Hey y'all
I'm Angelica! I'm a Christian artist based in Pensacola, Florida. I live with my hubby and two aussiedoodle girls - Lottie and Lola - who we adopted at 8 weeks old in February of 2023. I have my bachelor's degree in political science and I worked in a few high profile agencies before I retired from the 9-5 worklife. Now I work 10am-2am. ;) I am so thankful you have found my page and for your support of this little business of mine. I currently sell online and travel to markets around the Pensacola area. Thanks again for browsing my site!
My Story
In 2023 , I quit my full-time job working in a congressional affairs office and spent all of my time with my grandma before she went to live in perfect peace with her sweet Jesus. My original business plan was to create healthy dog treats, along with dog themed merchandise. I originally named my business after my two girls - Lottie and Lola. My grandma would see them on Facetime every night and she was so excited to meet them (she did get the chance before she went Home.) These two little puppies really helped me cope with everything going on, and I truly believe they were sent to help us heal from all of the heartbreak we experienced in 2023. But as my business began to unfold, God made it clear that he wanted to alter my plan. After my grandma's funeral, we took home some flowers and I started experimenting with different ways to preserve them for my family. In the process, I fell in love with "cyanotype" - a photographic printing process discovered in 1842. With that change, I felt called to choose a name that resembled my mission - to spread joy and Jesus with every breath I take. Our new name "Aleuma" is based off of the Greek word pneuma - which means soul, breath, and spirit. It aligns with our business verse Psalms 150:6, which states, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."
The Cyanotype Process
Cyanotype is an ancient photographic printing process that produces a shade of cyan blue when exposed to ultraviolet light. Ever hear of a BLUEprint?! The process was discovered by Sir John Herschel in 1842, and as you can imagine, creating each piece takes quite a bit of time from start to finish. Pieces are first washed and dried. Then Ferric Ammonium Citrate is mixed with Potassium Ferricyanide and applied. I usually dye late at night since the solution is light sensitive once mixed. After drying (which can take anywhere from 3-24 hours depending on the material), it's time to carefully lay leaves, flowers or other objects onto the dyed material. In many ways, this is the trickiest part. Since the fabric will start to change colors almost immediately upon exposure to sunlight / UV light, it doesn't leave much room for error! Also, when dying outdoors, you can't forget to factor in the weather! Cloud cover and wind play a huge factor - my hubby thinks I'm crazy when I run outside like a madwoman each time the sun pops out from behind a cloud. After the greenish dye turns an ugly brown color, the exposure is (usually) complete. I say usually because this part is also pretty tricky - determining WHEN to move everything. Once you remove the leaves, there's ain't no putting them back exactly as they were. After the dye is completely rinsed out, the pieces are left for another several hours to dry. Then they are ready for their new homes! A lot of trial and a LOT of error, but that is all part of it's beauty. Frustrating? Sometimes. But at the end of the day, cyanotype art is truly one of a kind!
