All Sorts of Goodies!

Just in time for the MN Shadows Faire tomorrow and Sunday!
If you are in or near Saint Paul, MN, USA, feel free to stop by and take a peek at all of my new goodies! There are all sorts of exhibitors there. This is a holistic and art faire, so everything from Alternative Therapies (Esogenics, Ear Candling, Massage, etc.) to Intuitive Readers to Jewelry, Clothing (out of bamboo, even!) and much, much more. Admission is free :)
Door open at noon and the Faire closes at 6pm both days.
Also, come to see the Historic Mounds Theater. It has been renovated and restored to much of it's original Art Deco splendor..
Mounds Theatre Website is here
MN Shadows Faire Website
here

On to the Goodies!
MOOD BEADS!


New Ring Designs:
Security In Growth






There are more, but you'll just have to come out and see them *grin*

Flashes Through the Steam, Mist & Machinery...

The earrings featured in my post today were started at the end of last week. I had to act on the hard task of laying them down, partially complete, to prepare for and travel through my weekend adventures. And so it was with joy and a bit of intense purpose that I picked them back up and completed them today. It seems to me now that the break did them and me a good turn. The flashes from the vintage sequins are dreamy, which is an excellent counterpoint to the sharper, metallic flash from the metallic seqins, vintage jewelry bits and old watch parts. This is a perfect parallel for my mood today as I contemplate and integrate bits of what I learned during my weekend adventures and an audio interview I was listening to. The dreamy, iridescent hues are my contemplative reflections, my visioning and dreams incorporating the developments of these last few days. The flashes from the machinery remind me of the mechanisms of the various institutions that I (and we all) work with in the everyday and sometimes see the need to change, tear down and rebuild. The tiny watch parts also remind me that I am part of something much larger, something that I can only see parts of, through the mists. They are sharper, more focused flashes of insights, helping me see the kind of world I want to build. Suspended at the end of all of this are vintage (likely glass) faux pearls. They are not perfect and that is why I chose them to end these earrings. I wanted them to finish this design because they are beautiful, rough, a bit worn, and imperfect due to age. They remind me of the rebellious, irascible yet charming beauties we admire throughout history (Mae West, anyone?)
Enjoy!

Quick and Lively!

A quick post before I'm off to my appointments and a busy weekend!
I've been playing more with sequins!
These are two variations on what I posted earlier in the week.




I have, of course, steampunk-inspired variations in progress!

If you are in Anoka, MN, USA today from 4-8pm, stop by Spirit River Gallery and Exchange and say Hi!! I'll be there!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day and New Creations!

I've had a lot of fun thus far with my sequins and have more ideas on the bead table!

In celebration of Saint Patrick's Day..Some of what the sequins have turned into!!
The first pair of earrings are titled: A Few Favorite Fairy Things
(Sequins and mysterious, ancient ruins!)Some of what the sequins have turned into!!




and the second pair is titled: A Bit O'Green and has a beautiful little green Swarovski crystal dangling at the end of all those lovely! shiny! sequins!
Did I mention Shiny?!




These last pair of earrings are available in my
ArtFire studio!

I have newly acquired ...

glitter and sequins!!! Mine is an evil laugh... MMMMUUWWWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Finding Direction...

This week has been a series of changes in direction thus far. There are so many tasks to be done before the rain descended upon us..which it has. There are directions of new business tools, creation, research of opportunities, etc. balanced with infrastructure and life tasks.
My friend used that term - infrastructure - for home tasks and I like it very much. I believe I will adopt it, with her permission, of course!

With the rain continuing, my mood is thoughtful and so a series of charms and new shinies that I obtained at Supercon spoke to me today. Which is what this photo shows below.


I loved how the circle of beads and pendants formed a circle within the circle of the compass rose.

The small square charm with the star and wines inside came home with a quote. This charm is an artists' interpretation of Believe. The quote is from Anatole France and reads, "...To accomplish great things we must not only act but also dream; not only plan but also Believe"
This is what is percolating around in my mind today as I travel through my day.
I'll leave you with a bit of whimsy. This is the same arrangement as above, but a orange and yellow tiger snuck into the photo! See him there, hanging out just in the range of the camera? How could you not love this??!

Travels, Thoughts and Treasures...

This is a photo of what I collected throughout my travels hither and yon yesterday. The fabric you see in most of the background is the perfect Saint Patrick's Day shirt! I was searching something both elegant and fun. I love this style of shirt. I love the mixture of vintage pictures, poetry in calligraphy and sparkly beads! The book to the right is a mixture of philosophy and spirituality. I brought it home because though it was published in the 1970's, it has many of the same ideas that are now called "New Age" and "revolutionary". I smile at that. The more things change, the more they stay the same and change, it seems. The necklace caught my eye because of the chain. It inspires visions of unexpected steampunk grandeur! I believe I can reuse the pendant and beads as well.
As I gathered these treasures together for pictures, I realized there was a theme, of sorts, to them. Words, wisdom and flowers! Many green and growing things in the pictures and words. Perhaps it is a sign of spring! Or the wonderful sunshine we've been having lately. Or perhaps a small footnote to mark the place where I'm at right now... and looking to build on.

I'll leave you with one of the quotes from this most interesting book:
"What is responsibility?
Ah-might as well ask, what is self?
It's your responsibility and your self, and no book and no person
can ever tell you anything about it." - Paul Williams Das Energi (which translates to "The Energy")

In a Lightning Mood...

A lightning-quick post today as much of my day will be spent in travel and events away from home today! I'm taking this post today to show you a new creation that combines the newest Mood Bead design (Yup! Just like the Mood Rings of the 70's! Remember those?!) and some unusual stringing material!

What you see below is the "Sun Blossom" Mood Bead design dangling from hand-finished copper wire accompanied by metal, hematite and glass beads. The majority of the necklace, however, is from the trim and upholstery section at a national craft store chain! Isn't that fabulous?! I *love* creating with unusual materials and using them in unexpected ways!
This necklace is finished with eco-friendly, hand-finished brass. Notice the spiral clasp, which echos the spiral just below the Mood Bead. This has a steampunk, gypsy feel to it with the Mood Bead suspended in the center reminiscent of space age or exotic jewel.
The title is: The Personal Barometer of a Steampunk Gypsy


This is listed in my Etsy Shop, if you are interested!

I'll be at The Edge coffee shop in Saint Paul this evening. If your travels bring you anywhere near me, stop by for a chat!
See you Friday!

Eras

I'm back from a busy and fun weekend and ready to start the week with a blog entry!!! I find myself pondering quite a bit about time-past, present, future and alternate history/timelines. This is likely helped by the fact that I spent part of this weekend helping friends clean out old paperwork and various detrius in an effort to reclaim space in their house. This was actually more fun than it sounds like as the paperwork was near their TV and so I had movies playing in the background as I worked! I started with the Beatles "Yellow Submarine" and moved on to "Galaxy Quest" and finished up with part of "Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers". Quite a few eras to travel in so few hours!

All of this has influenced the creation of the new earrings I have to show you today!

Their title is Baroque Jewels and they are stunning in an unusual way.


The main beads are carved bone flowers that have traveled with me for over 15 years. The bone flowers were wrapped by me in hand-finished brass filigree with faceted mother of pearl and Swarovski crystal jewels trembling below. A baroque pearl and tiny glass beads finish this fabulous and textural ensemble of unusual and ornate materials.
The word Baroque was taken from the Portuguese word meaning "a pearl of irregular shape." It was initially used to imply strangeness, abnormality and extravagance. This perfectly describe these earrings and the inspiration behind them.
These are in my Etsy shop now.

That is a little of which (or what!) era I'm in right now...Thank you for your visit. Stop by again and see what (or when!) I'm up to next!