Fini Friday! Balloons, Bank Notes and a New Creation!

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to Fini Friday!
I hope this week has been full of warmth and joy!
As with many of the other Fini Friday posts lately, I've a finished Popcap Pendant creation (first shown to you here) to show today!
Let's start with some raw materials I gathered on Walkabout yesterday, though!
These are scrapbooking supplies that I brought home recently!  They are heavy paper stock balloons and faux English bank notes.  I'm pondering possibilities that include painting them with hand-coloured resin (and thus sealing them, making them far more durable) and earring creations! 
Stay tuned to see what they grow into!

On to the finished creation!
Title: Elvan Fire
Ingredients: Popcap Pendant (Swarovski Crystal, paper, hand-coloured non-toxic resin, popcap), Earthenwood Studio gear link (ceramic, USA), lead-free pewter (USA), light bulb pendant (Zoa Art, USA), anodized aluminum, metal.
I've included a photo of the clasp as well!  The firey teardrop in the Popcap Pendant is a Swarovski crystal!  The gear link is hand-crafted by Melanie of Earthenwood Studios! I love her work!  The light bulb pendant to the left of the Popcap Pendant is from Zoa Art in South Carolina (USA)! I adore the work of this husband and wife team so much! It is sculptural, architectural and sensual all at once!  This necklace creation is Elvish, Steampunk, Dieselpunk and absolutely unique!  The pendant, link and clasp are secured with jumprings woven in a mobius or infinity chainmaille weave using golden yellow and true red colours!  There is definitely a story to this creation! I can feel it!
I'll close this by wishing you a week-end of good times, good friends and many, many smiles!
See you on Monday!
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!

Whimsy Wednesday! Pirate Treasure and the Fae!

Hello Everyone! 

Welcome to the first Whimsy Wednesday of the new year! 

I hope it has been grand so far! I've decided to continue the current format of Whimsy Wednesday and Fini Friday(for now) as it still is useful and fun! 

In keeping with turning of the old into the new year, I've a little bit of old and new whimsy for you today! 

Let's start with the old! 

This is a fabulous golden-hued earcuff that is perfect for this Winter season! Title: Fire Fae 

Ingredients: Swarovski crystal (Fire Opal), Czech glass, brass, gold-plated earcuff.

  Why is it perfect for the Winter season? Because of the warmth and fire that leaps from it! The Faerie influence is felt in the fiery leaf and sparkling Fire Opal Swarovski crystal! I also like that it is an earcuff, rather than earrings (though there is a matching pair available!),which seem to be more unusual and therefore more exotic! This is ready for adoption in my Etsy shoppe here! 

And now for the new! 

Title: Treasure Trove 

Ingredients: silverplated surgical steel earwires, lead-free pewter(USA and other), metal.

A treasure trove these earrings certainly are! On the left we have a jaunty, seriously piratical flag flying from the hypo-allergenic earwire! Dangling beneath it on a intricately patterned link are two coins of a far away and mysterious land! Coins bring good luck and pirate coins doubly so! On the right we have the pirate's chest, bursting open with treasure, jewels and good fortune! Suspended just below sea-farer's trunk is the key! I love all the little details and whimsy woven through these, especially the asymmetrical design! 

These, too, are available for adoption in my Etsy shoppe right here! 

That's a wrap! 

I hope you have an awesome week and I'll see you on Friday! 

Ciao!

Fini Friday! Precision & Play

Hello Hello! 

Welcome to Fini Friday!! 

I hope your week went swimmingly and your weekend looks peachy! 

I've been busy this week with various projects and cooler weather preparations around the home. This also means that on the warmer days, my motivation to complete indoor tasks was not high! Hee! 

I'm pleased to have a few very-patient-and-finally-finished creations to show you as well as a charming little fellow that I found on one of my Walkabouts this week! 

First up are the finished creations that have been set aside for some time now. As might be guessed upon sight, the designs and materials were gathered at the same time. 

Title: The Gritty Beauty of Industry 

Ingredients: Glass, Acrylic, oxidized Sterling & German Silver (Sterling Silver earwires).

This is one of the new experimental designs using oxidized Sterling and German Silver metals. I'm sure I'll almost always prefer the shiny, yet there is a certain enchantment with the oxidation pattern and the gritty ambiance it lends to the design. I'm quite pleased with the juxtaposition of that feeling and the precision shapes and crisp white and clear colours.  There is much to admire about this creation!

 

Onward to the next creation! Title: Fire Geometry Ingredients: Amy Fill Glass, Swarovski crystals, Acrylic, antiqued copper wire, Surgical Steel earwires (hypo-allergenic).   I personally selected and purchased the sunflower yellow and flame orange spiral beads from Glass Artist Amy Fill. She is no longer creating art beads and so these are truly one-of-a-kind! I love the concept of the unlikely marriage of precise shapes and the very organic nature of fire! 

And now, that charming little fellow I picked up on Walkabout!

I believe that's a hand-blown glass whale! The colours are so delicate! A beautiful peach fluke and fins accent a clear body and little round eyes! I'm not certain what he's destined for, but I knew he had to come home to the studio with me! 

So there you have it! 

The fini of Fini Friday! 

Ciao! 

 

P.S. Want to know where I and Sprite Creations will be "in person" next?

Oct. 12th, 13th and 14th, we'll be at the Saint Paul Art Crawl in the Atrium of the Lowertown Lofts Artist Coop! 

This is the 20th Anniversary of the Saint Paul Art Crawl and it would be lovely to have you celebrate it with us! 

Whee!