Whimsy Wednesday! Skulls and Sprucing Up!

Hello Hello!
Welcome to Whimsy Wednesday!
I've been creating in the studio as well as sprucing up a tad bit!  This post will show a little of both!
First, the new creation!
Title: As Yet Unknown

There are more creations inspired by the spooky part of the season growing up, so stay tuned for that! In the meantime, let's chat about these earrings! The white skulls are howlite (which is often mistaken for turquoise) wrapped with hand-finished brass and accented with Czech glass and suspended from forest green Artistic wire. Howlite is thought to help focus the mind and articulate thoughts as well as calm the internal critic, stress, anger and etc.  Some also believe that this stone aids in inner knowing, opening the third eye and seeing into other dimensions/time-space continuum.  What an intriguing choice for skull beads, yes?

Next up!
A bit of that studio spruce up I mentioned!
I acquired a few new backgrounds for photos on a recent Walkabout!

Here they are! Both of the backgrounds are of gorgeous, heavy, textured paper with embossed designs! The brown flows with spirals and the green grows with leaves! Aren't they fetching?! The textures will add visual interest whilst the consist colour of the backgrounds will be an excellent backdrop in which to showcase my creations! YAY!!!!
You'll have to stop back by to see how and when these are used! Whee!

One last thing of note before we take our leave of each other... There is a second session in the Welcome to Being Human series on BlogTalk Radio!
Sunday, Oct. 27th at 5pm (CST, USA) Cheryl Patton and I will be chatting about often impossible pedestal we humans (especially those in the healing arts) are placed on and the stifling effects of "always staying positive".  
Who put us up there anyway?  
Join us for insight, laughter and fun as we poke at the foiables and follies of life as Human Beans!
See you Friday!
Ciao!

Fini Friday! Re-Discovering!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to Fini Friday!

These are the posts that showcase completed creations or projects that have been languishing for a while.

There are often bits and bobs of natter about studio space interspersed as well. This particular Fini Friday post is about rediscovering and reclaiming my studio space!

First, a photo of a BARE FLOOR!!!!

This may look like a perfectly ordinary f loor, but don't let looks deceive you!  This floor hasn't been this clutter-free in...well.. too long!  I intended to do a little "Spring Cleaning" as well as some de-cluttering and organizing closer to Springtime.  \As with many things in life, Other Things Happened(tm) and this took much longer than planned.

On the upside, though, I now have a BARE FLOOR!

YAY!!!

Onward to the Work Table!

This is the left side of my work table, complete with all sorts of materials, beads and etc. from completed creations, creations still growing and whatnot.

You can see the sweet little Rose Fairy peeking out from behind all of this, on the far left!

She was a gift to me some years ago and I love having her in my creative space as inspiration!

I'm often successful about putting away my materials after creations are done, yet these last few months have really thrown a wrench in that good habit.

Ah well!

Here is the ever-so-lovely and soothing After photo of the same space!

Now you can clearly see that quiet little Fairy! Did you spy that stained glass Fairy Lamp, too? She was also a gift to me (I sense a theme here....*grin*) as well!  I love the magical aire she adds to my studio!

I adore having a few unusual, well-chosen bits of art in my work space!  You can also see some of the view out my windows - ah Green Space!

YAY!!!

Let's wrap this up with a look at the right side of that work table (after rediscovery and reclaiming, of course!).

You may notice a creation that is in the middle of growing in the center of the table!  My table has such a dark colour, I often use a bit of light-coloured fabric helps me see hues and materials better!

And look at those pliers, all lined up and ready to use!

The cat-shaped light you see in the background is another one of those whimsical things kept in the studio for my amusement!  I often light it up in the non-Halloween Season, too! 

My next event is next Tuesday, June 18!

It is the BlogTalk Radio Interview revealing the Faeries' Message for the month of June!!

Hosted by Cheryl Patton of 1Woman's Wisdom, you'll find us chatting at 12Noon (CST,USA).

Also!  I've a fun thing happening next Friday, June 21st from 5-9pm! 
I'll have details for you shortly!
Stay tuned!!!!

I hope you can join us for these!!
See you Monday!

Ciao!

Fini Friday! Studio Life, Loot and Gearing Up!

Hello Hello!

Welcome to Fini Friday!

I hope your week has been full of warmth and joy!

I've had a pretty varied week, myself. Now is the time to herd paperwork into order as I close out 2012 and work/play with creating or tweaking better systems for me here in the studio. It is a time to pause and reflect on what worked, what didn't and what worked well. The goal, of course, is to move in the direction of everything working well!

So! I have a little bit of studio stuff, a bit of newly acquired loot and a finished creation to show you today!

First, a photo of something I'm very proud of!

A clean desk!

This is the desk from which I usually edit photos, post everything from Blog entries to creations in my Etsy shoppe to Internet marketing and etc. As you can see, I have lots of lovely bits of art all around me. Some of it is spiritual and beautiful and some of it is whimsical and cheerful! One of my current favorites absolutely is the little "Pop-up" notepad you see in the far corner! It has an image of a mischievous kitten eyeing some cheeky goldfish with a "no cats" sign in their bowl! It helps me to smile! The goldfish also have an oyster with a peal inside in their little aquarium world and this reminds me of the wisdom that can be gleaned even from irritating circumstances! 

Onward to the loot! 

This was a modest haul, yet full of interesting materials! I don't know if you can see it, but the larger glass "pony beads" were labeled "magic beads" and I love the way their colours change in the light! The open-work metal bead at the top right has so many possibilities! I fell in love with it because it reminds me of intricate filigree work! I'm am also really looking forward to working with that leather ship's wheel as well! Of course, the charms are all quite charming (HA!) 

YAY for loot! 

Let's wrap up this post with a finished creation!

You may remember that I showed you some of the components of this creation last Fini Friday and now it is fini! 

Title: As Yet Unknown Ingredients: Plastic automobile hose, Popcap pendant (gear sticker, non-toxic resin, metal), bearing, aluminum, metal. 

The two photos are included for a few reasons.  I wanted to show how the necklace opens and closes.  One end of the hose is slightly flared and so the other end tucks into it quite nicely!  I also wanted to show you how the Popcap pendant gear reflects the light in different circumstances!  Oh yes! And did I mention that there is an actual, diminutive fear suspended from the necklace as well?  There is!  Isn't that awesome?!

Before we take our leave of each other, I'll mention that I've another BlogTalk Radio Interview!

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!

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!

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! 

Whimsy Wednesday! Faerie Keys & Nests and New Nostalgia!

Hello Hello!

Welcome to Whimsy Wednesday!

I hope your week is fabu so far!

This has been a week of many blessings and fun in my world so far!

I'm still happy every time I look at the photo of that nifty gargoyle I posted about this past Magical Monday!  Hee! He's so awesome!!!

There has also been a computer upgrade in the studio which is a great happiness! As some of you may know, we tend to run Open Source software or utilize Mac whenever possible around here and so when upgrades to my OS were needed, the switch was made to...(drumroll please)... Commodore OS !!! Yes! Yes! It is true!! Commodore is back!!!!

This is my first day test-driving the OS and I'm so pleased with it so far! It is truly bringing the fun back into computers for me!! So many visual shinies!!! And little sound effects and nostalgia - oh my! Hee hee!!!

Yet more happiness is a new Shiny to show you!

Title: Faerie Nest

Ingredients: Faerie Key (hand-coloured resin from a hand-made mold), Glass, antiqued copper wire.

This is the first of my Faerie Key series. These are keys created from hand-coloured resin I pour into a mold I made from vintage keys. I'm in the midst of refining the mold process and the Faerie Keys, so the first prototypes will undoubtedly be woven into other pendants, such as this Faerie Nest! I'm excited at the possibilities of these keys! Stay tuned to see what happens with them next!

I'll end this blog post with a heads-up as to 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! 

See you Friday! 

Ciao!

Fini Friday! Changes and New Ideas!

Hello Hello!

Welcome to Fini Friday!!

I hope this is an excellent end of the work week for (many of) you and the start of your weekend!!

The sorting, organizing and reorganizing continues around my studio and my life! I'm actively seeking to finish, lay to rest or stage to donate things that no longer serve me. I'm finding that I can only do so much of it in one stretch of time and then need to revisit it later. Good to know!That's part of the change referenced in the title.. but wait, there's more!!

While doing all of that, I came upon these creations, still growing...two of which have been languishing for a while and one that is newer!

I'll show you the two older ideas first...

Working Title: Ocean at Sunset

 

Working Title: Ocean at Midnight

 

You can see that both of these have a fabulous hand-made sea-shell focal of Lampworked Borosilicate Glass (from Unicorne Beads)! I've matched them both with hand-dyed silk ribbons, and included Swarovski Crystal yarn and a sparkly copper-coloured ribbon with the "Sunset" design and am playing with various types, textures and shapes of blue beads for the "Midnight" idea.

More changes are afoot and I wanted to draw your attention to another that I am proud of!  As many of you know, I have an Internet Studio (Store) on Etsy.  This is an Internet Marketplace of Hand-crafted Goodies!  They've introduced a new "About" feature to our studios and I've had fun playing with the Portrait and Studio Photos they've encouraged us to upload, as well as telling a bit of my "story".  Click here to take a go take a look!

And now, that last and newer idea I mentioned earlier!  

Working Title:  Book of Dreams

  

A while ago, I did a series of three necklaces, all with small books similar to this (Yes!! You *CAN* actually write in them!!!) and they grew into The Book of Love, The Book of Mysteries and The Book of Life.  The Book of Mysteries and Life have found their people and been adopted and the Book of Love is still with me!

(Not a bad thing, says I!) It seems that the time has come to finish The Book of Dreams!  Stay tuned to see what all of these grow into!

Here is a look ahead at what I'm up to in July!

My BlogTalk Radio Interview with Cheryl Patton!

Messages From the Faeries #9!
PLEASE NOTE!  Due to severe weather and other events, this has been rescheduled to NEXT Tuesday, July 24th from 3pm to 4pm (CST, USA)!  So! You have another opportunity to tune in and listen up!

And my next event is.....

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

Bean Factory Artist Market

J and S Bean Factory

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

It would be grand to see you there!

See you on Friday!

Ciao!

Whimsy Wednesday! Branching Out!

Hello Hello!

I hope the middle of the week is treating you well!

I've been busy doing cleaning and reorganizing things this week, both in the studio and around the house!  I always like how that feels afterwards, but it can be a bit of a whirlwind while I'm doing it!

I've a few new things to show you today and a bit of news!

Let's start with the news! I received word today from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts letting me know that I was not selected for this year's Art Perchance program. I am disappointed to not have been selected this year as it was such fun last year! I challenged myself with this year's creation, as I was determined to create a fabulous focal myself, and thus have as much of the creation as possible be my own design. I was very pleased with the results, which I shared in the post about Treasure Bottles here!

Ah well!  Rejection and acceptance are part and parcel of jurying and being an artist, so I'll wrap this up with a photo of the creation I submitted and my gratitude to all I met via the MIA's Art PerChance last year and a hearty CONGRATULATIONS! to those who were selected for this honor this year!

Title: Under Wrench and Stone

Ingredients: Hand-crafted Treasure Bottle, Sterling and Bali silver, Swarovski Crystal four-leaf clover, Secret Garden mood bead, Czech glass.

  And continuing on the topic of branching out, I've a portion of a Custom Creation to show! This metal leaf pendant was given to me to make into a necklace for a young man. The pendant was something dear to his Father and would be handed down to the Son. I've yet to find a chain that suits my standards, but I've very pleased with how the resin work came out! Take a look!

I've also been capturing a few more images with my camera and wanted to show you a companion piece of sorts to this image I took a few winters ago...

And yet more news to finish off this post!

My BlogTalk Radio Interview with Cheryl Patton!

Messages From the Faeries #9!
PLEASE NOTE!  Due to severe weather and other events, this has been rescheduled to NEXT Tuesday, July 24th from 3pm to 4pm (CST, USA)!  So! You have another opportunity to tune in and listen up!

And my next event is.....

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

Bean Factory Artist Market

J and S Bean Factory

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

It would be grand to see you there!

See you on Friday!

Ciao!

Fini Friday! In the Garden...

Hello Hello! 

Welcome to Fini Friday! 

It is absolutely a lovely summer day in my neck of the woods here and I hope you-all can say the same! 

Days like this call to mind gardens and greenery and all things growing and this is what I have to share with you today! 

We'll start with what is growing and end with a finished creation! 

This first photo is a peek into my studio! I've a piece of furniture that really wasn't working as well for me as I'd like and a few changes were in order! I found this file cabinet on a Walkabout and this enabled me to switch around a few items and solve my problem! Viola! (I consider this growing as that is what continually changing-to-improve is something all healthy creatures do!)

Onward! We mosey on over to our next photo, which is of a creation still growing!
This is a lampworked glass bead in the form of an Oriental Geisha or Noblewoman!  I thought it would be fun to play with and continued the amusement by choosing materials and beads that have a connection with the Orient!  The cord you glimpse is silk and the beads are faceted pearls and cloisonne enamel and metal.


And now! For our finished creation!  This is one of the more rare adjustable rings (though I look to make that more common in my inventory...) that I've created and I really had fun playing with it!
Title: My Lady's Garden
Ingredients:  Glass Cameo, Lead-free Pewter, Glue
Isn't this magnificent?  The lady in the cameo is so elegant and this whole creation gives the feel of approachable opulence and timeless elegance.  This would pair equally well with jeans as with graceful formal wear!
Expect this to be up in my Etsy shoppe by Monday!

Well that's it for Fini Friday!

I hope you have a fabulous weekend!
Here is what is coming up next week!

BlogTalk Radio Interview with Cheryl Patton of 1Woman's Wisdom! Faerie Message #8 Tuesday, June 19th 3-4pm (CST, USA)

Arts and Crafts Show Sunday, June 24th Only!

10am to 5pm

Temple of Aaron

616 So. Mississippi Blvd Saint Paul, MN 55116

See you on Monday!
Ciao!

Whimsy Wednesday! Home is Where the Heart Is!

Hello Hello!

Welcome to Whimsy Wednesday!

 I hope your week is as busy and productive as mine, so far! I'm preparing for Johnstock and other activities this weekend, whilst attempting to create and feel as if I still live in my own home!

This week has been a fun mix more mundane household tasks with studio stuff! That said, I have new shinies to show you!

You've seen these two in the beginning stages of growth and now they are complete!

Home is Where the Heart Is Necklaces!

Title: Home is Where the Heart Is: Cobalt

Ingredients: Upcycled Home laptop key, Czech glass, metal, lead-free pewter.

I intended this design to be simple, sweet and sophisticated, so as to show off both Home key and Cobalt to maximum effect!

I absolutely adore the vibrant mysteriousness of Cobalt Blue! I had a lot of fun pairing the vintage feel of it with the antique brass-coloured chain and juxtaposing it all with the modern silver laptop Home key, for a timeless feel and sentiment!

Title: Home is Where the Heart Is: Flame

Ingredients:  Swarovski Crystal Wild Heart in Red Magma, Swarovski Crystal bicone in Jet, Czech glass, Jeweler's brass, metal, lead-free pewter. 

I love! the sparkly-ness (I'm *certain* that's a word!!!) of Swarovski crystal and wanted a necklace with a completely different feel for this second necklace!  The Wild Heart pendant is perfectly complimented in Red Magma and I hand-wrapped it in Jeweler's Brass!  I took inspiration from the molten and flame images to indulge in a more organic than precision wrap for the pendant!  The Home key is suspended by two segments of more fiery-hued beads and a final spurt of sparkle accents the clasp!  As opposed to the simplicity of the sister necklace above, there are many little details in this necklace, including the mixing of silver and gold metallic hues and a little flamey fillip on each portion of the toggle clasp!

These will be up in my Etsy Shoppe by tomorrow!  

So there you have it!  Another Whimsy Wednesday drawing to a close!

Below are details as to where to find me this weekend and I do hope you're able to come and visit!

Johnstock Saturday, June 2nd Only!

10am to 6pm

Along Johnston Street, near Crafty Planet

2833 Johnston Street NorthEast Minneapolis, MN 55418

I'll see you on Friday!
Ciao!

Fini Friday! Moving Forward!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to Fini Friday!

It has been a whirlwind of a week for me!

I'm fortunate in that this weekend offers a bit of downtime for me and I am looking forward to it!!

I'm pleased to say that my travels have involved obtaining several things that will move my studio life forward! I've been happily impressed with the Navy Blue velvet that I use for my table coverings at shows and have been looking forward to procuring alternative coverings of that same gorgeous velvet in Forest Green! It was my hope to attain that handsome green fabric in time to celebrate Spring! And so I have! This week I secured the fabric, along with many other nifties that were needsome!

Let me show you!

The background, of course, is that bonny afore-mentioned velvet! The crowned lion in gunmetal tones is a pendant I intend to embellish with resin and whatever else pops to mind during the creative process! The black velvet cord above that venerable lion is what will replace the elastic that is nearly spent on my Faerie Wings. And the bracelet below will definitely be upcycled in some manner, whether I embellish it "as-is" or disassemble it for those intriguing, round, almost filigree-like links remains to be seen!

But that was not all I was scored this week!

I am also restocked with ribbon for my tags, boxes and etc.!

Let me show you that pretty, dulcet ribbon!

There is a great deal of conventional business wisdom about branding that says that a person should pick out representative colours, logos and etc. and always stick with them. So, when I was purchasing the ribbon, I struggled with bringing home two each of the Emerald and Cobalt rolls. (These being the two primary colours of Sprite Creations.) However, I fell in love with the Sky Blue and Kiwi Green and decided that a variety of colours would suit my purposes. After all, I have rainbow-coloured letters in my banner and Faeries are often known to love all the colours of the rainbow! 

Also, I've had a very specific vision in mind for my booth space since the beginning. I've wanted to create the feeling of stepping into a Faerie Glen...with a delightful concoction of creations, colours, and textures (and sound, when I have control over that!) and so the different colours of ribbon fit right into that ideal! 

I'll be certain to update you here on this blog as these materials grown into a complete creation! 

For now, have an excellent weekend and I'll see you on Monday! 

Ciao!

Fini Friday! Studio ReOrg!

Hello Everyone!!
I hope this blog post finds you well and preparing to celebrate the ending and beginning of a year! That's what I'm doing! This post is about sharing a bit of studio life. One of the things I'm doing during these winter months and also as a clearing out and creating a-new is re-organizing the studio in little waves and baby steps. I began with just noticing what is irritating or just not working enough so that it saps my creative juices. I think there is always more of those than anyone cares to admit *grin*, especially since I tend to make a bit of a mess while I create! Next was looking around at what I have and pondering how those things are working for me... how they might work better.... how they might need to be moved out and so forth. After mulling over good ideas and suggestions from a trusted partner, I've made some changes!

I wanted a space that works for me, but also includes a new accoutrement (dolphin plasma lamp!!!!!) I picked up (click here if you're uncertain what I'm talking about...) recently.


This is one side of the space behind my desk and the reorganization is done (for now). This is where most of my tools that I use less often reside. These include my doming set, my Dremel (and bits), tools for polymer clay, paints and so on. You can see reference materials underneath including trade catalogs and that fabulous dolphin lamp just off to the side! A scanner is just on the edge there, with my Nerf gun and ammo (of course!) within easy reach!


This is the table directly behind my desk and is in mid-reorg! This will be an additional work/creation space. Most of what you see here are various beads and materials waiting to be sorted into their homes or into their next creation.
I've hardly ever had a problem with ideas for creations, so my re-organizing and much of my studio processes are focused on smoothly sorting and storing creations and materials in various stages of completion. This is to encourage me to move these bits of art along the continuum to finished, whether finished is declared when the creation is complete, when it is farther along, yet awaiting a few final embellishments or (far more rarely), when it is time to let an idea go and recapture the materials into other creations.

Which provides a fabulous segue to the final photo!

These are what I've dubbed my Creation Cabinets! All of the creations in their various stages of done-ness either are or will be in these soon. I'll have them labelled and will literally move them up from the bottom in terms of priority, which will include how-close-are-they-to-done status.
So! There you have it, a quick romp around the studio with a little bit of what-I'm-up-to thrown in for good measure!

However you celebrate the coming of a new year, Have Fun! Be Safe!
See you in the New Year!

Whimsy Wednesday! Faeries, A Plasma Lamp and Walkabout!

Hello Everyone!
I took a little time to go on Walkabout today and collected some nifty things along the way! I trust you'll see the whimsy towards the bottom of this post, if not before! Let's start with a photo of some of my findings and I'll explain from there!


I loved the wonderfully warm colour of this bracelet and intend to weave wire (and perhaps other things!) through it to embellish it and make it truly a Sprite Creation! The green basket you see the two pairs of earrings suspended from is another object that I acquired today! I think it is a fabulously fairie accent and hope to use it much more for the purpose of that which you see here! A display!!!
Let me take a moment here to note that the pair of earrings on the left are titled "Fairy Cloak", whilst the ones on the right are "A Window Into A Fire Sprite's World" and both are conveniently available for adoption in my Etsy shoppe! Shiny!

The second photo is the plasma lamp alluded to in this blog entry's title! It is in the shape of a dolphin and I intend to place it in my studio! The timing on this find is perfect as I'm intending to use these winter months to re-envision and re-organize my studio and I'm sensing that the overall theme growing into fruition will be "Faerie Mad-Scientist Lab/Studio"!

Isn't that just awesome??? Woohooo!!!!
So!! I'll see you on Friday, yes? YES!
Ciao!

Fini Friday! Merry!

Hello Everyone!!!
I've been out and about doing the last little bits of shopping for Winter Holiday celebrations this weekend and picked up a little bit of loot for the studio as well!!

I'm going to pause here before showing you those shinies to let you know that I've listed a few more creations in my Etsy shoppe! Do you remember this post? I've listed Celebration In A Twinkling from that post, as well as one other pair of earrings just now. So! If these strike your fancy, click on over and adopt them!
P.S. It is too late for these to arrive before Christmas, especially since I will be on the interwebs only infrequently this weekend (for obvious reasons), so please keep that in mind!

OK!! Onward to the loot!!!

Don't these sparkle and shine??? These are all Swarovski crystals!!! I love the vibrant, soft colours and the flower and butterfly shapes!! They remind me of Spring!! Wheeeee!!!

And now, let me take a moment to wish you all a MERRY! whatever Winter Holiday you celebrate! May your holidays be filled with beauty, joy, wonder and love!
And with that, here is a photo of my Christmas tree, complete with presents!!!
I have 2 favorite parts of Christmas/Yule... finding the perfect gift for a loved one and seeing the happy expressions on that loved one's face when they open that perfect gift! So you can imagine that a tree filled underneath with gifts is a warm, happy sight to me!


Merry!!
See you next week!

Whimsy Wednesday! Peeking into Different Worlds!

Hello Everyone!!!
As I was looking through the creations and photos I have for you today, I realized there is a central theme of glimpses of other worlds and that seems apt for both the title of this blog and a 'snapshot' of my life right now! So! Let's dive right in!
If you didn't have a chance to join me at the Saint Paul Art Crawl over the weekend, you were both missed and missed out on a lot of fun!
Here is a photo of my booth...



We were treated to live soundscaping music from Todd Madson on Saturday, performance art at the recycled milk carton igloo built by child-artist Matilda) just to the right of my booth later that day and all sorts of nifty people adopting creations throughout the weekend! Though I love to see the creations adopted and couldn't be happier that they found perfect homes; some of the creations adopted this weekend have been travelling with me for a while...so...I felt a little odd and a little melancholy as they left with their people (some of them being worn on their people in the leaving!!).
But enough of that perspective!
Let's move on to the creations I have to show you!
I've had these luscious lampwork glass beads by Beau Hawn for a little while and was determined to make something of them today! And so I have!
Paired with Swarovski crystals and Czech-pressed glass, I think they are lovely!
Title:A Window into the Fire Sprite's World
Ingredients: Beau Hawn lampwork glass, Czech "window" glass, Swarovski crystal, sterling silver.



And the last creation is a peek into the more watery depths...
Title: A Peek Into a Mermaid's World
Ingredients: Czech-pressed glass, copper, metal, surgical steel earwires (hypo-allergenic)



And so there you have it!
See you on Friday!!!

Fini Friday!

Hello Hello!!!!

I've been out and about most of the day running errands and collecting nifty things along the way!!!
While what I'm mentioning here is not strictly finishing creations, I did bring home materials and tools to help me finish some, start others and help make others looks pretty in photos!
Speaking of photos.... let me show you what I mean!



Isn't that an intriguing little cache of objects?
Let's progress from left to right on our tour.
On the left is a small tray with a mirror for the bottom. This will most likely be used for displays at shows, possibly also for creation photo ops!

A tiny cabinet is next up, with a few shinies spilling out from each drawer. The chain and flowers I will use for future creations. Indeed, already I have a few ideas! The tiny cabinet can be sanded and painted or stained and I've a few ideas for using it as a display, but also as a creation itself! Perhaps a few Faerie treasures in it .... hmmmmm... we'll have to see what happens next!!!

We continue on to a block of alphabet stamps. I plan to experiment with these both with images on paper and in clay!

The silvery "C" shape you see is actually a bracelet form! One of the balls unscrews and so larger-holed beads can be popped onto the metal and then secured by screwing the ball back onto the form. I'll have to see what I have in my oodles of beads for those with larger holes! This will be fun!

And lastly, the wonderful leafy and scroll-with-flower backgrounds you see will likely be used to help with creation photo ops... but you never know where gorgeous textures like these will pop up around here!

So, there we have it!! A fabulous start to a long holiday weekend says I!!!
Have an amazing weekend and wonderous holiday!

Whimsy Wednesday!

Welcome to this week's Whimsy Wednesday!

I have a little snippet of studio life to show you today, as I prepare for the Saint Paul Art Crawl this weekend!

About a week or two back, on the same trip that rewarded us with wooden shutters, we happened upon a military surplus store and found this!


It is a military field desk!
Where is the whimsy in that?
I anticipate it will become part of my show set-up as well as opening possibilities for a mobile studio!
Some may say it's just plain crazy, but I say it is whimsy when a company named Sprite Creations has, as an integral part of it's show set-up, a military field-desk! Just the juxtaposition alone greatly amuses me!
Also, I get points for "being green" (HA!) as I am 'recycling' a very useful thing!
Also, also, I score yet more points on it being practical, pragmatic and just plain awesome!

In the photo, you see the cover of the entire set-up is hinged onto supports, with the table leg folded down. The table leg folds into the table top or cover, both little seats fold into themselves and strap inside the foldable table leg and the whole works secures as a cover onto the little cube of a desk!
The space for the drawers on the bottom right are perfect for jewelry display trays and the various file drawers and etc. are perfect for mobile studio stuff, paperwork, bags, and etc. that are useful at shows.

The desk even came with a lock and two keys!...Unfortunately not in working order.
So, here we are then, at the end of another Whimsy Wednesday!
Stop by and see me sometime!
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