Fini Friday! Showing Off the Skulls!

Hello Hello!
Welcome to Fini Friday!
Today has been a happily busy day for me as I prepare for my show tomorrow (amongst other tasks)!
I've a new creation that has grown into completion and will be available for adoption tomorrow!
Let me show you!
You may remember this Fini Friday post and the collection of beads and ideas introduced...
Here is what the yellow skulls grew into!
Title: As Yet Unknown
Ingredients: Howlite(dyed) stone skulls, vintage Czech glass, glass, leather (lead-free dye), sterling silver, aluminum, base metal.
I loved the idea of creating a multi-layer leather bracelet along a Day of the Dead and/or rainbow-faerie-skull theme!  
I also wanted to incorporate motion, texture and meaning into the creation.  Motion (and therefore the bracelet doubles as a fidget toy- YAY!) is found in the collection of beads on either end of the bracelet...whilst texture abounds in the colour-rich, faceted vintage Czech beads and smaller, shiny foil-lined beads.  
The knots provide a different contrasting texture and the silver double-heart toggle clasp echoes the overall shiny and light-ness of the creation!  The heart clasp also softens the effect of the skulls and evokes the Day of the Dead inspiration.

A few updates and news before I close...
I and Sprite Creations will be returning to the Arts Fest in North Branch (MN, USA) this Saturday! 
Spot 5E in the Middle School Cafeteria (same as last year) is where you'll find me from 9am to 4pm!  (I'm in the yellow area on the diagram!)

There is food, arts and crafts of every kind and truly something for everyone! Seating is just across the way from me to rest your weary shopping bones! 
Beat the "Black Friday"/Winter Holiday shopping rush and feel good purchasing local, hand-made goodies and supporting independent artists and craftsfolk!  

$1 admission gets you all of this and a shuttle from the High School to the Middle School and back again!

See you there!!!

Also!!
The November Message From the Faeries has been rescheduled! 
We had a few technical difficulties and so the interview has moved to Tuesday, November 26th at 12Noon (CST, USA)!  
Join Cheryl Patton and me as we discuss the whimsical and practical tips and tricks the Faeries have in this gracious month of November!

Ciao!

Whimsy Wednesday & Fini Friday! A Charming Dragon!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to a double-feature of Whimsy Wednesday and Fini Friday!

I've a charming Dragon and whimsical charms to show today along with how each either have grown into completion!

Let's get started! First, the charms!

These charms are cast of lead-free pewter by a company here in the U.S.A! I love working with their materials as everything is so well-formed and of excellent quality.  The dark little recesses that you see are little holes in which to glue crystals or other cabochons. I used Swarovski crystal (Colours from left to right are: Sun, Fern Green and Volcano) rhinestones because I love the precision of the faceting and the beautiful flash of colour that produces. I'm not certain where I'll use these, whether in earring creations or as a dangling detail in a necklace or bracelet. They are so very fun, I'm excited to see where they venture to next!

And now!

For the Dragon!  We're on a journey from material to finished creation!

First, some of the materials!

The two gold-coloured beads are hand-made brass from the Ivory Coast. Their holes were a little uneven due to the hand-casting, so I widened them on my drill press! The top bead is our Dragon and his is hand-carved boxwood! It takes the Master Carvers up to four hours to carve one of him and each one is signed on the bottom! I absolutely love the three-dimensionality of him!

 You'll see what I mean in the following photos! Title: As Yet Unknown Ingredients: Hand-carved boxwood Dragon, brass (Ivory Coast), glass, Copper and Brass Pen (USA), brass.

A closer look at the front of our Dragon!

  

A close-up of the back of the Dragon... 

Gold and Red are colours of good health, long life and prosperity in the Orient (and in other cultures!). I wanted this creation to be quite interesting, yet with a simple design so as to keep all the attention on our Dragon friend! The finished creation is reminiscent of absolutely elegant, yet fire-y and timeless and perhaps sacred! Very fitting for a Dragon! 

So!  There you have it, the end of our journey and the finished creation, as promised!

I'm taking a mini-vacation for the rest of the week, so I won't see you until Monday! 

Until then, I'll just mention my BlogTalk Radio Interview in February!

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 Monday!

Ciao!