Whimsy Wednesday! Writing the Story of Spring & Mermaid's Treasure!

Hello Hello!
Welcome to Whimsy Wednesday and posts chock-full of ...you guessed it...whimsy!
Warm temperatures are definitely heralding Spring in, here in my neck of the woods, and one of the creations I have to show is inspired by that!

Title: Writing the Story of Spring

Ingredients: Artisan glass, hand-made silk bead (USA), lead-free pewter, metal, brass and copper pen (USA).

 The tender, spring-time palette begins with the lilac-hued pen, accentuated by the blue hand-wrapped silk bead inscribed with lovely French words (the language of l'amour, some say...). The focal point of this pen and design is the beautiful floral bead in silvery tones, both lush and spare at the same time, and reminiscent of the spring growth waiting to burst forth!  This is flanked by two artisan glass beads of subtle yet fiery hues and shining silver-coloured accents abound!

Also, all of the beads spin freely, making this the perfect fidget toy to use when mulling over that perfect word choice in your head! I tested this pen myself, and the weight of the silver foliage bead towards the end of the pen gives this pen a very comfortable feel while writing! 
Whee!!!

Onward to the second creation of this post!  A wine bottle stopper!

Title: Mermaid's Treasure

Ingredients: Mermaid's Tale Mood bead, Rosy-Posy Mood beads, Stainless steel (and rubber).

 My favorite parts of this creation are the Mood Beads (of course!).  These beads change colour as they change temperature! How fun!  The larger round bead in the center of this wine bottle stopper features a Mermaid!  I've included a photo of both her head and her tail, so you can see how she's swimming around the bead!  Isn't she gorgeous?!

She is surrounded top and bottom with two smaller mood beads in a rosy-posy pattern (which also change colour).  This colour-changing ability would be especially fun to see as this is used for it's most practical purpose- a wine bottle stopper!  Other fun things about this creation - the mermaid!  Mermaids are, of course, denizens of the deep and tend to be pack-rats (or is that pack-fish?) or hoarders of wonderous and valuable things!  What a lovely statement (and inspiration for this creation's title) of how one values their fine bottle of wine!

YAY!

Well! I think this post has gone swimmingly (couldn't resist), yet it is time to batten it down (ha!) for the day.

I'll see on Fini Friday!

Ciao!

Fini Friday! Sweetness and Passion!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to Fini Friday!

I hope your week has been grand so far!

This post will be a bit shorter than usual as I'm making the final preparations for my first show of 2013!  Yes! In spite of the snow, we intend to be at the 10th Annual Burst Into Spring event in Cambridge, MN (USA)!

I had so much fun creating earrings with the Honey Bee Mood beads you saw on Wednesday, I decided to create one more pair!  Here they are!

Title: The Sweetness of Life

Ingredients: Honey Bee Mood beads, Czech glass, lead-free pewter(USA), metal, silver-plated surgical steel earwires.

I'm so pleased with what these grew into! I love the bit of sunny yellow that shines through those gorgeous dark teal flowers! And it's neat that the illusion of the Bee drinking from the flower is made! YAY!

This second creation is an earring and necklace ensemble. The ceramic links and pendant are hand-crafted by Melanie of Earthenwood Studio. They've been languishing around the studio for quite a while and I'm thrilled that they've grown into completion!

I adopted the two round links and Passion pendant together because they evoked a sense of weaving Passion into life in the style an Old World (or perhaps Fairy World!) tapestry. I also love the idea of Passion growing!

Let's start with the entire ensemble: Title: Passion Grows Ingredients: Earthenwood Studio ceramic links and pendant, artisan glass, lead-free pewter(USA and other), metal, surgical steel (silver-plated) earwires (earrings), steel cable neckwire (necklace).

And the focal of the necklace!  I adore the accent of matte black leaves that form a sensuous fringe around the generous slices of fiery artisan glass! What a luxurious feel!

Our last photo is of those fabulous earrings!  I've always found keys mysterious and intriguing and love the idea of giving people the key to their own locks.  I thought it was fitting to use a heart-shaped lock, since what is Passion without Heart?  More of those matte black leaves add an organic flow!

These creations (and more!) will be available for adoption at my first show of 2013!

Burst Into Spring!

It is in Cambridge, MN, USA and details are here! 

It would be grand to see you there! 

In the meantime, I'll see you tomorrow or Monday! 

Ciao!

Whimsy Wednesday! Winging Towards Spring!

Hello Everyone! 

Welcome to Whimsy Wednesday! 

This post is chock-full of whimsy and winged-things! 

The perfect thing to help celebrate many of us as we look forward to Spring! Whee!! 

Both winged creations are earrings and we'll start with a bit of buzz! 

Title: Abuzz 

Ingredients: Honey Bee Mood beads, Czech glass, lead-free pewter(USA), metal, surgical steel earwires. 

The Honey Bee beads are Mood beads, which means they change colour according to the temperature around them! Isn't that nifty? They are accented with honey-coloured beads and dangle from hypo-allergenic surgical steel earwires! Honey was considered to be the food of the Gods in Mayan and Greek cultures. Bees have long been associated with kings and gods and even the birth of the human race! Little wonder given the yummy richness of the honey they produce! 

 

Let us turn to another winged creature - the dragonfly! 

Title: Dragonfly Alights 

Ingredients: hand-made metal dragonflies, Czech glass, Artistic wire, Sterling Silver. 

I found the hand-made, metal dragonflies on Walkabout and knew they were destined to grow into some much more! Don't they have such a wonderful, architectural feel to them? 

I suspended them from a lush green vine from sterling silver ear hoops, wrapping in a vibrant leaf the colour of new growth. The idea was to capture the vision of a dragonfly pausing to rest on a stalk of grass. Dragonflies have long been associated with the ability to see through the illusions of life and that which holds a person back from their dreams and goals. 

Both of these creations will be available for adoption at my first show of 2013!

Burst Into Spring!

It is in Cambridge, MN, USA and details are here! 

It would be grand to see you there! 

In the meantime, I'll see you Friday! 

Ciao!

Fini Friday! In a Creative Mood!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to Fini Friday!

I hope this week has been fabu to you so far!

I've been busy creating this week, in between sorting and other things around the studio and have a few completed creations to show!

You might remember last Fini Friday when I introduced you to a few necklace-creations that were still growing... The base of these creations is a coated steel neckwire with magnetic clasp and I looked forward to embellishing that foundation with cut crystals and Mood beads!

And so I have!

We'll start with the most simple design first!

Title: Talisman

Ingredients: Blue Mystique and Fleur-De-Lis Mood beads, metalized acrylic, steel neckwire.

This evokes a feeling of a simple, yet significant necklace born in an more ancient, otherworldly time. A time when jewelry held mystical meaning as well as great beauty!

Playing with the cut crystals is where we're off to next!

Title: Rare Beauty

Ingredients: Hand-crafted Furnace Glass(USA), cut crystals, antiqued copper wire, steel neckwire.

I played around with different colours of the faceted crystals and wrapped them in gradation from darkest, smokey violet and ruby to lightest shadowy gold and crystal. The crystal colors accent the ribbons of colour in the hand-made furnace glass bead that is the focal of this necklace as well! YAY!

Title:  Playing in Turtle's Secret Garden

Ingredients: Turtle Island and Secret Garden Mood beads, hand-finished brass(USA), cut crystals, antiqued copper wire, steel neckwire.

Let's start with the Turtle Mood bead! I love this bead because it is three-dimensional! The turtle is swimming forward on one side and swimming with his head over his shoulder on the other!!! Neat! The brass bead-caps are hand-finished and made here in the USA.The cut crystals shimmer from verdant green to metallic silver with pauses at sky blue and dark smoke!  I wanted to play with juxtaposing the feel of the materials in this creation! Specifically, the steel neckwire and Mood beads are quite modern, yet the crystals, bail and beadcaps lend an older, more elegant ambiance to the creation. Very intriguing!

We've started a new month and that means new shows to tell you about (and new opportunities to see these creations in-person!)! 

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

Whimsy Wednesday! Happy Halloween!

Hello Everyone! 

Welcome to Whimsy Wednesday and Halloween!!!! 

I hope this day and night are filled with many, many treats and no tricks! 

Also, let me wish a most fun-filled Samhain, All Hallow's Day and All Saint's Day (tomorrow) to those that celebrate! 

So! I have new creations to show you today! 

One is elegant and creepy and the other is noteworthy and fun! 

First up! The noteworthy and fun! 

Working Title: The Dragon's Garden 

Ingredients: Dragon bead (Green Girl Studios) hand-cast of fine pewter, Mood beads, lead-free pewter, steel pen (USA).

Did you see my pun there?  Note-worthy?  It's a Pen..Hee hee!!!

The beads that flank the Dragon are Mood Beads, which means they will change colour with the temperatures around them! That fabulous Dragon is three-dimensional and is hand-cast by Green Girls Studios! He is so awesome!!! I love the mystery that this simple design evokes!!! 

And now! The elegant and creepy! 

Working Title: Gothi-Pop Elegance 

Ingredients: Chalk Turquoise skulls(dyed), cut crystals, vintage and non-vintage Czech glass.

I generally prefer to stay on the lighter side of the Goth/Noir aesthetic and that includes any type of skull or bone. With that in mind, I brought these colourful skulls home to experiment and stretch my creativity a bit. If I was going to play with skulls and so forth, they needed to be colourful or whimsical or unusual in some manner!  Speaking of stretching, this bracelet stretches too! It is strung on stretchy cord, so no clasp is needed! Just pop it over your hand for instant skull-appeal! I love the mixture of textures, colours and the feel of this bracelet! It is a bewitching mix of elegance, creepiness, intriguing colours and a bit of the Fae! 

And that's a wrap (though perhaps not a mummy's wrap - HA!)! 

Have a fun-filled Holiday and I'll see you on Friday! 

Boo!

Fini Friday! Re-working and Musing...

Hello Hello!

Welcome to Fini Friday!

I hope this post finds you well and ready for a fabulous week-end!

As it seems to flow in the Fall of the year... I've been struck by an urge to clear out, clear up and organize!  Along this line, I took a look at some of my personal jewelry that have been traveling companions for years now and realized that we may not be suited to each other anymore! Upon further examination, I determined that some of it can be repurposed and used in creations. Some of it will be moved on to more loving homes.

I stumbled onto some very early creations (pre-Sprite Creations, even!) in the midst of this sorting, which begat some musings on how my skills, techniques and styles have changes over the years of creation. A great many of these creations will be up for adoption after I tend to any design or material improvements!  Overall, it is obvious that while much has been refined, both through better materials, skills and techniques, there was an "undomesticated" quality to my early creations that I anticipate revisiting with future creations!

Well, enough of this reflection!

Let me show you one of these early creations, all grown-up and refined!

Title: As Yet Unknown

Ingredients: Clay Manatee, hand-dyed fiber (Idaho,USA), glass, lead-free pewter.

These next creations are part of my experimenting with a recently-acquired batch of steel neckwires closed with magnetic bayonet clasps. I don't often procure pre-made neckwires such as these as I prefer to create as much as possible myself and yet it is refreshing to play with different and easily embellished materials from time to time! 

Title: Cherries!

Ingredients: Lampwork glass, acrylic, steel and metal neckwire.  

These necklace-creations are in the still-growing/idea stage.. 

It is difficult to capture the wonderfully mysterious red-wine-purple colour of the faceted crystals on the left, but I intend to play with the smokey mystery they evoke! The focal beads are Mood beads and so will change colour with varying temperatures! I'm excited to be mixing the casual, pop-culture essence of Mood beads with the faceted elegance of the cut crystals, all woven (somehow!) around these very modern and simple neckwire! 

Stay tuned to see what these grow into! 

And with that...Fini Friday is Fini! 

Have an awesome weekend! 

Ciao!

Whimsy Wednesday! Custom Creations and Unusual Jewels!

Hello Hello! 

Welcome to Whimsy Wednesday! 

Today is all about unusual jewels, including a Custom Creation that is winging it's way to it's person now! 

Let's start with the new creations! 

I've been playing with Mood Beads as part of earring creations lately and this is what has grown into completion! 

Title: Secret Garden, Faerie Wisdom 

Ingredients: Secret Garden Mood bead, hand-finished brass beadcaps (USA), metal, Czech glass, surgical steel earwires.

  These are a Custom Creation for a woman who will shortly be walking the El Camino and it is my honor to create earrings that might accompany her on this epic journey! 

Title: Jeweled Lotus Mood 

Ingredients: Blue Mystique Mood beads, Czech glass, metal, surgical steel earwires.

These were the second Custom Creation prototype. They remind me of a lotus flower, adorned with jewels! 

In wrapping up this post, I wanted to show you these last creations, which were adopted at the Bean Factory Artist Market!  They were chosen as an ensemble by a lady clothed all in blue! 

Earring Title:  Water Dragon Eggs

Necklace Title:  Celtic Beauty

  

She mentioned that she loves water, dragons and the darker shades of blue...which made these and she a perfect compliment for each other! 

I love it when my Creations find the perfect home! YAY! 

Speaking of adoption... this is the next opportunity to see these creations in person!

August 11th!

Saturday only!  10am to 6pm

The Coffee Grounds!

1579 Hamline Avenue North
Saint Paul, MN 55108

Ciao!

Fini Friday! A Peek into Preparations!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to Fini Friday!

I've been busy preparing both for the Bean Factory Artist Market this weekend and creating new shinies!

I'm excited about all of this, so let's get right to what you'll see this weekend if you stop by for a visit!

First, a little project...

The white sign that you see to the left in the photo below is my current earring price sign.  The beginnings of the new sign are to the right in the same photo.  The current sign has weathered the shows well, but now looks a little the worse for wear. I've also wanted to try something more in keeping with the Faerie feel of the booth.  And Lo! The idea for a sign that looked like an old scroll was born!

And this second photo is the new sign all rolled up, secured and with the dots filled in! I'm pleased with this first prototype and look forward to seeing how well it works this weekend! 

I just received more Mood Beads in the mail and so will have a nifty selection of them for adoption this weekend! Take a gander! I love creating with Mood Beads, they are so much fun! 

And finally! A pendant that is still growing! My current idea is to wire-wrap or otherwise suspend or secure these beads to the bicycle finding. The rest of the creation will grow from there. 

I'm interested to see what you, the audience, think of which beads to include and where (and perhaps, how)! Leave a comment with opinions, if you like! 

 And onward to the weekend!!! 

This is where I'll be! Maybe you can join me!!!

Bean Factory Artist Market

July 28th and 29th
Saturday 10am to 7pm
Sunday 10am to 5pm

J and S Bean Factory

1518 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, MN (USA)

It would be grand to see you there!

Also! Coming Up In August!!!
August 11th
Saturday only!  10am to 6pm
The Coffee Grounds!

 1579 Hamline Avenue North
Saint Paul, MN 55108

See you soon!

Ciao!

Whimsy Wednesday! In a Creative Mood!

Hello and Welcome to Whimsy Wednesday!

Today has been a beautiful summer day here and I hope the same can be said for you-all!

I've a Mood Bead Creation and a Custom Creation to show you today, so let's get started!

This necklace creation was borne of both the fabulous knotwork in this neck cord and the Mermaid Mood Bead!

Take a look!

Title: Celtic Beauty

Ingredients: Mermaid's Tale Mood bead, lead-free pewter, rayon fiber, quartz. 

I thought the Mermaid a fitting combination with the fine Celtic tradition of sea-faring adventure. Other nifty details are the fluid spirals in the accent beads that are reminiscent of the Celtic triple-spirals (meaning the never-ending cycle of life)!
You'll see this in my Etsy shoppe tomorrow!

Let's end this blog post with a peek at a Custom Creation! 

A lady who adopted a Pen Creation from me at a show in May commissioned a Pen with a Turtle on it somehow and this is it! 

 Title: Just Keep Swimming! 

Ingredients: Turtle Island and Blue Mystique Mood Beads, lead-free pewter, steel pen (USA), ink.

That's about it for me here!! 

I've lots going on in the studio, so stay tuned! 

I'll see you here for Fini Friday! 

Ciao!

Fini Friday! A Stargazing Mood!

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to Fini Friday!
I have new shinies to show you! I've been needing to restock my Mood Bead collection and have been wanting to play with a new design since it came out a little while ago. Alas, but the last order found it out-of-stock! This time, though, it was in stock and mine, ALL MINE!!! ...Ahem....
So let me show you a little bit of what just arrived!

The big round beads in the center? They remind me of space ships and the design is named Star Gazer! How awesome is that?
Also in the pile of loot are mermaids, flowers, bees, flames and sun blossoms! All mood beads, isn't that fun?!

Ok! Now on to the creation!
Title: (You guessed it!) Star Gazer
Ingredients: Mood beads (with glow in the dark stars!), leather cord dyed with lead-free dye(USA), sterling silver, aluminum, metal.

Yup! A space ship among glowing stars! Really, it was only a matter of time until I created this... 'cause really...yeah.. it needed to happen!
This might even save the wearer from being sucked into a wormhole... or something like that...but don't bank your insurance policy on that!
OK! I'm a little goofy at the end of this week! But I am completely serious when I tell you that this can be found in my Etsy shoppe here!
And with that, I'm outta here for the weekend!
Have a fabulous one!
Ciao!

Whimsy Wednesday! Charming New Shinies!

Hellooooooooo!!!!
It was such a beautiful, clear and warm Wednesday today and I hope it was the same for you! Remember those new Mood Beads I mentioned were in some new Creations? I wanted to give you a peek into my now-current stash of Mood Beads!! I'll have these available at the Artisan Fair in Chanhassen, MN (USA) this Saturday!



Now to the goodies!!!



Don't they look good enough to eat?

I have a second bunch of shinies up my sleeve to show you!



This are old charms.. probably about 40-50 years old... that recently came my way.
I love every single one of them!! See the hot dog? The Native American? The cowboy? The pegasus? There is a Fireman's Helmet, horseshoe, elephant, tiger, and swan, oh my! There are glass pearls, a camera, a desk, a life preserver and that's just for starters!!! See where the whimsy and the title of the post come from??!
I've been pondering them and rather than using them as-is, I think I'll be making molds from them and creating my own charms from there!

So there you have it! A short little post to let you know what's going on in my studio this week!
Stop on by on Friday to see what I've cooked up!

Whimsy Wednesday! New Mood Beads, New Creations!

Hello Everyone!! Welcome back to Whimsy Wednesday!
I've been playing with some new mood beads as well as beadable pens and wine stoppers!! The pens and stainless steel wine stoppers have been around a while, but I just hadn't felt inspired to do much with them until now. With the recent procurement of newly-designed mood beads, I thought I'd try my hand at a few of each! You can see what grew into completion below!
First, the wine bottle stoppers! Stainless steel with rubber rings that act as gaskets, these are fun and functional! The center bead is the mood bead, framed by two carved bone beads.
Title: (edited to include title) As Yet Unknown...



The second wine stopper is graced with hand-crafted lamp-work and furnace glass (USA Artists) beads, accented with lead-free pewter beads with a Greek key design.
Title: (Edited to include title) In Vino Veritas



On to the Pens!
The first pen is also adorned with hand-crafted furnace glass (USA artist) with a dramatic white-centered orb at the top (either glass or acrylic)! Paired with the black finish on the pen, this reminds me of an old fashioned gas light... or perhaps a tool used by a wizard to illuminate or dispel illumination...
Title: Old Fashioned, With a Modern Twist
(The nib of the pen extends and retracts with a twist of the pen, about mid-way up.. see the pun in the title?) *grin*



And the last pen I have to show you uses one of my favorite new mood bead designs... a mermaid!!! Yup!! The middle orb is a swimming mermaid, enclosed on either side with complimentary, smaller mood beads, and accentuated with lead-free pewter and cobalt blue glass beads.

Title: A Mermaid's Tale



Finally, a closer look at those gorgeous mood beads!


All of these will be with me this Saturday at BellaWeen at BellaLuna Boutique in Minnetonka, MN (USA)! Whether you're looking for that last fabulous piece to tie your costume together for Saturday night parties, to pamper yourself before said parties or taking the little ones out for Trick or Treat or just want to shop at a new, interesting, independently-owned shoppe, this event is for you! We'll have massage therapists, jewelry, stones, scarves, bottle, bits and bobs, Faeries, dragons, Intuitive Readers, Live Music and more!!
See you Friday!