Magical Monday! Hobbits, Superhero and Rainbow Power!

Hello Hello! 
Welcome to Magical Monday! 
Before I show you what magical tidbits I've uncovered for this post, I'd like to take a moment to Thank absolutely everyone who stopped by for a visit at our booth during the Saint Paul Art Crawl! 
We are tired yet our hearts are full! 
Every day brought delightful folks, some of whom were looking for us and our Faerie Finery, having seen us at previous Crawls! 
YAY!!! 
It was absolutely wonderful to be back in the Lowertown Lofts Artist Co-Op and we had so much fun! 
Whee!!! 

Speaking of fun...check out this Hobbit-inspired playhouse! Details and credits are here! Doesn't that look like so much fun? 
She looks so excited!!!! 
YAY!!! 

Let me next introduce you to... a Superhero keyboard! Details and credits are here! 
Quick! How many superhero symbols can you identify!?! 
Feel free to list them in the comments below! 

Let's end on an inspirational note! 
Behold! The power of a rainbow!
Details and credits are here! 
Isn't that a stunning photograph of the power of Nature?! 

That is a wrap for this Magical Monday! 
Stop on by and see me on Whimsy Wednesday! 
Ciao!

Magical Monday! Tulips, a Toy and a Sweet Story!

Hello Everyone! 
Welcome to Magical Monday! 
I hope your weekend was fabulous! My mini-vacation was much fun! I was surrounded by amazing people, excellent food, and many warm, good times were had in the midst of this season of cold and snow! YAY!!! 
I've a pretty diverse batch of nifty things to show you today! 
Let's start with the tulips! We'll travel to northern Holland via the photos of bruxelles5 just in time to admire the tulips and other gorgeous flowers! Details and credits are here! 

The toy mentioned in the title is the Etch-A-Sketch! If you're not familiar with it, here is a photo of it, with a portrait of it's inventor within. It seems the creator, Andre Cassagnes, passed away earlier this year. You can read about the invention of this beloved toy (which I find fascinating!) and find more details and credits for the photo (and portrait!) here! 

We'll wrap this up with a sweet story that some of you may have seen this weekend during the Superbowl! 
I'm not really a fan of football and don't really watch the sport, but I found the story illustrated in this commercial very heart-warming! 
Click here. 
Awwwww! 
That's a wrap for this Magical Monday! 
In case you're just tuning in, I'll mention my BlogTalk Radio Interview in a few weeks!

Tuesday, Feb. 19th 3-3:30pm (CST, USA)

A Special February Message From the Faeries! 

I'm not giving any hints, so hop on over for a listen that day to hear their message!

See you on Wednesday!

Ciao!

Magical Monday! Creation, Destruction and Carnival!

Hello Hello!

Welcome to Magical Monday!

I hope your weekend was excellent and your week looks to be fun!

The themes of this post are fairly wide-ranging and all-encompasssing, yet should be quite interesting!

Let's start with the Destruction first!

I've always been fascinated by the demolition of man-made structures and this particular demolition was filmed in slow-motion! Click here for the video titled Five Massive Cooling Towers Collapsing in Slow Motion.

I find it quite intriguing!

Onward to the Creation!

This is an interactive installation of LED lights suspended in a matrix that changes colour configuration as a person walks through it!

Click here for details and credits! 

 

And what could be a more spectacular finish to ...well, anything... than a Carnival! 

Some of these photos are of the competition to determine who participates the 2013 Carnivals in different countries and some are of Carnival sights in 2012. This is one of my favorite photos in the article! The article, which includes credits and details, is here.  Isn't that glorious and grand!

So that's it for this Magical Monday!

I'm taking a brief hiatus at the end of this week, so join me for a double-feature of Whimsy Wednesday and Fini Friday this Wednesday!  I'll skip posting on Friday and return on Monday next!

See you then!

Ciao!

Magical Monday! Thinking Outside the Box!

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to Magical Monday! 
Winter has finally come to my neck-of-the-woods with lots and lots of snow! 
I'm glad about this as the snow makes it seem truly like Winter and Christmas/Winter Holidays to me, rather than just one long Fall! The snow is fluffy and sparkly and lovely! YAY!
I've one of my favorite kinds of posts for you today! 
I have all sorts of examples of "thinking outside the box", that is using things for useful purposes for which that they weren't intended! I often have great fun doing this in my jewelry! 
First, an unusual Christmas Tree! 
Credits and details are here! 
Since I love nearly all things books, I adore this Christmas Tree! YAY!!!! 


Next is an unusual application of pinball machines and an awesome way to create art! 
Credits and details are here!
Isn't that fun??!


And finally, let me show you something along the lines of the Tiny House movement... a Transforming Home!
Click here for pictures, details and credits!
I think it's wonderful to take old shipping containers and repurpose them in this manner! 
 How intriguing!!!

I'll leave you with information of my final show for 2012!

When is that, you ask?

The 20th Annual Women's Art Festival! Come join us at the Midtown YWCA in Minneapolis, MN (USA)!

Saturday, Dec. 15th only!

10am to 5pm.

There will be live music all day, an on-site coffee shop and art of all kinds and for all budgets!

And with that, I'll see you on Wednesday!! 

Ciao!

Magical Monday! Beauty, Art and Play!

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to Magical Monday!
I hope your weekend was fabu!!
I have gathered a wide range of art, beauty and play for you today!
So, let's get started!
First, the beauty!
This photo is of the Solar Eclipse on Nov.15th of this year by former NASA photographer Ben Cooper in Queensland, Australia. Isn't it gorgeous?! Details and credits are here!

And then the Art! I don't have a lot of details about where this next bit of art is or how it is done, excepting that it is made of thread.
Details and credits are here!

And finally, the Play!
This has to be one of the Ultimate Leaf Party!
Click here for video! Doesn't that look like fun?!

A bit of news before I take my leave...
We'll be at the Holiday Geek Expo this weekend!
Saturday 10am to 6pm
Sunday 10am to 5pm
Plaza 5&6 (1st Floor, Short Tower)
 DoubleTree Hotel
Join us for all things Geek!!!

Magical Monday! Tech for the Win!

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to Magical Monday!
First, I'd like to say a huge Thank You! to everyone who graced us with a visit on Saturday at the Arts Fest!
We had so much fun with all of you and I'm so very pleased that many Sprite Creations were adopted (and look to be given as gifts!)! YAY!!!!
 So! On to the Magic!
Let's start with the lowest-tech!
This is a novel approach to stress relief that uses bubble wrap (and the delightful popping of it) as stress relief! Some kind soul(s) thought of this charming and practical idea! Squares of progressively larger sheets of bubble wrap were cut out, temporarily secured onto a prop of some kind with the signs attached and then taken to a bus shelter and secured against the shelter! Details and credits are here!
How very awesome!!!!

Next, is bat-inspired technology that helps blind people ride mountain bikes! The details and article are here.
The basic principle of it seems to be that a device on the bike emits ultrasonic waves, which are then received back to the same device, which give a tactile form of feedback to the bike rider! Very, very cool!

And, in closing, I'd like to introduce you to Solar-powered, floating schools! Photos and details are here!
Apparently in some parts of India, the monsoons interrupt a good portion of school time, especially in river-side communities. So, the idea of solar-powered boat-schools was invented! It is especially heart-warming to note that education is also extended to adults and that solar-powered lamps are provided to students so that they may study at home! YAY!!!

So, I'll leave you with this thought as you delve into your week...
I have a Blog-Talk Radio Interview tomorrow at 3pm (CST, USA)!!!! We'll be discussing Message #12 From the Faeries! Stop by for a listen and hear how this applies to all aspects of your life! The link with details is here!
See you on Wednesday!
Ciao!

Magical Monday! Structures and Building!

Hello Hello!
Welcome to Magical Monday!
I hope your weekend full of adventures and joy!
I wanted to say a special Thank-you to all who stopped by for a visit at our Shop Local event at Monthei Fine Art Studio! It was much fun! I always enjoy visiting historical places as I love the architecture and the stories the homes and buildings seem to whisper!
So returning to historic Uptown/Downtown Minneapolis was a treat!

Speaking of buildings... this post is all about structures and what folks build out there in the wide, wide world!
Let's start our travels in India!
This is a tree-bridge are woven from the living roots of the fig tree!
Details and credits are here! Absolutely beautiful! The link to the BBC video about these bridges is here!


Next we arrive in Zundert, Netherlands for the Bloemencorso Flower Parade! Dahlias are grown all year long and then used to create these absolutely stunning parade floats every September!
This is my favorite of the floats! It is so true to life and and full of play-full-ness and whimsy!
You can find more photos, details and credits here!


And we end this post's journey today in Poland!  A tiny Poland!
Click here for the video, credits and details! It is amazing!


And there you have it!  
A magical journey for your Monday!
Thank-you for travelling with me today and I'll see you on Wednesday!
Ciao!

Magical Monday! Art and Fantasy into Real Life!

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to Magical Monday!
I hope your weekend was filled with warmth and joy!
I've some really nifty bits of Art that have been transformed from fantasy into real life to show and tell today! If that isn't Magical, I don't know what is!
Let's start with the more "Artsy" bit of Magic...
The idea of the Booooooom + Adobe Remake photo project is to remake a famous work of art using photography.
More details, photos and credits are here!
I, personally, liked the photo remake of this painting by Van Gogh's, titled Bedroom in Arles.  It is about half-way down the page of submissions, which means you should have plenty of time to immerse yourself in the wonderful level of creativity and talent on display!

The second bit of magic I have to show you is Fantasy literally made into reality! 
A giant Gollum (from Lord of the Rings books & movies) installation at a New Zealand airport!  Details and credits are found here! W
hat an incredible amount of work, time and talent went into all of that! I wonder what J.R.R. Tolkien would think of it? I bet he would be astonished, astounded and amazed!

And our last bit of magic for today is a light-hearted video that was made in response to the recent selling of all things StarWars to Disney.  Click here to view the YouTube video!
My heart goes out to that poor StormTrooper who can't get a drink! All in all, I have to say that this is a brilliant thing! 
Let's wrap up this post up with a little note of a show I'll be at this weekend!

Get a jump-start on your Winter Holiday shopping and support independent, local artists at the same time!!!

Shop Local 

Saturday, Nov. 10th Only! 

9am to 6pm  

Monthei Fine Arts Studio 

Upper Carriage House 

314 Clifton Avenue, Suite 300 

Minneapolis, MN 55403
It would be grand to see you there!
Ciao!

Magical Monday! Flights of Fantasy!

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to Magical Monday!
I hope your weekend was filled with awesome and win!
This Magical Monday post is filled with beautiful balloon art, yummy geekiness and a brilliant audio parody (also of the geeky variety)!
Let's start with the balloons!
This is a photo of the festivities at the Albuquerque Ball Fiesta!
  Credits and details are here!
This is absolutely amazing! I bet it is yet more stunning in person!!

Next up is an nummy treat that I would happily visit the Dark Side to knosh on! Credits and details are here! YUM!

And now!
 A link to video that is my new favorite thing for Magical Monday!
Nintendohemian Rhapsody! Clicky!
Hee hee hee hee hee hee!!!! I love it!!!
And it is really well done! YAY!!!
And with that bit of magic in mind, I'll see you on Wednesday!
Ciao!

Magical Monday! Seeing Beauty in the World!

Hello Everyone! 
Welcome to Magical Monday! 
I hope your weekend was awesome! 
Mine was full of rest and quiet time as a wee bit of illness took hold. For those of you who were looking forward to seeing us at the BellaWeen Show, I apologize for the cancellation. Better to see you when we are well! 

And speaking of wellness, let's move on to some beautiful sights, shall we? 
First up! Man-made beauty! 
These are LED lights in a swimming pool! Credits and details are here! I would definitely swim there!!! 

Next up is a bit of a branching out into a tree theme (HA!)... 
This gorgeous photo is of Yew Trees somewhere on the road to Wales! Credits and details are here! I'd love to walk through there!!! 

This is a wonderful glimpse into the beauty of kindness that folks give to each other.. read the receipt on the left first....Credits and details are here! 






 Let's wrap up this post with a little bit of Science, Space, Wonder and Beauty, shall we? 
Credits and details are here! 
That's it for today! 
See you on Wednesday!!! 
Ciao!

Magical Monday! A Colourful, Wonderful Life!

Hello Everyone! 
Welcome to Magical Monday! 
This post is quite a bit about repurposing or making art of the mundane, a small bit about history and a good bit about an artful or colourful life! All things near and dear to my heart! 
Let's dive right in to the history bit (HA)!
  Credits and information about this photo are here! I'm not certain about the model of the plane, there are some who believe it is a United States Army AC-47C, which is based off of the DC-3. I love the photo and the sentiment behind it! 
 
Shaking ourselves dry and continuing on a land-based route, let's start with with a key! Or rather... a Keytar!
Hee hee!! So awesome! Credits and information about this photo are here! 

    And what might this be a key to?  Perhaps this!!! A gorgeous repurposing of an old school bus and that looks to be put to beautiful use! Credits and information about this photo are here! 

And let's finishing up with the making of a colourful life! This is a fabulous and intriguing short move! 
Click the link to view! Amazing, intriguing and fun!!! Whee!!!

And that's a wrap for this Magical Monday! 
I hope you had as much fun as I did!
I'll see you on Whimsy Wednesday!!!
Ciao!

Magical Monday! Lights, Steam and Star Wars!

Hello Hello!
Welcome to Magical Monday!
I hope your weekend was a blast!! Mine was full of good company, excellent food, much laughter and fun! YAY!
We're going to hop around a few different universes this Magical Monday post! We'll begin our adventure with Star Wars, wind through a bit of a Faerie and Enchanted Forest and end up landing solidly in the Steampunk Realm! Let's go!

Whoever did this in their freezer is awesome! I'd a little sad that we don't have a freezer that lends itself to recreating this because I would giggle every time I opened the freezer and glimpsed this!
Then again, perhaps my electrical bill (and freezer) will be grateful that I can't make this a reality just now!
Details and credits are here! 

Shaking off that snow, let's flit into a much warmer and magical world of woods, faeries and mysterious lights!
Aren't those just wonderful?? 
I'm not exactly certain if these are real wood or composite and how they are constructed, but I'd love to know!  
Here is where I found them on the 'Net! 

Our final destination continues to be warm (some would say steamy, even!) and full of imagination and invention! 
The Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford in the UK held a Steampunk Exhibition! 
It was chock-full of delightful curiosities and has been recording for your viewing pleasure here! 
Fabulous! 
And as we circle down and into our own worlds, I hope this gives your imaginations a recharge! 
See you on Wednesday! 
Whee! 
Ciao!

Magical Monday! Creating the Extraordinary Mundane!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to Magical Monday!

I hope your weekend was fabu!

Mine was! I'll tell you more about that on Wednesday! 

Today, I have all sorts of magical things lined up for you, so let's get started! First up... Banana Art!

Credits and links for more information are here. I admit that I've not ever thought or encountered art of this sort and I love how obviously talented this artist is! 

I would love to see Art and Beauty everywhere, everyday and banana art is one step closer to that vision! 

YAYYAYAYAYYY!!! Next is a Bedroom I would *love* to have!

Credits and links for more information are here. Doesn't that look so inviting and fun?!!!! 

Let's wrap up this post with a beautiful idea and a video about it... 

Entitled, "What One Man Did to Celebrate His 22nd Birthday"... Click Here! 

Let Us Be Kind, indeed! 

Want to know more about what inspired this? Details about this idea and movement are here! 

That's a wrap! 

Have a brilliant day and I'll see you on Wednesday!!! 

Ciao!

Magical Monday! The Magical in the Mundane!

Hello Everyone! 
I hope your weekend was most excellent! 
Mine was, full of errands and meetings, yet also the excellent company of good friends, excellent conversation and nummy food! YAY! 
Today's post has a decidedly mechanical and extraordinary-mundane feel to it! Let's get started! 
I love everything about what this photo captures! It has a working title of "Concert Solidarity" and credits for it are here.
  

 This second bit of Magic can best be summed up by the title, "A General's Birthday Wish" and credits and details about it are here.
So incredibly awesome! 






The last bit of magic I have to share is about a man in Honduras building a helicopter. 
The link to the Youtube video is here and it is entitled,"Everything is Incredible". I love that idea! I don't know if his helicopter can fly or not...but then...perhaps that's not really the point of it. Perhaps the point was to simply build and complete the helicopter...Take a look at the video and see for yourself! 

And that wraps up another Magical Monday! 
Have an excellent next few days and I'll see you on Whimsy Wednesday! 
Ciao!

Magical Monday! An Owl, A Gargoyle and Levitation!

Hello Everyone! 
Welcome to Magical Monday! 
I hope your weekend was fabu!!! Mine was! I was honored to attend beloved friends' Fairytale Wedding!  It was truly amazing!! Many good wishes and love and Congrats!!! to the happy couple! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYYY!!!

Today I have a post for you that could be straight out of a wizard's world! 
Let's ease into the magic by starting with the more mundane! 
Owl Tree!
Mother Nature is a truly awesome artist! 

This next Magical bit is a most excellent yard companion and I'd love to give him or her a home in our yard!!!!! 
Giant Inflatable Gargoyle!!!!
I "heart" everything about this wonderfully detailed, heart-warming and mischievous beastie! In case you've fallen in love with him or her, too, here is where to purchase/adopt him or her! 

And now! 
Where Science and Magic meet!!! 
A short video about Acoustic Levitation and how it's actually being played with in laboratories right now!!!
What is Acoustic Levitation and how does it work, you ask? Click here for more details at How Stuff Works.com! 
So awesome!!!! Whee!! 
So!! What a nifty, magical, science-y (which I'm certain is a word!) start to your week! 
See you on Wednesday! 
Ciao!

Magical Monday! Discoveries!

Hello Everyone! 

Welcome to Magical Monday! 

This post is heavily influenced by Science!, different perspectives and discoveries about our known and unknown worlds! 

Let's start with an unusual view of our more mundane world.... 

Source credits are here! 

 

Do you see the word "Pow!" and the Batman-style bat? Pretty awesome, eh? 

This next image is another very intriguing perspective... 

Source credits here! 

Amazing how that, due to merely a reflection, a person can hold a world between 2 fingers! 

The last bit of Magic I have for you today is to introduce you to the Tardigrades! 

What are tardigrades? 

Click here to find out! 

Absolutely astounding! 

See you on Wednesday! 

Ciao!

Temporary Tuesday! Flights of Fancy!

Hello Hello! 

Welcome to Temporary Tuesday as it stands in for Magical Monday! 

I've a more imaginative post for you-all today! 

Let's start out with the more mundane and end with the more fanciful! 

I love this Harry Potter Quilt! I would proudly display it in my home! 

How many nifty items can you identify? 

The Sorting Hat? 

 Hedwig? 

Heeheee!!

One of the conversations with a treasured friend this weekend was about the Tiny House movement. I investigated a little about this on teh Intertubes and became enchanted by the Vardos, more colloquially known as "Gypsy Wagons". This is a Vardo that is hand-made by the Book Artists who use it to travel and sell their wares and in which they conduct their classes. Read more about it and them here! 

It looks like fun to me! I might have to consider something along the lines this, yet as a Faerie House! 

 

And finally! 

The awesome thing that I've been excitedly waiting to show you-all! 

A remote control Dragon!! 

Jet powered! It flies AND....! Breathes Fire!!!! Wooohooo!!! 

Click here for the video!

One little note of where you can find me this weekend!

 

Fall Art Festival 

Saturday, September 8th Only! 

10am to 4pm City Center Market 

122 North Buchanan Street Cambridge, MN (USA

Until Wednesday!

Ciao!

Magical Monday on Temporary Tuesday!

In celebration of Labor Day, I'm moving Magical Monday to Temporary Tuesday!
See you tomorrow!

Magical Monday! Fun Food Stuff!

Hello Everyone! 

Welcome to Magical Monday! 

As I looked at the line-up of things that struck my fancy (and that I'll show you in just a moment), I realized that they all have to do with food! 

Since I'm not aware that I'm hungry right now, I'll just chalk that up to being naturally well-organized (heh!) and a good bit of luck that things fell together in any easy theme! 

And with that... here we go with another bit of nifty stuff that (hopefully) will brighten your Monday!

I *love* this kitchen knife set!

  Note to self: Must plot how to have this in my own kitchen... with a fully-functional mini-claymore, of course! 

Adding a little dash of Geekiness thrown into this Magical Monday mix.... YAY Dr. Who Cookie Cutters!!!

 WOoOOOOOOOO!!!! 

And wrapping up this Magical Monday... I think the caption is aptly applied... Complimentary Materials!  

We'll see you on Wednesday! 

Ciao!

Magical Monday! Places to Go, Things to Do...

Hello Everyone! Welcome to Magical Monday!

This is one of those more comfy, laid-back Magical Mondays filled with places and things I'd love to travel and see and/or perhaps would own in my own life! Come along on this brief adventure!

Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France! I'd love to spend some time here! Doesn't it look like fun!?!

Perhaps these Fish Tricycles could help me get to Mont Saint-Michel?  You just never know!  I think these are incredibly colourful and fun!

And the last stop on our little adventure is to show you something I could have fun with in my own home!

Nerf Shoot to Snooze Clocks!

Hey!  Guess what I'm up to tomorrow?! 
My BlogTalk Radio Interview!  I'll be discussing Messages From the Faeries #10!

*Tuesday, August 21st 3-4pm (CST, USA)

Join me and Cheryl Patton of 1Woman's Wisdom as we discuss life, Faeries and possibly everything!
Ciao!