Fini Friday!! Loot!....Photos on Sunday!

Hello Everyone!
Just a quick note as a place-holder here and with more photos and details coming up on Sunday! Thursday and today have been chock-full of unexpected but happy events and so I have acquired LOOT!!! I haven't had time to snap photos of it to show you! I have ideas and inspiration surrounding much of the loot and I'll share that with you along with matching photos on Sunday!
In the meantime, have an awesome weekend!!!
Ciao!

Whimsy Wednesday! Playing with Paint and Doors!

Hello Everyone!!!
Welcome to this week's Whimsy Wednesday!!
I have something completely different for you-all today! It's a little peek into some of the aspects of my non-studio life. Today was just such a gorgeous day that I decided to play with paint on finish some maintenance projects at the same time. My colour palette was a bit monochromatic as playing with a clean, bright white was the order of the day. However, I think you'll agree with me that things look much better and the various bits of wood are now protected from the vagaries of Minnesota weather for a good while to come!
SO!! The Before photos...(actually this is after I scraped and sanded the old paint off)
The top and side of our door frame:

And the After!


A few other doors that received a newly daubed coat of paint!




And now.. the Whimsy!
This is the base coat of paint on a wood access panel on the side of our house.
I've plans to create a Faerie Door on this panel.
Whether that Door will be entirely of paint or will entail framing an actual tiny door remains to be seen! You'll have to tune in to see what happens next!! See you Friday!!!

Fini Friday! A Colourful Life!!

Hello Hello!!!
It is Friday!! The description for this blog post could as easily apply to my life as to the creations I'm about to show you!
This is a bracelet and earring set and is charmingly vibrant!! The bracelet was started some time ago with a small collection of beads and sterling silver wire. In part, it was an exercise in wire-wrapping unusual shapes. It lay dormant for a while and I could really see where my skills have improved as I re-wrapped some of the beads! I am proud to say that! The multi-coloured jumprings that I have in stock finished off this creation nicely and I think you'll agree!

Title: A Colourful Life
Ingredients: Glass, plastic, wood, sterling silver



And with that, I'll leave you to your weekend!! I hope it is fabulous and full of colour and life!!
Au Revoir!
P.S. If you're in the area, stop by the Mind, Body and Spirit Expo in Saint Cloud, MN (USA) and say HELLO! I'll be there from 10am to 6pm tomorrow!

Whimsy Wednesday! Hearts and Mermaids!

Hello Everyone!
Welcome back to Whimsy Wednesday!
I took a little time today to play with wire and some slightly more unusual materials!
While the materials I'll be showing you shortly are not as extraordinary as a cow chain or fishing lures, they each had their own unique challenge.
The first two pairs of earrings use heart beads as their focal. The challenge with these beads is that the hole from which they dangle is actually too far away from the top edge of the bead to accommodate a jumpring, so a bit of wire-wrapping is in order!

Title: Green and Growing
Ingredients: Glass, permanently coated copper wire(USA), surgical steel earwires(silver-plated).


Title: Hearts Entwined
Ingredients: Glass, permanently coated copper wire(USA), surgical steel earwires(gold-plated).



Here is an added bit of Whimsy! I find the most interesting serendipities often happen whilst I am creating and so it was with these two pairs of earrings! I had the radio program on my computer set to random play and as I switched to creating these two earring pairs, I noticed that an Open Heart Meditation recording started playing at nearly the same time! Nifty and very appropriate!

And now, the flights of fancy (or should we say swims of fancy?) and the slam-dunk of whimsy!
You might remember when I brought these Squinkies home a little while back. I've been pondering what to do with the Mermaids and this is grew into being!

Title: Twins
Ingredients: Squinkie Mermaids, Bali silver, glass, metal, surgical steel earwires (silver-plated).



I love how the Bali silver spacers give the impression that each Mermaid is wearing a little crown!
So! Here we are, wrapping up another Whimsy Wednesday!
If you're in the mood for more Whimsy, tune into my interview with Cheryl Patton of 1Woman's Wisdom as we talk about Faeries, Life with Magic and who knows what else? Tomorrow at 3pm CST (USA) on BlogTalk Radio!

Ciao!
P.S. I'll be in the Saint Cloud (MN, USA) area for the
Mind, Body and Spirit Expo this Saturday from 10am to 6pm so stop by and say Hello if you're nearby!

Fini Friday!! Wings!!

Happy Friday!!!
I suppose it is no surprise to have a Blog Entry titled Wings from a company named Sprite Creations!
Today is all about wings!
I've two projects in the works to show you...
The first is a dragonfly that I've created entirely from beads.


If you happen to notice the thread coiled around in the photograph, I'll thread beads on that and embellish the wings!


The second is an antiqued brass butterfly that I've painted with both opaque paint and then with hand-coloured resin.



If you see the little bit of sparkly on the wings, that's the hand-coloured resin!!
You'll have to visit my blog again soon to see what these have grown into!

But wait, there are more wings to be found on the 'Web!!!
Check out my fellow artist Sharon Wagner and her post about Wings here. Sharon and I met at the Mpls. Institute of Arts-Art Perchance a little while back and I'm so pleased to stay in touch with such a talented artist!

One last little note.. If you are in the Saint Paul, MN (USA) area on Saturday, stop by and say Hi! to me at the final Bean Factory Artist Market for 2011! I'll be there from 10am to 6pm!
Have a fabulous weekend!!!

Whimsy Wednesday! Cats & Computers!

Hello Everyone!
Though the sun was marvelous today, I can feel the Fall chill in the air!
I think some of that is reflected in some of the whimsical creations I have to show you today, since I see some warm and fiery colors peeking out at me from the workbench!
I've been working on Custom Creations with computer keys and so continued drilling additional keys, as well as creating a few pairs of cat earrings. Perhaps it is because Halloween is coming up, but as I looked at my creations at the Fall Art Festival last weekend, I noticed a distinct lack of kitties!! That has got to be fixed!
So here we are!
Whimsy #1: recycled, computer key earrings!
Which keys have I drilled, you ask?
Why Ctrl-Alt-Delete, of course!!!!



Whimsy #2: Cats!!!

Title: The Cat and the Moonlight
Ingredients: Czech-pressed glass, labradorite, metal, surgical steel earwires


It is really hard to photograph labradorite (of which moonstone is a pale version) so that you see the flash in the stone, but it is there!!!

Title: Guardian of Hearth and Home
Ingredients: Czech-pressed glass, Swarovski crystal, metal, surgical steel earwires



These earrings remind me of Bast of Egyptian mythology. Most often depicted as a black cat with gold accents, she was a guardian of family and the home. She used her keen cat-night-vision to prowl the darkness for danger and was depicted as both a sun and moon goddess!

There you have it.. cats and computers!
See you on Friday!!!
P.S. You can find me this weekend returning for the final Bean Factory Artist Market of the year. Stop by the J&S Bean Factory on Saturday, Sept. 17th from 10am to 6pm for nummy drinks, delicious treats, excellent company and a vibrant, laid-back atmosphere! Saint Paul, MN, USA!

Fini Friday! Geometrics...

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to Friday!!
Much good news! The weather promises to be absolutely beautiful this weekend and I have nifty things to share with you-all!

First up! A pair of earrings that I "upcycled" by hand-painting hand-coloured resin on a while back. I hadn't had a clear vision of what to do with them, but were determined not to let them sit anymore! This is what FiniFriday is all about!
As I was sifting through my bead drawers, my eyes fell on the vintage Czech-pressed glass flowers that perfectly complimented the blue-green sparkle in the resin pigment and the earrings were born!
Here they are...
Title: Geometrics
Ingredients: Vintage Czech glass, hand-coloured hand-painted non-toxic resin, metal, silver-plated surgical steel earwires.



Let's finish up with a little peek into my studio today! Today was a day when I truly loved my job and I'll show you why...



These are new Faerie Messages in a Bottle that I created today. This means I got to play with flames and fun, whimsical things but most of all... GLITTER!!!! ...or Fairy Dust, whichever you like! Can you see the Fairy Dust that spread hither and yon on my work surface? Oh no!! WHATEVER SHALL I DO???!! I HAVE GLITTER EVERYWHERE!!! Woe is me!! Heeeheeeheee!!! And now, with that fun start to the weekend... If you are in the Cambridge, MN, USA area, stop by and see me at the Fall Art Festival tomorrow from 10am to 3pm! The show organizers are partnering with The Refuge to bring in donations to support their work with victims of domestic abuse. More details on the flyer below...

Otherwise..HAVE FUN!!!

Whimsy Wednesday! Myths & Legends!

Hello Everyone and welcome to Whimsy Wednesday!
I hope everyone's day is as warm and sunny as mine has been!!
I've seen dragonflies and bumblebees and all sorts of outside creatures appreciating the warmer temps and excellent sunshine!

I've taken inspiration from ancient myths and legends lately and this is what I have to show you today!
The first pair of earrings was inspired by the labyrinth charm and hand-felted wool ball that you'll see shortly. As I was gathering materials for other creations, my eye fell on these two items and it recalled to mind the myth of Theseus slaying the Minotaur in the labyrinth and finding his way out of the cleverly confusing maze by following a ball of yarn that a love-struck Ariadne had given him along with the secrets of the maze. (You can learn more about the legend here). And now you see the connection with the brilliant Swarovski heart. I chose the mysterious blue for many reasons, not the least of which is that many a Greek (as well as other legends) revolve or involve the sea. And, continuing to expand this inspiration to mythology in general, I included an ancient-looking gold coin. It is told in many of the legends how the hero bought their way out of a hopeless situation with gold or put themselves in harm's way for it! However, there is much more here than meets the eye as the title popped to mind immediately. We must consider Ariadne's point of view as well as others whose stories are not included in the legends. And so these earrings are about:
Unraveling the Mysteries of the Heart
Ingredients: Swarovski crystal, hand-felted wool ball (England), copper wire, lead-free pewter, metal, sterling silver earwires.



The whimsy is in the design for this second pair of earrings as well.. I had a lot of fun playing with wire-wrapping the cobalt drops because, while they are luscious, how could you leave them unadorned?!
Title: Untitled as yet...(Edited for title: Trace Elements)
Ingredients: Glass, copper wire, lead-free pewter, silver-plated surgical steel earwires.



To me, these are intense and ancient and galactic and just plain awesome!
Look for them in my Etsy shoppe within a few days...pending a title for the second pair! (Editied for time... These will be up in my Etsy shoppe on Monday (if they are still seeking their people) as they are coming to the show with me this weekend!)
See you on Friday!!!

Fini Friday! Modding Displays Fini!

Hello Everyone!!!
I hope this post finds you-all well and already enjoying your long Labor Day weekend!
I want to take a moment to Thank all of those who have made this celebration of Labor Day possible.. past and present!

So! Remember Wednesday and the modding of the displays? I promised to show you the finished bracelet display and so I shall!!!
A few details first... I wanted to play with textures a bit with this display and so I used silver spray paint on the grey suede. I also experimented with spray distances and how the paint looked when the paint is sprayed in the same area for differing lengths of time. I found that spraying the paint for a relatively long time in the same spot results in the paint pooling in what looks to me like a puddle of molten silver metal! With that said, here is the finished display!


I'm pleased with how it turned out!

One other little thing I wanted to throw in here before I return you to your regularly scheduled Labor Day weekend!
I've been travelling out and about today and come home with a little bit of loot! I'm anxious to see what a little bit of resin can do with these!


There are three pins in the middle (the circle of roses has matching earrings) and two necklaces... I might just stamp something into the pendant of the necklace on the right! Hmmmmm... yes.... I'll have to play with that a bit more...... And with that, I'm signing off! Have fun!! See you next week!!