Fini Friday! Beautiful Beads and Beginnings!

Hello Hello! 

Welcome to Fini Friday! 

The weather has cooled off for us here in Minnesota and I am truly enjoying the lovely, cool breeze!! 

(Did I mention that it is cooler today? I think I did! *wink* *grin*) 

I hope there are similar blessings in your neck of the woods! 

This post is all about beginnings and beads! 

First up! 

A menagerie at the beginning stages of growth...

The ceramic pendants are hand-made by Melanie of Earthenwood Studio. I adore her work and love the colours, textures and simple shapes she brings into the world! 

The two pewter-coloured pendants to the left of the Earth and tawny Cat are three-dimensional, with different designs and words on both sides. I've glued in Swarovski crystals on opposing sides. 

The first photo shows one side, whilst the second shows the other. 

The spiral is one of the oldest sacred symbols that is found in every culture that I'm aware of and it always seems to represent eternal life.  How fitting to pair with the Earth!  Also completely appropriate is the word "Live". After all, if you're seeing this, you're living upon the Earth! 

Cats have always symbolized mystery and the unknown, so matching them with stars, a colour-changing crystal and the word "Imagine" was truly natural.

The second, seafoam-coloured cat pendant is growing on a path of it's own and undoubtedly will be accented with the hand-coloured fiber seen in the photo as well as other interesting charms, bits and thingees (Yup! That's the word I'm going with, though it likely isn't an official word in the English language *grin*).

Let's wrap this up by showing you those beautiful beads mentioned in the title!!

On the left is a stunning nugget of sunny Citrine.  

Citrine is thought to help with creativity, personal clarity and help weed out self-destructive tendencies, whilst helping the liver, digestive tract, heart, and muscles. 

The center bead is a gracefully cut Agate with dramatic flowing inclusions.  Agate is purported to be helpful in discerning truths and is an excellent healer for emotional upsets.  Legend says that it assists with memory, concentration and focus.

The last stone on the right is probably a sort of Jasper.  Legends surrounding Jasper state that it is stabilizing, healing and can help bring joy into life.  This stone would seem to have been formed by sedimentary action, then pressurized for eons to become this beauty!  There are so many different patterns to see in this single bead, I'm excited to see what happens next with it! 
Stay tuned to see!!

And so, at the conclusion of this post, I wish you a very joyous weekend!
See you on Monday!
Ciao!

Magical Monday! Humor, Technology and Beauty!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to Magical Monday!

I hope your weekend was fabu!

Let's start this post off with some humor! 

This photo and hat installment were taken in honor of George Orwell (author of 1984, among other classic books). Credits and details are here. 

Moving on to a more wonderous idea... 

This is what you get when you combine a Tesla coil, a human and a guitar!

Doesn't that look like fun?!?! Credits and details are here. 

Let's wrap this up with a bit of beauty and news! The beauty!

Credits and details are here. 

What I can tell you is that this is Park Keukenhof in Amsterdam. 

Isn't it gorgeous?! 

And the news.... I'll be offline (and on vacation!) after the dual Whimsy Wednesday and Fini Friday post on Wednesday!!! 

I'll return to the Internets next Wednesday, July 10th! Also? I'll have a very special selection of Sprite Creations at the CONvergence Art Show this weekend! 

If you're in the Twin Cities area, feel free to check out the convention, register at the door and take in the sights (including the Art Show)! 

See you Wednesday! 

Ciao!

Magical Monday! Beauty, Art and Play!

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to Magical Monday!
I hope your weekend was fabu!!
I have gathered a wide range of art, beauty and play for you today!
So, let's get started!
First, the beauty!
This photo is of the Solar Eclipse on Nov.15th of this year by former NASA photographer Ben Cooper in Queensland, Australia. Isn't it gorgeous?! Details and credits are here!

And then the Art! I don't have a lot of details about where this next bit of art is or how it is done, excepting that it is made of thread.
Details and credits are here!

And finally, the Play!
This has to be one of the Ultimate Leaf Party!
Click here for video! Doesn't that look like fun?!

A bit of news before I take my leave...
We'll be at the Holiday Geek Expo this weekend!
Saturday 10am to 6pm
Sunday 10am to 5pm
Plaza 5&6 (1st Floor, Short Tower)
 DoubleTree Hotel
Join us for all things Geek!!!

Magical Monday! Seeing Beauty in the World!

Hello Everyone! 
Welcome to Magical Monday! 
I hope your weekend was awesome! 
Mine was full of rest and quiet time as a wee bit of illness took hold. For those of you who were looking forward to seeing us at the BellaWeen Show, I apologize for the cancellation. Better to see you when we are well! 

And speaking of wellness, let's move on to some beautiful sights, shall we? 
First up! Man-made beauty! 
These are LED lights in a swimming pool! Credits and details are here! I would definitely swim there!!! 

Next up is a bit of a branching out into a tree theme (HA!)... 
This gorgeous photo is of Yew Trees somewhere on the road to Wales! Credits and details are here! I'd love to walk through there!!! 

This is a wonderful glimpse into the beauty of kindness that folks give to each other.. read the receipt on the left first....Credits and details are here! 






 Let's wrap up this post with a little bit of Science, Space, Wonder and Beauty, shall we? 
Credits and details are here! 
That's it for today! 
See you on Wednesday!!! 
Ciao!

Magical Monday! With Humor and Beauty...

Hello!! Welcome to Magical Monday and the work week for many!
I figured humor and beauty would be greatly appreciated on this day and so I've found some humorous photos and a beautiful video to share with you today!

I feel like this could be a good view of life and the perspective of being the architect of your life....


Personally, I think this elephant is wise. Why not use the resources you have at-hand (or perhaps at-trunk?), rather than fighting everyone else for a spot at the river?
...And I just love the look on it's face as the photo was taken!


This is just beautiful to me! Seeing the tiger in such graceful, powerful motion, projected all around Paris on a wonderful contrast of backgrounds is just awesome! As is the fact that someone(s) thought of this idea and made it happen!
Clicky for video!.

So there you have it!
Have a fabulous Monday and see you for Whimsy Wednesday!
Ciao!