Magical Monday! Structures and Building!

Hello Hello!
Welcome to Magical Monday!
I hope your weekend full of adventures and joy!
I wanted to say a special Thank-you to all who stopped by for a visit at our Shop Local event at Monthei Fine Art Studio! It was much fun! I always enjoy visiting historical places as I love the architecture and the stories the homes and buildings seem to whisper!
So returning to historic Uptown/Downtown Minneapolis was a treat!

Speaking of buildings... this post is all about structures and what folks build out there in the wide, wide world!
Let's start our travels in India!
This is a tree-bridge are woven from the living roots of the fig tree!
Details and credits are here! Absolutely beautiful! The link to the BBC video about these bridges is here!


Next we arrive in Zundert, Netherlands for the Bloemencorso Flower Parade! Dahlias are grown all year long and then used to create these absolutely stunning parade floats every September!
This is my favorite of the floats! It is so true to life and and full of play-full-ness and whimsy!
You can find more photos, details and credits here!


And we end this post's journey today in Poland!  A tiny Poland!
Click here for the video, credits and details! It is amazing!


And there you have it!  
A magical journey for your Monday!
Thank-you for travelling with me today and I'll see you on Wednesday!
Ciao!

Whimsy Wednesday! Owls, Cats and Colours!

Hello Hello! 

Welcome to Whimsy Wednesday! 

This has been a very interesting and productive week for me so far and I hope it is the same for you! 

I've been busy with creations that were in-statis as we waited for the finishing materials to arrive. The materials did arrive and so I have finished creations to show you today and Friday! 

Whee!!! 

Let's begin with the most whimsical first! 

(Working) Title: The Perfect Companions for a Psychedelic Trip 

Ingredients: Lampwork glass owls, Swarovski crystals, lead-free pewter(USA), metal, silver-plated surgical steel earwires(hypo-allergenic).

I really love these unusual owls! I wanted to keep the design simple, both to highlight the fabulous feathered friends and to create something that would be equally at home with casual jean-based outfits as well as club wear! I wonder if these would glow under black-light?! Hmmmmmm! 

These next earring creations are all about whimsy and elegance! 

Title: Miss Kitty 

Ingredients: Lampwork glass kitties, Czech glass, lead-free pewter(USA), metal, silver-plated surgical steel earwires(hypo-allergenic).

Miss Kitty's expressions are so droll that they encourage me to giggle! I love the little pink dots reminiscent of a bow just below her right ear! I gave her accenting pink cathedral-cut Czech glass beads just below her chin so that she would have a very elegant collar...as all well-mannered cats should! Hee! 

And now to take the Whimsy in a different direction! These earrings are fun in the way the colours of the furnace glass and the faceted vintage Czech glass play with the light! 

Title:  Playing with the Light

Ingredients: Furnace glass, vintage and non-vintage Czech glass, lead-free pewter(USA), metal, silver-plated surgical steel earwires(hypo-allergenic). Designing asymmetrical art and creations is always intriguing and I'm quite pleased with how these turned out! 

Speaking of art and creations, you can see these and many other creations "up-close and personal" this weekend at my first show of November! I'll be with a smaller group of independent, fine artists offering an early opportunity to shop for your Winter Holidays or for those who have birthdays in November and December! 

Come browse through fabulous art and gifts in a more intimate setting in the heart of historic Uptown Minneapolis!

Shop Local 

Saturday, Nov. 10th Only! 

9am to 6pm  

Monthei Fine Arts Studio 

Upper Carriage House 

314 Clifton Avenue, Suite 300 

Minneapolis, MN 55403
It would be grand to see you there!
Ciao!

Magical Monday! Art and Fantasy into Real Life!

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to Magical Monday!
I hope your weekend was filled with warmth and joy!
I've some really nifty bits of Art that have been transformed from fantasy into real life to show and tell today! If that isn't Magical, I don't know what is!
Let's start with the more "Artsy" bit of Magic...
The idea of the Booooooom + Adobe Remake photo project is to remake a famous work of art using photography.
More details, photos and credits are here!
I, personally, liked the photo remake of this painting by Van Gogh's, titled Bedroom in Arles.  It is about half-way down the page of submissions, which means you should have plenty of time to immerse yourself in the wonderful level of creativity and talent on display!

The second bit of magic I have to show you is Fantasy literally made into reality! 
A giant Gollum (from Lord of the Rings books & movies) installation at a New Zealand airport!  Details and credits are found here! W
hat an incredible amount of work, time and talent went into all of that! I wonder what J.R.R. Tolkien would think of it? I bet he would be astonished, astounded and amazed!

And our last bit of magic for today is a light-hearted video that was made in response to the recent selling of all things StarWars to Disney.  Click here to view the YouTube video!
My heart goes out to that poor StormTrooper who can't get a drink! All in all, I have to say that this is a brilliant thing! 
Let's wrap up this post up with a little note of a show I'll be at this weekend!

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
It would be grand to see you there!
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