Quilting Queens Earrings Spring/Summer 2013

I'm so excited to share one of the first earring designs, "Quilting Queens" from the Aye' Shanti Spring/Summer 2013 Collection.

Quilting Queens are inspired by the quilting traditions of America with the use of various fabrics from the Caribbean, Africa and India. Each earring design tells a story of the past with a modern feel. This was inspired by my college thesis, "Women of the Sun: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives of Caribbean Women's Work" - where I discussed her daily life including the life of my grandmother, Hilda Juanita Keens Douglas and the beauty and mysticism I saw in her Singer sewing machine. Please check out the designs in the SHOP.

Love & Crafting

In the midst of our big transition, I'm not finding time to craft as much these days. Well let me take that back, I still find time to do my mini 3x4 cards for Project Life 2013 daily. However, with Valentine's Day being one of my favorite holidays after my birthday and Christmas, I just had to do something for my honey. 2013 is already starting off with a bang and with our upcoming wedding celebration in a few months, I wanted to put together a quick handmade gift for him. So, I found some "me" time while he slept to craft together a quick mini "Love" journal filled with pictures from the beginning of our journey and bits and pieces of things I've saved from our dates and fun times together. I used an awesome mini "Love Albums" from JamaicaMakes. (Btw, the packaging was so sweet, I can't wait to use the paper in my Project Life album) I then decided to use white embossing powder and spray/brushed on diluted inks from Ranger and Dylusions across some hole punched coasters. I wrote on my photos with a white uniball pen for a love letter feel and attached photos with washi tape and heart paper clips. I woke up and presented him this lovely gift before we resumed our moving and it was worth the 3 hours of sleep. Happy Valentines Day to you and yours and if you not into big crafting, a simple sticky note saying, "I love you", "You're Amazing" or "You're Cool" - will surely make them smile.

Love & Light,
Shanti

Inauguration Day Sale

In celebration of the 2013 Inauguration, we're offering Free Shipping to orders $30.00 and over through Tuesday, January 21, 2013 12:00 a.m . This is valid for customers in the U.S. only. Enter the code: INAUG2013 at checkout.

Ohhhhh and check out the NEW Journals in the SHOP! Great for writing, jotting down quick notes, thoughts and meditations. They're the perfect size for your bag, pockets or even our wallet. I believe everyone should have a writing utensil and mini book with them at all times because your thoughts are precious and you'll appreciate seeing your journey on paper years from now. I am major paper and fabric collector and these are just a few from my collection. There are various designs available, please see below.

#QuoteLove - "Everyday, in Every Way..."

Just sharing some #quotelove from my instagram photos, "Everyday, in every way, I am getting better and better." -Emile Coue'

ProjectLife #2013 Week 2

Here's my Week 2 for #ProjectLife -

I received my #ProjectLife Kit this week and opened it right away. I love the calendar 3x4 cards that came with the kit. I'm still lining the page binding with Neon Pink washi tape. I didn't use too much gold this time, but definitely had to add a bit of it. For the polka-dot brown bag, I not only decorated it but used it as a secret pocket for a mini book I wrote some week's worth of thoughts in. I can't wait to get some photos developed to add to the pages for character and start on my Week 3 TODAY...

Have a great day everyone,

Shanti

NEW Metallic LOVE in Aye' Shanti SHOP

New in the Aye' Shanti Shop are these lovely GOLD and SILVER metallic earrings. 

I've been wanting to get these in the shop for such a long time because I love the pairing of metallic jewelry with other colors, so this is the perfect earring to add a bit of glitz and glam to your outfit.

So definitely head over to www.AyeShanti.bigcartel.com or click on SHOP at the top and grab your metallic ear candy! 

Love & Light,

My Project Life Journey for 2013 (January Edition)

fabric, sequins, 3x4 cards from LifeLovePaper, Wood Flourishes from KaiserCraft, Amy Tangerine thickers, Dear Lizzy sticker and golden zebra paper from SEI

I am the note-taker, memory collector and one of the photographers (besides hubby to be) in our growing family and it's a must to document our lives. I've been journaling since the age of 9 (and I still have the journals to prove it) and started scrap-booking things here and there in high-school but seriously about 4 years ago. Inspired by years of journaling with a mix of inspiration from my favorite bloggers and especially Becky Higgins Project Life - I've decided to combine both passions and build creative, inspiring weekly pages of my life. The above page is my opening Project Life page for 2013 and it has three of my favorite color combinations: Gold, Pink and Kraft paper... I used a Gold Star because I'm literally shooting for the stars in 2013 and I'm planning for some amazing blessed things this year!

I used a vellum envelope to slip into one of the pockets which holds my word for the year., sealing it with a some American Crafts gold tape. 

Through Project Life, I am able to use this as an outlet to create mini scrapbook cards. Honestly, with work, running a business, organizing a wedding and back in school, this is such an easy way for me to get a piece of crafting in my daily life. After working with 12x12 Project Life pages in 2012, it felt overwhelming for me.  I thought to myself, why not work with smaller pages I usually create. Then I saw a blogger, Jamaica Makes create some awesome P.L. pages in a smaller format and I was instantly excited because she was creating my kind of pages. I design mini journals monthly so why not make a huge project the size I'm comfortable with. I love that Studio Calico started carrying 6x8 page protectors, then I found some by Simple Stories on Ebay and I found out that Martha Stewart designed some too that are available at Staples. This made me so ready to start creating. I prepared by collecting my page protectors last month and created a simple system (in which I will share very soon here on the blog) that allows me to work on a card daily which can include journaling, photography or even a quote. I feel no pressure at all because this is just glitter and paper I'm working with, it's not that serious.

Since I'm also a jewelry/paper goods designer and preparing for a wedding this year, Project Life allows me to utilize my pages as a place to add my inspirations from magazines, online findings, and even fabric swatches for my wedding dress. 

I've decided to share my pages weekly on my blog and you can also check out my gallery on Studio Calico. 

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me at ayeshanti@gmail.com

Creatively Yours,

New Year, New Shop - #2013Love

Happy New Year Everyone!!
I'm so happy to welcome 2013 with so much love and excitement.  Also, I want to say thank you to all the lovely customers, friends and family who supported me throughout the years. After doing my reflections - #Reflect2012, I was able to plan for 2013 and I'm so excited to start checking off my goals.

As you can see, I have a new logo which I'm so excited to chat about with everyone, especially about the multi-talented artist, Kendall Simpson who did it for me! Look out for that very soon.

Please check out the new Aye' Shanti SHOP - which is currently open and ready for you lovely customers to check out. (Just click the SHOP tab above) You'll find new button earring designs, which are larger then the previous earrings I sold, however there still light, comfortable and FUNKY! One of my new additions to the shop are my fabric and chain layered necklaces that were featured in a Caribbean Fashion Show this past summer. I'm also excited to feature some hand cut greeting cards inspired by LOVE and FASHION. I sold a few of these last holiday season, but I'm totally in love with these new colorful designs with my favorite fabric prints.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me at ayeshanti@gmail.com. 

Blessings,