistah in the community will be spotlighted. 

This months Creative Sistah is Iya Omitola Kalahanamae (OmitolaK).

She's an amazing jewelry designer, that specializes in foot ornaments. Her custom pieces exudes Afrochic energy and are the perfect accent to a well manicured foot. You'll be amazed at how her pieces adorn your foot and add that little something "extra" to your step. Learn more about her and view examples of her FootRitual's below:

Who are you?
- An amalgamation of African, Creek, and Choctaw Rituals.
- An answer seeker.

Where are you from?
- From Pachuta, MS and New Orleans, LA...in that order.

What do you do?
- Mother and Wife
- Neuropsychology graduate student
- Craftswoman

What inspires you?
- My daughter, Mahalia
- Women (Moons) and children who survive seemingly insurmountable odds
- The human brain

Why is crafting/creating important to you?
- It's important because it allows me to create Spiritual objects for Women. It is my way of connecting and aligning with other Moons and strengthening our feminine vibration.

 

Iya Omitola K, we celebrate you and your creative spirit!

OmiD

D.I.Y. Project: Earring frame

Blessings fellow Crafters!!!
Just wanted to share a quick and simple frame I made for hanging my earrings. I grew very frustrated with digging through my jewelry box to find earrings. Once the wanted earring was found, I had to spend more time trying to untangle them or finding its match. It was just too much. So, I created a device for hanging earring using simple items found around my house.


What you will need:
- A picture frame. The size of the frame is dependent upon the amount of earrings you own. If you own a lot of earrings, then a larger frame should be used.
- A nice piece of fabric that slightly larger then the photo frame.
- Mesh, the kind that you use on screen doors. You can get this from home depot and it's really inexpensive. It comes in wire and plastic. I used plastic.  The piece you use for the device should be the same size as your fabric.
- A staple gun and short staples
- Earrings

Here's what you do.
1. Remove the glass or plastic insert from the frame. You will not need it for the device. You should have two pieces: the frame and the backing.
2. Now take your fabric and lay it right side up. Then take your mesh and lay it on top of the fabric. Finally, take the fabric mesh combo and place it on top of the backing with the mesh side on top.
3. Tightly staple the fabric/mesh to the back of the backing, Cut off any extra fabric.  
4. Place the frame onto the backing.
5. Add your earrings and hang onto the wall.

Your finish product should look similar to this:

 

You can color the frame with paint, add razzle dazzle, cowrie shells or whatever you like to create a personalized piece.

Happy Crafting 

OmiD 

Scared Space: The closet

In an effort to restore some balance and sanity to my life, I'm making organization and order a priority. It's often stated that "clutter in your space creates clutter in your mind." I totally agree with this sentiment. I think the opposite holds true as well, "a cluttered mind can create clutter in your space." Upon doing any type of school work or studying at home, I have to clean. It's like a clearing ritual. Unfortunately, I have a lot of stuff, have recently moved, and am in the process of completing my PhD studies. So, finding any spare time for intense cleaning is pretty much non existent. But in desperate need of mental decluttering, I've decided to take on the task of cleaning and organizing my closet. More like a dressing room considering it is an actual room. It's like a battle field right now. Boxes of clothes and shoes everywhere. I've been rotating the same clothes for the past 6 weeks because every time I go in there, it becomes to much. I read that the areas you collect clutter in you house is indicative of specific emotional issues. The closet is associated with hidden issues. Lord knows I have them! Now is the time to tackle them and this closet.

Here's the before: 

ahotmess.com!!!

I was clearly going to need some backup. With the help of a good friends (Dr. Brown), we gave this space a pretty intense makeover.  

The view looking into the room

Space for bags, scarfs, belts, shirts and some shoes

Racks for pants and trousers

More space for clothes and accessories 

My Babies!!! The ultimate shoe wall :)

Now I can finally utilize this room (and my clothes).  The wardrobes cost about $100 each and were not easy to assemble at all! The shelves for the shoe wall were about $12.00 each. All and all the project didn't break the bank and resulted in an organized and functional dressing room. Now I have to focus on keeping it that way....

OmiD