Showing posts with label sun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sun. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Whimsy Wednesday! Playing Hooky!

Hello Hello! 
I’m writing the bulk of this post whilst listening to The Cars “Moving In Stereo” in stereo, in the car and on the road to visit a friend! 
I’m playing hooky from the studio for a little while! Wheeee! 
This feels grand!
I’ve been rather busy preparing for both a home Sprite Creations party tomorrow and the Women’s Art Festival this Saturday and I’m excited about all the new creations I have to share! 

Below are just some of the newest shinies! 
Title: Transcend 
Ingredients: 4GB (working) Flash Drive, non-toxic resin (hand-coloured & hand-painted), Swarovski crystals, vintage German glass, Czech glass, lead-free pewter(USA), aluminum, metal. 
There are all sorts of details in this creation, and let’s start with that fabulous Flash Drive! It is a working 4GB Flash Drive! The swirls are part of the factory design of this drive and it was named Transcend before it arrived in my studio. Since the creation design of both the Flash Drive and the necklace centers around the Drive, it seems fitting that it lends it’s name to the entire creation. The shiny flashes of colour on top of the Flash Drive are Swarovski crystal rhinestone, set in a rainbow pattern. (Some believe this pattern of colours also matches those of the 7 major charkas of the human body.) I would have loved to place each rhinestone in the center of each circle or swirl, but too much resin too close to the edge of the convertible flash drives can be a problem. The rhinestones are set and sealed with non-toxic resin that I’ve hand-coloured with pigment and literally paint onto the Drive. The Pegasus, Star and Sun all speak to traveling to other realms, realities or mythologies. The “Love” circle is also hand-painted with hand-coloured resin by me and fits the title quite aptly! After all “Love transcends all things”! Even in looking at the “Love” ring, there are hidden details. This is a repurposed charm and so while the Love is immersed in flecks of gold, there are marks of wear and age in the shiny metal underneath the golden resin. This is a love of strength, beauty and wisdom, wrapped with whimsy in the mixing of both modern and timeless. 

The second Flash Drive creation I have to share is just below… 
Title: Traveling With Turtle Island 
Ingredients: 8GB Flash Drive (Iamakey), non-toxic resin (hand-coloured & hand-painted), hand-finished brass, old watch parts, metal. 
The key-shaped metal bit is actually the working 8GB Flash Drive! I’ve worked with this shape before and had so much fun, I played with it again! The turtle charm enabled me to mix both dark and shiny metals and the turtle shape echoed the more boxy key shape of the Drive. 
I placed the old watch parts in a column down the shank of the drive, four gears and all over-lapping. This is what I love best about creating! I had no set vision of what to do with the gears, only that I wanted round gears on the shank. It seemed right to have four overlapping, and then the story of the "Four Ages of Man" popped into my mind! Very fitting since the Earth has been named Turtle Island by many aboriginal tribes in times past! The myth of the "Four Ages of Man" by Ovid is recounted here. While the resin is speckled with golden flecks, I also meticulously dropped alcohol ink onto the resin once it was painted on. That is the ethereal green you see. The ink pools and flows as I work with it and the resin and I love the “swampy”, yet misty and mysterious feel that it created! Perfect for a turtle in the water and the legends described above! And, again, wrapped with whimsy in the blending of both modern and timeless! 

So, there you have it! 
I'll leave you with information of my final show for 2012!
When is that, you ask?
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!
I’ll wrap this up as I am almost at my friend’s house and see you Friday!
Ciao!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Whimsy Wednesday! BookMarks Abound!

Hello Everyone! 
Welcome to Whimsy Wednesday! 
My week, so far, has been productive so far and I hope the same can be said of yours! 
I've been playing with some of the loot I brought home at the end of September and have some of the first finished creations to show you! 
I found the bookmark blanks and fell in love with the details stamped in raised into them! I chose one each in an antiqued brass and antiqued silver finish, which showed the stars, moon, flowers and etc. in lovely detail! 
Here is what they grew into! 
Title: Fairy Tale 
Ingredients: Vintage German Glass, Czech glass, metal
  Did you see the pun in the title? Hee! 
My vision was to combine a variety of colours and textures in this creation much like a tapestry!  The golden-yellow bead is actually Vintage German glass and always reminds me of the sun!  It seemed a fitting match to a lovely strand of flower beads and a leaf dancing in the breeze with our Ballerina Fairy in the midst!  if you look closely, you might be able to see the extraordinary chain from which these are suspended!  It is an infinity symbol and two hearts set back-to-back!  Isn't that just intriguing!?!

And now! 
For the second bookmark! 
Title: Stars and Fish 
Ingredients: Earthenwood ceramic starfish, cultured Pearl, Czech glass, metal.  
I relish the bright ocean-inspired colours!  Perfect for warding off thoughts of the upcoming winter chill!  
I was delighted to find the star-shaped cultured pearls and have had so much fun weaving them into various creations!  That's the star you see beside the Ocean Blue spiral bead at the top!  I treasure the whimsical addition of the bright green, petite fish swimming just above the ceramic StarFish!  Speaking of the StarFish.... that's a hand-fashioned porcelain bead from Earthenwood Studios! I adore Melanie's work and have so much fun playing with her creations as materials! 
Whee!
Well there we have it!
The end of another Whimsy Wednesday!
I'll see you right back here for Fini Friday!
Ciao!


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Whimsy Wednesday! The Sun, the Moon and...the Beach!

Hello Everyone! 
Welcome to Whimsy Wednesday! 
This is a summery post, as is quite appropriate for June! 
I've been pretty busy in the studio this week and it feels good to play with materials and techniques that have been languishing on the sidelines for too long as well as to finish (or atleast move forward) designs old and new! 
Whee! 
So? What do I have to show you today?? 
Let's take a look! 
Let's start with the Sun! 
Title: Sun Satellite 
Ingredients: Vintage lucite, Amy Fill lampwork glass, faceted acrylic, glass, metal, surgical steel earwires. 
These were born out of those luscious orange vintage lucite beads!! I knew the Amy Fill firey-spiral glass beads were the perfect compliment to them and the rest fell together as many awesome creations do! 





Next up is the Beach! (I want to save the Moon until last!) 
Title: A Day At the Beach 
Ingredients: Vintage lucite, sterling silver. 
I fell in love with the wonderfully colourful and fun vintage lucite pink and white beads that reminded me so strongly of beach balls and knew I had to play them into a whimsical creation! Still, while they so reminded me of play, there is a certain timeless elegance about them and so I matched them with sterling silver shell (complete with pearl on the back/inside!) and three-dimensional seahorse charms! These were to be both beautiful and yet a bit non-traditional, hence the two different sea denizens merrily playing at the ends of each earring! 

And now, let's finish this post with a little Moonlight Magic! 
Title: Cat and the Moon Temple 
Ingredients: Swarovski crystals, sterling silver, metal, rayon, quartz.
 
This is a lovely necklace that is an excellent choice for those with metal allergies as the neck cord is rayon and the clasp is a sturdy quartz bead that slips through stretchy cloth links! 
This is all that is, at once, serene and mischievous, elegant and playful, and subtly colourful...just like The Moon and all that is Cat! 

All of these are available in my Etsy shoppe now! 

Also!! If you'd like to see these and many, many other creations in person, I'll be in Saint Paul this weekend! See below for details!

This weekend you can find me in Saint Paul in air-conditioned splendor!

Arts and Crafts Show Sunday, June 24th Only!
10am to 5pm
Temple of Aaron
616 So. Mississippi Blvd Saint Paul, MN 55116

See you soon!
Ciao!