Mourning Dove Spirit Woman

If you ever are to visit Paradise Valley in Arizona you must stay at the Hermosa Inn. It is a beautiful Inn nestled in the most quiet section of the area. The grounds are amazing with the desert landscape. There are beautiful ranch style and hacienda villas which have beautiful private patios. There is so much beauty there, however, what I remember most is the mourning doves all around. The cooo-ing of these doves is the most beautiful and peaceful sound to me. When you are on the patio relaxing and listening to the doves it feels like the rest of the world is asleep — and before you know it, the doves have cooo-cooo-ed enough where you may find you drift off into a sweet slumber.

The Mourning Dove is a member of the dove family. The bird is also called the American Mourning Dove or Rain Dove, and formerly was known as the Carolina Pigeon or Carolina Turtledove. It is one of the most abundant and widespread of all North American birds. Its plaintive woo-oo-oo-oo call gives the bird its name. The wings can make an unusual whistling sound upon take-off and landing, and the bird is a strong flier, capable of speeds up to 55 mph.

Here is my Mourning Dove Spirit Woman. Her energy and spirit is one of quiet, calmness, peace, and elegance. Her appearance is more Royal than earthy like my other spirit dolls. I can’t help but hear the mourning doves peaceful coo-coo-ing when I look at her.

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Sweetgrass Spirit Woman

I was out this morning for an appointment and while I was out I made 3 stops at some wonderful places for all sorts of new goodies and embellishments for my spirit dolls. These ladies are getting spoiled and I can’t seem to help myself. 🙂

Sweetgrass was finished last night and doesn’t have any of the new goodies, but I sure gave her plenty of embellishments that I already had on hand. I love blue and green color combination and her body fabric is in a beautiful batik blue and green pattern.

Sweetgrass Spirit Woman energized me by the spirit in me that loves to lay in the grass close to mother earth. As she was created all sorts of herbal grasses came to mind. I have a Sweetgrass braid and love how it smells. So I have called her Sweetgrass.

Sweetgrass is an aromatic herb which grows in northern Eurasia and in North America. It is used in herbal medicine. It owes its distinctive sweet scent to the presence of coumarin. Sweet grass was, and is, very widely used by North American indigenous peoples. As a sacred plant, it is used in peace and healing rituals. Leaves are dried and made into braids and burned as vanilla-scented incense; long leaves of sterile shoots are used by Native Americans in making baskets.

Sun Dancer Spirit Doll

Sundance is a traditional Lakota ceremony that represents life and rebirth. It was once exclusivly Lakota, but has become a ceremony employed by many other American Indian tribes. Each tribe has it’s own variation of Sundance.

Sundance is a new years ceremony celebrated in the summer, usually on a full moon. The actual Sundance lasts 28 days, but the last four days are the ones in which the dancing and most of the ceremony take place.

My Sun Dancer Spirit Doll infuses bright colors of the sun — yellow, and wonderful blue for the sky. Her outfit is a wonderful piece of nuno felting with the textured side showing. She looks very majestic and very peaceful. I like her alot.

Fabric Dyeing Day

I had 5 glorious hours of fabric dyeing today. I do small batches and lots of colors since I generally do not use but small portions for each doll.

I needed more colors and outfits for my spirit dolls. The next ones in the series are going to be very colorful. I just finished Sun Dancer Spirit Doll — check back tomorrow afternoon for her pictures. Oooooo, she’s a beauty with some nuno felting on her! At some point I am going to keep one for lil ‘ol me. I just can’t decide which one.

Hmmmmm, fabric dyeing sure is a lot of work. Sometimes I think I should just buy it already dyed, but I love the ability to make whatever color I need at the spur of the moment for any given project.

Tumbleweed Spirit Doll

A tumbleweed is the above-ground part of a plant that, once mature and dry, separates from the root and tumbles (rolls) away in the wind. Usually, the tumbleweed is the entire plant apart from the roots, but in a few species it is a flower cluster. The tumbleweed habit is most common in steppe and desert plants.

So here is my little Tumbleweed Spirit doll. She is more youthful looking as the spirit in her is one that is ready to break away from her roots — travel with the wind and experience many great new places. She is a traveler – and when she stops, she will look around and realize she is right where she should be… and then when she is ready, she will tumble again….into the wind.

“Raven’s Dream” Spirit Doll

The Raven is considered in most Native American mythology as a trickster and a creating god.

Raven, like Mink and Coyote and other spirit beings of the Northwest mythology, was as fickle and unpredictable as nature and its seasons. Raven was a shapechanger, who could assume any form – human or animal. His trickery brought them the essentials for existence in a harsh world – game and fish and fowl, fire, clothing, shelter – and with them the rituals that would protect them from the dark spirits lurking about.

The Raven Stories are both entertaining – as Raven’s mischief often backfired, but also instructive – teaching us about the Northwest Indians’ way of life and the origin of their customs.

I did spend time outside today (89 degrees out today!) only my allergies are making me miserable. Finally a beautiful warm day and I couldn’t stay out too long without having my nose like a waterfall and my eyes terribly itchy. 😦 Once May is over I am alot better, but May is my worst month. So I came back indoors to finish my Raven Dream Spirit Doll.

White Eagle Spirit Woman

I think this one is now my favorite. 🙂 I love all types of dolls when they are all in white. I knew when I started doing the Spirit Dolls I wanted to do a White Eagle. I have meticulously hand painted an Eagle on her forehead.