Friday Frida Favs: Frida Kahlo Enamel Pins

I become obsessed with Frida Kahlo enamel pins last year, when I purchased one for my Viva La Frida swap partner and myself. Since then, I have decided to collect a Frida Kahlo enamel pin for each year Emily and I host a Viva La Frida swap, in honor of that year's swap. While searching through Instagram using the #fridakahlo and on Etsy, I found lots of Frida Kahlo enamel pins designed by many talented artists.

One of those talented Etsy artists is Ryan, from Badges by Ryan. I featured his Frida Kahlo enamel pin on my first Friday Frida Favs post for this year, "My Frida Wish List on Etsy 2017." Ryan is a very generous person who has donated one of his awesome Frida Kahlo pins for Bee Creative Swaps to giveaway.

To enter you must:
- Be a Viva La Frida Swap participant (click here to sign up).
- Follow Bee Creative Swaps Instagram account
- Like the Frida Kahlo Pin Giveaway post on Instagram.

Extra Entries:
- Leave a comment on Bee Creative Swaps Instagram with your favorite Frida enamel pin from the ones featured below.
- Post your mosaic up early using the #vivalafridaswap2017

Contest closes April 1st.

Below are some my favorite Frida Kahlo enamel pins. Don't forget to choose your favorite Frida pin for an extra giveaway entry.

@mexicosnart

Badges By Ryan

Visit our Frida Kahlo pin giveaway provider and show his Etsy shop some love!

Sketch Inc.

 

BRK House

The Happy Skull Studio

Craftsylvaniaa

Wild Ship

The Found Retail:

Frida Sunglasses / Dress

La Petite Melissa

Product Your Magic:

Wonder Frida / Frida & Diego 

Georgia Perry

AxelHoney

Which is your favorite Frida Kahlo enamel pin? Share your thoughts with us here, for a chance to win a Frida Kahlo pin. Wouldn't it be great to win and have a Frida Kahlo pin to remember your participation in this year's Viva La Frida Swap!?! 

Can't get enough Frida this Friday; stop by Emily's blog, The Morose Bee, for another dose of Friday Frida Favs. 

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Friday Frida Favs: Frida Kahlo Gift to Emily

To celebrate the success of Emily and my first Viva La Frida Swap in 2016, through Bee Creative Swaps, I made Emily a Frida Kahlo skull embroidery hoop, a pair of spool earrings, and I purchased a Diego and Frida t-shirt from Etsy. I had been wanting to make Emily the embroidery hoop for some time and this was the perfect occasion to finally get off my butt and get it done. Plus, during this time my daughter was in bed by 6:30 pm and I had some time to sit outside, relax, and embroider before the sun went down. 

I love Day of the Dead and Mexican themed fabric and I own a decent stash of Day of the Dead skull fabric. This particular Day of the Dead fabric is one of my favorite and I have used it for many projects. I embroidered the skull to look like Frida with flowers in her hair, her unibrow, and wearing her hand shaped earrings that we a gift from Picasso. I decided to add the hand with the banner because I had seen this in one of Frida’s paintings. I embroidered, “Viva La Frida” on the banner which is also the name of our Frida swap. Below are some progress pictures I took while making the Frida embroidery hoop.

In 2016, Emily was sewing a lot. She was making dolls, quilts, etc. The girl was on a roll. I thought the spool earrings were the perfect extra gift to send her. I made them in her favorite color, purple.

The Diego and Frida t-shirt was actually purchased from one of the Etsy sellers I had figured on “My Frida Wish List on Etsy” blog post in 2016. You can check out this year Frida Wish List on Etsy by clicking here. The seller is Mis Noples Art. I own a Diego and Frida t-shirt just like this one but in a darker shade and I wanted Emily to have one too. 

I always like to include a letter with packages I send, especially swap packages. I usually tell the recipient to open the letter last since in it I describe why I made or purchased what they received from me. Emily and I are a team. We work together to run Bee Creative Swaps. I consider us the two Fridas this is why I drew a doodle of two Fridas on the envelope I sent her. 

This Frida inspired package is the perfect example of what you can send your swap partner if you sign up for our Viva La Frida Swap. It has a mixture of handmade and purchased Frida goodies. I made the hoop inspired by Frida and purchased an item that helped support a small independent business, which we highly recommend when you plan to purchase Frida inspired items. However, you can send your partner a package that includes all handmade goodies or just purchased Frida Kahlo inspired goodies because Emily and I know life can get crazy at times and you may not have time to create something.

If you would like to see what other Viva La Frida Swap participants sent/received last year, check out our Instagram account here or our Bee Creative Swap Facebook page here. Better yet, if you want to join us in this years Viva La Frida swap click here to sign up. 

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Friday Frida Favs: My Frida Wish List on Etsy 2017

Our Viva La Frida Craft Swap was a huge success last year that we, Bee Creative Swaps, decided to have it every year. This is will be our second annual Viva La Frida Swap. Click here to sign up. Emily and I will continue dedicating our individual blogs to Frida with Friday Frida Favs. 

Swappers spending budget is $25 - $30 not including shipping. We give our swappers the opinion to just purchase Frida inspired goodies if they cannot make something. We highly recommend they purchase these items from independent local businesses that support artists, like Etsy. Below are 10 Frida Kahlo items on Etsy, $15 and under, which I wish I had. I chose $15 in case someone would like to make Frida inspired art and purchase an item from Etsy too, while staying on budget. I’ll show you a perfect example of this on next week’s Friday Frida Favs.  

This item is no longer available. 

Frida Bright PNG Clip Art Set from Lilla Bolecz; Cost: $7.65

Instagram: @lillaboleczillustration

From all the clipart I saw available on Etsy, this one by Lilla Bolecz is by far my favorite. It comes with 39 Frida Kahlo inspired illustrations. It includes illustrations of butterflies, a deer, Frida, and even Diego and Frida, to name a few. There is so much you could do with this clipart. You can make stickers, put together a print with some of the illustrations and add a Frida Kahlo quote, make iron-ons, use it for shrink dinks (shrink plastic), the possibilities are endless. She also sells some awesome Frida pattern digital papers, which I absolutely adore. Click here to view. If you purchase both you could make a Frida inspired pre-made scrapbook for your partner.

Laser Cut Supplies Frida Kahlo Wooden Cabochons from Crafty Cuts Laser; Cost: $1.81

Instagram: @craftycutslaser

These mini Frida wooden laser cuts would be great to make into earrings, making them (or even these) the perfect little extra to add to your swap partner's package.

Mi Frida para dormir (Frida pillow) by CROCHETIENDA; Cost: $12.10

This is a digital download tutorial to make a crochet Frida pillow. Isn’t the pillow just dreamy. Pun intended. Unfortunately, the directions are all in Spanish. Since I don’t crochet, I don’t know if that makes a difference. Does it? 

Frida Kahlo Portrait Vinyl Decal Sticker from RosaGuayabaShop; Cost: $5.50

Instagram: @rosa_guayaba

Every Frida fan needs a Frida Kahlo sticker on their laptop. I would say car but unfortunately my husband does’t share the same passion I have for Frida Kahlo. This shop has 3 more different styles of Frida decal stickers; however, this one is my favorite.

Cactus And Succulent Skull Planter Hand Embroidery Pattern, Instant Download by Alifera; 

Cost: $5.46

Instagram: @afera_handmade

Everything about this pattern reminds me of Frida. She loved plants and included them in her artwork. You’ll also see skulls or skeletons in her artwork too. Frida Kahlo herself would have loved this pattern. Wouldn't the skull look great with a unibrow too!?! 

If you would like a pattern with a unibrow included, this shop also sells a pattern titled, “Frida Kahlo Cat.” Yup, you guessed it! It’s a pattern of Frida as cat with flowers on it’s head and a unibrow. All  Alifera's instant downloaded patterns are $5.46.

Frida Embroidery Kit by Sozo DIY; Cost: $12.00 
or 2 for $20 and just let the seller know at checkout.

Instagram: @sozo_pics

This is DIY Frida kit is actually one of my top favorite Frida inspired discoveries on Etsy, for this year.  I absolutely love this playful and colorful rendition of Frida Kahlo. It's an easy DIY kit that even a 6 year old can do, according to the sellers. If you get creative, there is so much you can do with this kit after it is embroidered. If you’re short on time to make something, you could always send a kit to your swap partner instead. Or, purchase two kits and keep one for yourself. 

Viva Mexico Wooden Collection, 9 Laser cut Craft Pieces from Porkchop Art Parts; Cost: $8.50

Frida Kahlo loved Mexico so when I see these wooden laser cuts they remind me of Frida and her artwork. They make me think of Frida and Mexico. These craft pieces would make great magnets, brooches, etc. 

Frida Kahlo Enamel Pin Badge from Badges By Ryan; Cost: $6.39

Last year, I got my Viva La Frida swap partner and myself an Frida enamel pin from @mexiconart. Since then I’ve decided that it would a great idea to own a Frida enamel pin for each year Emily and I host Viva La Frida swap. This Frida enamel pin from Badges By Ryan is one of my favorite on Etsy. 

Black Frida Esperanza - Alexander Henry Yard Fabric from The Crafty Tree; Cost: $10.50

I absolutely love Frida inspired fabrics and this seller carries them all. This Frida printed design titled, “Black Frida Esperanza” is a new find for me. I’ve never seen this design before. I’m hoping one day, someone surprises me with a mini Frida Kahlo quilt. 

Frida Kahlo Mini Coloring Book from My Frida Shop; Cost: $8.00

You’re never too old to color, especially when it’s a Frida Kahlo coloring book. I love coloring. It’s very therapeutic.  

There are many more inspired Frida Kahlo items on Etsy that I could have included, that I love. Click here to see my Frida Kahlo board on Etsy. Trust me, choosing 10 was hard! I actually rewrote this post 3 times because I kept finding more Frida items I love. Luckily, here’s always next year to include the ones I didn’t and discover new ones too. Did you like any of the Etsy items I picked?  If so, which ones? What are your favorite Frida Kahlo items on Etsy? I would love to know. 

If you haven't signed up yet here's the link again, to join us for the second annual Viva La Frida Swap!

What I Made For the Children's Lit Craft Swap: Alice in Wonderland Edition

Here is the second half of what I made for my #childrenslitcraftswap partner, Katie. Aside from the Chronicles of Narnia themed wall art piece and bookmark I made Katie, I also included Alice in Wonderland themed items too. I made her two "Let's talk over Tea" printed kitchen towels and an Alice and White Rabbit paper weight.

I designed and carved the tea cup stamp out a linoleum. I made the stamp in 2012 when I was in The Bookies Bookclub, for invitations I made since it was my turn to host bookclub. I used it again to make a brooch for a "DIY Let's Talk over Tea Brooch" post I made as a guest for a Tim Burton blog party. 

I stamped the white kitchen towels on my birthday. I hadn't done printmaking in a long time and it was nice to get to do it again. I hand stamped each tea cup using a Speedball Block Printing baren (a hand press). Each tea cup print varied slightly in color since I have to press very hard to get an even print. I love the way both towels turned out. After the oil based ink dried I put them in the dryer and ironed them to help the ink adhere to the fabric better.

I have a plastic tote in the garage marked homemade gifts where I keep art supplies to well you know, make homemade gifts. While going through it I found a glass paper weight and took it out thinking I could draw something for Katie and put it in the paper weight. My daughter and I had gone to the library and I saw a used copy of Alice in Wonderland in their bookstore. I didn't buy it at first; however, we went back a few days later and I told myself if the book was still there I would purchase it. It was! I colored the illustration I believed would look the best in the paper weight, removed the glass, and insert the illustration. Before I cut the illustration out, I did take a picture of the page so I could read the book later.

This is how I gift wrapped my #childrenslitcraftswap partner's package. To use up the extra ink I had behind and clean off my linoleum tea cup stamp, I printed it numerous times on brown wrapping paper. I was going to roll up the wrapping paper and send it to Katie for her to use but it didn't fit in the shipping box. I used the paper to wrap the hand crafted gifts I made for Katie instead. This wraps up, pun intended, "What I Made For the Children's Lit Craft Swap: Alice in Wonderland Edition" post. The next swap I'll be participating in and actually co-hosting with Emily from The Morose Bee is Viva La Frida Swap, were I hope to put my printmaking skill to good use again. 

What I Made For the Children's Lit Craft Swap: Narnia Edition

The #childrenlitcraftswap is a craft swap I joined on Instagram. My partner was Katie and she happened to be the host of the swap too. Katie received her package yesterday so I thought I would share my progress pictures of the The Chronicles of Narnia inspired goodies I made for her. When I received Katie's information and read that one of her favorite children's classics is Narnia among others, I knew I wanted to paint a wooden wall decoration based on the first place Lucy and Mr. Tumnus first met, in a wintery forest landscape under a street lamp. I knew I was heading in the right direction when she posted a picture of Mr. Tumnus on her IG account and mentioned that he is one of her favorites. The Narnia wall decor ended up being my favorite art piece I made for this swap, it took the longest to complete, and was my big project for the swap. I also included an Aslan themed bookmark as another Narnia inspired goodie.

I was good at taking many pictures along the way so be prepared to view many pictures.

This was my first check in picture for the #childrenslitcraftswap. I doodled a few Lucy and Mr. Tumnus characters on voting advertising material and took out some of the supplies I planned to used. I ended up changing the unfinished wooden plaque to a more rectangle shaped one because it looked more like the Narnia closet. 

This is a screen shot of my hidden Pinterest board, to give me some inspiration for this project. 

I sketched the clothes pins first.

 I painted the sides of the unfinished wooden plaque and then painted the Narnia characters. I painted Mr. Tumnus legs three times because I wasn't happy with the way it they were turning out. 

I made Mr. Tumnus' ears and his signature burgundy scarf out of felt. His package is made out of a mounting square, wrapped in wrapping paper, and tied with embroidery thread. 

 

I sketched the wintery forest landscape with trees and a street light. I ended up re-drawing the street light before I began painting the background.

I painted the background a little each day. One night I stayed until 3am because I mixed my own paint and knew it would be difficult to remix the exact color I was using again. I tend to do my best work at night. I sealed everything that I painted with two coats. 

This is what I wrote behind the wooden plaque with an oil based pen that way Katie will always remember who made this art piece for her.

After gluing Lucy and Mr. Tumnus to their background, this project was completed!

As you can see, I put more detail into Mr. Tumnus than Lucy. Other can making his dimensional ears, scarf, and package, I also painted his horns and his little umbrella. 

After remembering that I owned some Narnia trailer film I decided to make Katie a bookmark out of it. 

I went through the whole trailer one night looking for the perfect scene she would like. You may be asking yourself how I got this trailer. Well, I worked for a movie theatre company for 10 years. I met my husband working there. The Narnia film actually belonged to him and he gave me the okay to use it. 

I ended up finding the perfect scene which shows Lucy and Aslan together. Supplies wise, I had everything to make the bookmark but decided to order a lion charm to attach to the tassel. That night I also printed out an online newspaper article written about my local zoo because the African lion that was used to animate the character of Aslan is a resident there. Isn't that way cool!?! 

 The day the lion charm finally arrived I took out my jewelry tools I attached it to the bookmark's tassel.

 

I included the zoo article with the completed bookmark. At the last minute, I decided to include 38 individual film slices from the trailer as well.  Each film slice had a picture of either Lucy, Edmund, Susan, or Peter. The film slices are for Katie's 6th grade class who are currently reading The Chronicles of Narnia. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing the Narnia edition of what I made for my #chrildrenslitcraftswap partner Katie. I'm relieved that what I had in mind for my big swap project turned out even better than what I had imagined. I'm glad to say Katie loved her #childrenslitcraftswap package from me and today Katie's 6th grade students made their own bookmarks with the Narnia film slices I sent them with quotes from the movie.