Fini Friday! A Little Early....

Hello Hello! 

Welcome to Fini Friday! 

It is true that today is Thursday (rather than Friday), however tomorrow will be quite busy (away from the Internets) for me, so I'm posting early! 

I've finished creations from materials that might look familiar from this Fini Friday post! 

Let's take a look! 

Title: Her Majesty's Money 

Ingredients: Resin-encased (hand-coloured and painted with non-toxic resin) faux paper currency, Swarovski crystals (Sapphire and Crystal), Czech glass, Jeweler's Brass, surgical steel earwires(gold-plated). 

The idea for both of these creations was to pair them with Swarovski crystals in colours of jewels worthy of royalty. Gold, too, is always favored by the wealthy. And that is metal colour common to these two creations. 

Of course, the Queen Mother (featured on this faux bank notes) would have Diamonds (the closest Swarovski gets to diamond is crystal) and Sapphires! Also, whilst there is some 'frippery' to the design, it remains elegant and simple. 

Just like the Queen would want! 

Onward to the second fini creation! 

Title: Investments 

Ingredients: Resin-encased (hand-coloured and painted with non-toxic resin) faux paper currency, Swarovski crystals (Ruby), Czech glass, Jeweler's Brass, surgical steel earwires(gold-plated).

These bank notes focus on a gentleman of stature and repute and so the creation needed a bit more lavishness and adventure! I wanted the earrings to be elegant, yet "dripping" with rubies" (which is the colour of the Swarovski crystals, by the way!). 

Also mixed in the design was the desire to convey a more inquisitive, and worldly mindset (indicated in the metal wire-work and mixing of metal tones). 

These are for those who seek their fortunes in the world, rather than those who rule the world with their power and fortune. 

 All in all, quite a wealthy bunch, wouldn't you say? 

Don't forget my next exciting event TOMORROW!!!

I'll be a Faerie Reader at Fluevog and Opportunity Partners Charity Event Friday, June 21st from 5-9pm!

This is an RSVP only event and Charity Fundraiser, so click over here for more details and to get your name on the list!

I'll be offering brief 5-10 minute Faerie Readings at the Minneapolis Fluevog Store! 

It would be wonderful if you could join us!

See you soon!

Ciao!

Whimsy Wednesday! Flying High!

Hello Hello! 

Welcome to Whimsy Wednesday! 

I hope your week has been full of wonder so far! 

I've a new creation to show you! 

Title: Flying High 

Ingredients: hand-painted plastic button (painted with hand-coloured non-toxic resin), suede leather, Czech glass, antiqued copper (USA), fiber, Fraycheck. 

I painted gold-flecked non-toxic resin on this whimsical and beautiful pegasus button. I wanted to both add some dimension to the button with additional sparkle and soften the somewhat harsh look of the plastic with the organic characteristics of the resin (pooling in the recesses of the chest and etc.). 

The design needed to be simple, as any Pegasus clearly needs to be the center of attention (!) yet every Sprite Creation needs details and a spot of whimsy. 

These came through the braiding, if you will, of the metal and bubble-coloured glass beads as well as the fine pewter feather pendant, wrapped with matching fiber...in a downy, feather-like texture! The fact that the fiber matched the hue of the suede so well meant that the different textures and the pendant would stand out, whilst not detracting from the lovely Pegasus! 

The words on the back of the pendant "To Thine Own Self Be True" are a perfect addition to this creation! And... the Pegasus button is the clasp! YAY! 

One final note... the wire is copper, which means that with careful adjustment, the metal can help the bracelet fit the contour of the adoptee's wrist! WOOHOOO!!!

My next event a BlogTalk Radio Interview! 

Hosted by Cheryl Patton of 1Woman's Wisdom, this interview will reveal the Faeries Messages specific to June!

Saturday, June 18th at 12Noon (CST,USA). 

I hope you can join us! 

Ciao!

Fini Friday! Progress!

Hello Everyone! 

Welcome to Fini Friday and the end of many folks' work week! 

In true Fini Friday style, this post is chock-full of creations in various stages of growing! 

Come walk with me and I'll show you! 

I've been playing with resin with different projects and so the next steps of growth are unfolding! 

On our first path, we are witness both a re-acquaintance and rebirth! You might remember this post where materials gathered on Walkabout were shown. 

I've brushed resin on the first side of those faux bank notes (among other things) and here are the results! 

The resin is hand-coloured with pigment and settled very nicely over the paper! The next steps are to encase the other side with resin, then pierce the paper for hanging! 

Stay tuned for that! 

Whilst we're on the path of progressing to the next growth step, here are a few more creations that received a bit of resin this week! 

 I found this distinctive necklace on Walkabout and wanted to add a Faerie touch to it! 

The pendant in the center is a paper illustration of inner watch workings secured to a wood back that I've wrapped in brass filigree. 

It is my hope that the resin will not only add beauty, yet also durability to this pendant-creation! 

As we near the end of this Fini Friday path, we're going to take a slight jog over to a creation that is beginning to grow...with a button that was brushed with golden-coloured resin a little while ago! 

I absolutely love that the Pegasus is a button! 

The suede cord, fiber and feather pendant are all materials I'm toying with weaving into this creation! As always, you are welcome to share your thoughts, dear audience, with me in the comments section! 

So! At the end of this Fini Friday path, let me mention a few upcoming events!!! 

Saturday, May 18th only! 

Spring Psychic Faire at Lake Harriet Spiritual Center! 

Many of you have seen me at this Faire offering my Sprite Creations jewellery and creations. 

However! For the first time ever!!! I'll be offering Faerie Readings during this fundraising-event! 

There will be good food, hand-made art of all kinds and wonderful insights offered, so consider joining us! 

I have another Faerie-inspired BlogTalk Radio Interview!!! 

Tuesday, May 21st from 3 to 3:30pm (CST, USA) with Cheryl Patton of 1Woman's Wisdom! 

Join us to see what insight the Faeries have for the month of May! 

See you Monday!
Ciao!

Fini Friday! Flashy!

Hello Hello!

Welcome to Fini Friday!

I usually use these posts to show you either creations that are still growing or creations that have been languishing and have been (finally!) completed.  Today I'm going to show you creations on both ends of the spectrum!

Let's start with the completed creation!

You might remember this Fini Friday back in September, where I showcased a cat, sunstone and kyanite necklace that I was restringing.  I was not impressed with the crimps I had on-hand and so progress was stalled while more of my usual crimps were obtained.  They have been acquired and the necklace is finished!

Title: SunCat

Ingredients: Jasper, Sunstone, Lapis Lazuli, Kyanite, Bali silver, Sterling silver, lead-free pewter, steel cable.

The first photo is of the entire design and the second is a close-up of the wonderful cats, intriguing and flashy sunstone and gorgeous lapis lazuli! 

There are so many legends and meanings associated with the stones used in this creation, I'll just take you on a quick tour through them!

Sunstone: Thought to bring luck, increase optimism, strength and vitality, and to help harness the healing power of the Sun. 

Lapis Lazuli: Used as both a cosmetic and medicine through the ages, Lapis has been used as an aphrodisiac, to strengthen the skeleton, increase Divine awareness, cure insomnia and improve sleep as well as to ward off negative energy. 

Kyanite: Thought to never retain negative energy, Kyanite also helps to improve communication and intuition, clarity of thought, and help manifest dreams into action. Legend says it helps nurture optimism and open the mind to lighter, brighter and better ideas and perspectives. 

Jasper: Legend says that Jasper is protective, grounding, healing and stabilizing. It is thought to align all the chakras and balance yin yang energies. 

Silver: Though not a stone, Silver is thought to nurture intuitive knowing. All in all, a very positive creation, wouldn't you say? 

The next and last photo are three USB Flash Drives(part of the Flash Drive collection) that I've finished the embellishment and will continue to grow into completion as necklaces and etc.

I believe two out of the three flash drives will be necklaces and yet the drive to the farthest right may end up remaining a pendant.

The green colour that you see is alcohol ink that I dripped strategically onto and into the resin after painting it on the drives.  I absolutely love the effect!  The center drive arrived with that nifty swirl pattern and so I accented it with Swarovski crystal rhinestones and a subtle gold glitter pigment in the resin!  I'm quite pleased with how these turned out!

 More on the designs embedded in the resin and their meanings when the creations are complete!

You may see these at my next show! 

When is that, you ask?

Why, I've conveniently provided details about that very subject just below!
Take a look!

My next and final show of 2012 (it is so weird to type that!) is 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, have a fabulous weekend! 

Ciao!

Whimsy Wednesday & Fini Friday! Heart and Play!

Hello Everyone! Welcome to Whimsy Wednesday and Fini Friday!!!

I have a fun batch of creation-goodies that I am pleased to show you today! 

I finished a deceptively simple creation at my last show and wanted to present it to you-all now!

 Title: Brilliant Heart I

ngredients: Swarovski crystal heart, ribbon trim (with sequins), lead-free pewter, metal, Fray-Check.

This is the perfect creation for a bride, to complete a costume, a shiny gift for a Faerie and all of those who dream the fantastic!  This is up for adoption in my Etsy shoppe now!

This next bunch of photos is a collection of creations that I created with hand-coloured resin and other found objects...

The collection of creations is in the photo on the left and includes tie tacks, a dragon button, a cross pendant and, again, a camera-shaped tie tack!

I used a few different techniques to embellish these objects.  I hand-painted the hand-coloured resin on all of this, but there are a few more layers of things happening on some of these.... I dotted opaque red pigment on the round tie-tack on the left, then wiped it off and then sealed that in with a golden glitter-tinted resin.  This same tinted resin was used to seal the old watch parts (in 2 layers!) on the black cuff links shown in the middle of the group photograph.  I love how the Emerald Green colour filled in all the detail of the Dragon button! And, a final bit of whimsy is the camera-shaped tie tack, included in a more detailed shot on the side....  This, too, was hand-painted resin with the golden glitter resin.  It is a beautiful detail that adds a subtle elegance and bit of play to this creation! 

I hope you had as much fun perusing these creations as I did in creating them!

Just a little FYI: I'll be on vacation at CONvergence the rest of week! 

(Maybe I'l see some of you there?!)

One last little note...Magical Monday will likely be on Tuesday of next week! Ciao!

Fini Friday! Molds, Keys and Treasure Bottles!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to Fini Friday!

I've been having fun with creating with resin and I'll show you what I've been up to!

Last Friday I blogged about making molds from old keys.  Today I'll show you the first prototype from those molds!

The coloured resin keys on the top right.  I think these are good first attempts.  As you can see, however, the larger of the keys will need some cleaning up and may need to be mounted in some way so as to be more durable.  The smaller key and mold required little clean-up and will make good pendants. 

I also spent some time with a good friend and fabulous costumer this weekend who was gracious enough to share his mold-making skills and expertise with me.  I have a few new techniques to try in both creating new and better molds and creating molds that will allow my resin creations to become three-dimensional!  YAAY!! Stay tuned for that!

This next series of photos are Treasure Bottles that I've been creating over the space of a few weeks.  The final bottles have three layers of hand-coloured resin in them!  The photograph on the left is at the finish of the second pouring or layer of resin! That's how I am able to give the look of the various materials being suspended in glittery water or air or etc.! 

What is in there?  As of the second pouring; a goldstone star, a wrench charm, and Fire Opals!  The bottle on the left also includes a bead shaped like an orange!

The photograph on the right includes the third and final resin layer, which includes a pearl for each bottle.  The bottle on the left includes a shell, while the bottle on the right contains a tiiiny, little pinecone (yup! a real shell and pinecone!)!

I also painted on a bit of the (non-toxic) resin on and around the cork for each bottle and they are secured with star-shaped silver spacer beads above and below the cork!  These really should be quite durable!  The metal is sterling silver.

So, there you have it!  A little of what I've been up to in the studio this week!

Just FYI, I'll be combining Whimsy Wednesday and Fini Friday next week as I'll be at CONvergence most of the week!

Maybe I'll see some of you there!

Ciao!

Porcupine!! and other artistic inspiration while learning...

This past weekend I visited a local beadshop in Minneapolis and learned more about resins, particularly those I haven't worked with yet.

The two pendants above are made with rub-on transfers and UV Resin on wooden beads (strung on sterling and bali silver).
I hadn't had a chance to play with the UV resin yet and took this opportunity to do so.
Though I continue to prefer the ICE Resin for the most part, the UV resin has the advantage in that it cures within an hour of pouring it on the creations! Instant Gratification! (ICE Resin takes from 24 to 36 hours to cure) Also, no mixing of A and B parts as with ICE Resin. However, there is the matter of purchasing the UV lamp (around $40) so really, it is a matter of which type of resin an artist thinks she will use more for her particular purposes.

When I saw the Porcupine transfer, I knew he had to come home with me! How absolutely cute!! The other pendant is a bit more artistic and definitely sparks my creative fancy.

The Voyager

which is the title of my first earrings created with resin!
I loved the sepia-color to these hand-made cats by Earthenwood Studio and I envisioned pairing them with these metal photos frames to evoke an old copper-plate photo album feeling. The idea being snapshot of a globe-trotting cat complete with antique maps with a compass rose and a 'sea monster'.
Title: The Voyager
Ingredients: hand-wrought ceramic cats, metal, brass, glass, recycled paper, resin, surgical steel earwires.

Other news:
I also wanted to give an update on my show this last weekend. This was a two-day show and was a lot of fun!! This was the second year of our participation at Pagan Pride and it was good! Some folks sought us out, remembering us from last year and many were new people to the show and to us. It was a pleasure to meet everyone and we're looking forward to being back again next year!
Thank you to everyone who stopped by to chat, browse and adopt!

One last news tidbit: If you've seen any of our creations at Sacred Path Center in Saint Paul, MN, USA and were traveling back there to adopt them, these have now come home with me. While I needed these creations with me for the upcoming Winter Holiday season, I am excited to see the Center's development plans and am looking forward to their fruition in the months to come! Feel free to contact me about creation adoption inquiries or arrangements and pop on over to SPC here for more details on what is moving and shaking with them!

Playtime with Resin!

This is a photo of my first round of playing with Ice Resin!
I think these pendants turned out pretty for a first try!
I can see a lot of possibilities for these and I am looking forward to more experimentation...especially with glitter!