Many people are aware of the Dream Catcher and the legend it carries:
“Native Americans believe that the night air is filled with dreams both good and bad. The dream catcher, when hung over or near your bed swinging freely in the air, catches the dreams as they flow by.” (www.dream-catchers.org)
I LOVE the concept of the dream catcher and many years ago had a number of them hanging throughout my house in Arizona. I was very careful to make sure I purchased them from a reputable retailer that had actually gotten them from one of the local (statewide) Native American communities. You can find dream catchers all over, some that have been made with love specifically for an individual with the hope of dispelling nightmares, others are sometimes “mass produced” in a factory setting.
For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to make dream catchers but felt there were already enough people making them to either sell as a handmade craft or give as gifts. In fact, my daughter Tanya makes some awemazing dream catchers and eventually we are going to have to create an Etsy store for her, LOL! I kept looking, though, and finally found what I felt I could do justice to while still keeping the legend alive. Instead of making dream catchers, I decided to make what I call Dream Shields. To me it is the same concept as the Dream Catcher, except in my mind, the shield returns the negative energy or bad dreams to the source from which they originated. Once I settled on my concept I did some research to see what other people called dream shields.
The concept of a Dream Shield originated in a video game called Kingdom Hearts. In the game, it is actually used as a weapon in conjunction with the “Dream Sword and Dream Rod”. These three weapons represent the paths that characters in the game can take — the path of the warrior, the guardian, or the mystic. When I read the description, I knew this is exactly how I see the Dream Shields I create. This quote from the game "The power of the guardian, Kindness to aid friends, a Shield to repel all." (www.khwiki.com/Dream_Shield ) is precisely how I want my creations to manifest.
When making a new Dream Shield, I use wooden embroidery hoops and hand crochet doilies (sourced from friends who have been generous to donate to my new addiction, second-hand shops, and I even found a black one at my local craft store <I’m keeping that one, it’s going to be black and silver with moon and stars>), yarns, tapestry thread (it's thicker and more durable than most embroidery floss), ribbons, feathers, beads, shells, jewels, silk flowers and other items to bring to life a Dream Shield created especially for the individual it will be going to. They take about 2 weeks to design and finish and I love every minute I put into their creation.
At this time there are only pictures of the first one I created. Since these are custom made, and often times purchased as gifts, I don’t post images until after they have arrived at their new home. That way the surprise isn’t spoiled.
This one went to Lorelei of Eliora's Elegantly Enchanting as a token of the heart and appreciation for the generous donation she made of some of her mother's hand-crafted crocheted doilies. From her generosity, I've plenty to keep me busy for at least a little while, LOL!
I'm not using my Etsy shop at this time, so if you are interested in having your own custom Dream Shield, feel free to message me on Facebook or shoot me an email.
