Gimme sparkle

Beaded and wire-wrapped flowers

hindamandell — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 15:06:47 -0400

I’ve been doing a lot of beading this summer - but mostly at night in front of the Boob Tube. I never feel particularly creative then. (For this I’ll blame the television. Right?)

This is my first attempt at beading free form. I made these “flowers” from old buttons, 28-gauge copper wire and beads that I was about to discard - until I repurposed them today.

I’m keeping this little beaded bouquet on my kitchen countertop.

One does not need an excuse to make an iMovie on the iPhone on...

hindamandell — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 21:06:00 -0400

One does not need an excuse to make an iMovie on the iPhone on any given night. So, without further ado, I present you with video footage of what my dog ate for dinner tonight. Bon appetit!

Beads in carousels

hindamandell — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 20:53:04 -0400

Few things scream “summer” like a corny carousel. Corny as in really cool.

I’ve been back from Europe for some time now. But I still have a few bead dropling stories to post.

This carousel is located in Honfleur, France, a most lovely artist colony on the water.

The carousel is in the heart of the city, and its loud music is catchy despite its odd tonalities. It’s France. It’s summer. Corny somehow becomes “tres chic.” No?

I plopped this little beadling right here.

Do you see it on the floor of the carriage?

A quick zoom out shows the carriage in its entirety.

So pretty in pink.

I almost forgot. I did a second bead drop in Honfleur. The city, known for its art, also has quite a bit of chocolate shops. Chocolate, after all, is art. No?

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hindamandell — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 13:11:49 -0400

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An Amsterdam drop

hindamandell — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 11:22:05 -0400

So we arrived - at this part in our journey - in Amsterdam. Land of the leggy blonds/blondes and intrepid bicyclists. Did I say intrepid? I mean FEARLESS.

I witnessed a biker who got hit (albeit gently) by a vehicle. He swerved and kept going - the bicyclist, that is.

This bead drop took place at the Felix Meritis Society. I know nothing of this society except that they had a generous menu of foodstuffs.

I asked the waitress if Amsterdam was known for a certain type of coffee drink. She said not really. She recommended that I order a cafe au lait, which happens to be my go-to caffeine beverage anyhow.

It arrived - hot, mind you - in a tall glass. I was content and the third bead drop commenced.

First comes food, then come beads

hindamandell — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 17:53:47 -0400

Food and beads complement each other wonderfully. Beads are something shiny to look at while consuming gobs of food. Beads can also be a way of saying “thank you” after a particularly relaxing meal.

This bead drop took place in Berlin on June 9 - in the former East and blocks from the spectacular New Synagogue. The specific location of the drop was at a restaurant with the English translation resembling something like “Go to the Black Rabbit.”

Well, I went.

Our lovely waitress was very sparkly and fashionably dressed.

I was a lady who lunched that day on beer, lentils and homemade noodles with mushrooms.

Thus commenced the second drop.

Bead droppings: On the train

hindamandell — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:05:48 -0400

This is the train I took from Luebeck, Germany to Berlin. June 8. A pleasant day.

Hello train.

It was a notable experience because I realized that my Eurail tickets allowed me to sit in first class. So the very nice conductor brought me not one but two white-and-milk-chocolate-checkered soccer balls for my consumption.

Which I consumed.

She brought me a moist towelette for my hands. Then came a German newspaper, which she quickly took away as soon as I opened my mouth and she could hear from my bright and shiny American accent that I did not speak - let alone read - German.

She was a nice conductor.

I wanted her to have a bead droplet. But while she was so attentive during the train ride she was suddenly no where to be seen as the train pulled into Berlin’s central station.

So I left the droplet on my seat. I do not know whether it ended up in her hands - or someone else’s.

Such was my first drop. It was a bon voyage indeed! (Or a gute fahrt - according to Google Translate.)

Bead droppings

hindamandell — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 11:21:00 -0400

In the great tradition of “yarn bombing,” I decided to do my own version of spontaneous craft love across Europe: It’s what I call “bead droppings.”

Here’s the premise. I brought over an assortment of beaded things, mostly beaded triangles that I made throughout the past months. I dropped them with a little business card attached to them. Or I gave them to the friendly souls I met along the way in my travels throughout Germany, the Netherlands and France this past month.

Over the next few days I’ll post photos of these bead droppings, along with brief little stories of the why and when.

I was inspired to bead drop because of two gentle souls who I met briefly on my travels some years ago.

Back in 2007 I was on a flight from Dublin to Boston. A man a few rows ahead of me had an adorable deck of cards that were decorated with sheep and other Irish symbols. I guess he saw me eyeing them because he told me he’d give me the deck of cards once the five-hour flight ended. Wouldn’t that be nice, I thought.

And then he did. Today, I can’t get on an airplane without that tattered deck of playing cards. On airplanes I am the solitaire maven, thanks to the gentleman whose name I don’t even know.

The second gentle soul was a young woman (in college?) who I came across in the Munich airport in 2009. We were both at the same gate, waiting to catch a flight to Krakow. She was making a blue and white friendship bracelet.

That’s nice, I said to her.

She just smiled.

And then right before we boarded she finished the bracelet and ever so gently handed it to me. I keep that bracelet on my dresser.

These gentle souls have inspired me. Their little gifts are not precious in monetary value but I’m quite keen on them. They are little token reminders of my travels and strangers’ kindness. There’s something spontaneous, fun and uncertain about leaving bead droplets at a little destination, wherever the whim strikes me.

Please stay tuned for the posts that will follow over the next few days about these little droplets.

Hey big mouths, don't you look Hipstamatic

hindamandell — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:44:00 -0400

I’ve been playing around with the $1.99 app Hipstamatic. It’s a less intuitive but more customizable Instagram-like tool. I found this guide really helpful.

One of my favorite Hipstamatic facts is that a New York Times photographer used it back in 2010 to capture front-page photos of soldiers in Iraq.

Today I decided to put it to use in my home.

But first, I tweeted about my new-found Hipstamatic interest and got some helpful hints courtesy of @likeacolortv.

@hindamandell Took me forever to find this Hipstamatic feature: Double-tap viewfinder for larger viewfinder! Tap new, larger VF to take pic.
— Liz Woolery (@likeacolortv) May 12, 2012

Each shot below has the exact same composition. The only thing that changes is the flash, lens and film.

Jimmy Lens, Kodot XGrizzled Film, Dreampop Flash

Kaimal Mark II Lens, Kodot XGrizzled Film, No Flash

Jimmy Lens, Kodot XGrizzled Film, No Flash,

John S Lens, Kodot Grizzled Film, No Flash

I definitely find myself more partial to the “no flash” shots.

Here’s a 40-second recap of the May 5 felting activities...

hindamandell — Sun, 06 May 2012 15:54:16 -0400

Here’s a 40-second recap of the May 5 felting activities at Imagine RIT in Rochester, N.Y.

Finished felt from Imagine RIT

hindamandell — Sat, 05 May 2012 20:13:00 -0400

After about 20 minutes of rubbing the wool with soap, water and some good old-fashioned elbow grease, students showed off their finished product.

They included bookmarks, pins, coasters and sheets of fabric.

Smiles all around!

Stay tuned tomorrow for a video of the event.

Imagine RIT: Felt and more felt

hindamandell — Sat, 05 May 2012 20:06:00 -0400

Felt. Gallons of warm water. A bar of soap. Ten ounces of sheep’s wool. Oh and 50 students from across Rochester, New York. The felting demonstration was a part of Imagine RIT.

Today was an awesome day because it involved introducing youngsters to the magic of felt.

Students created sheets of fabric from sheep’s wool, making a textile out of tufts of purple, green, red and aqua wool.

Open studios

hindamandell — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:21:00 -0400

I’m so excited for my stuff to be on display at my aunt’s open studios in Needham, Mass., this weekend. Judy Greenberg is an amazing - an exceptional - artist. There is no other artist like her. And she’s showing her work in the Boston area May 5 & 6.

Here’s the adorable flier she designed for me. I love the idea of talking big mouths. I will have to capitalize on that idea …

And here are some items that will be on display. (Photos: Matthew White)

A pet-able bracelet

hindamandell — Wed, 02 May 2012 19:26:37 -0400

This design sprang from a basic peyote stitch that needed some … pizzazz. I added a bit of Swarovski crystal and a touch of shiny gold seed beads. And all of a sudden the bracelet became so … pet-able. So alive.

It is 3-dimensional indeed. (Photo: Hinda Mandell)

After I made this gold version I made a shiny blue one for my mom, for Mother’s Day. Good thing she doesn’t read this site!

Thanks to the Mayday visitors

hindamandell — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:51:10 -0400

Today’s a post-craft show kinda day.

Yesterday I sold my wares at the Mayday Underground craft show in Rochester. A number of friends stopped by to say hello, which was absolutely delightful.

The big mouth trying to eat my business card? Not so much. (Photos: Hinda Mandell)

But then a welcome reprieve came in the form of people walking by the felted sculptures and bursting into laughter. Always a curious sight.

May you too find some whimsical joy today. Now I need to think about how I can get away with felting my ma a Mother’s Day gift. Back to the felted drawing board … Next up I may tackle big mouth finger puppets. A suggestion of some friends and visitors to my booth. Please stay tuned!

Getting ready for the Mayday Underground craft show

hindamandell — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:40:12 -0400

Tonight was a night for inventory, since I’m getting ready for Saturday’s Mayday Underground craft show in Rochester.

(Photos: Hinda Mandell)

I had 15 big mouths surrounding me earlier in the evening, waiting for labels and price tags. They looked like they wanted to say something.

That’s when I had a realization. What if the big mouths began - suddenly, abruptly - talking to me? If that were to happen then I would know things were a bit … precarious. I had a similar thought once with my dog, Nigel. When he first came into my life I remember looking at him. He looked earnestly back at me. I thought: If you begin talking to me then we’re both in trouble.

But Nigel didn’t talk back. Neither did the big mouths.

They’re now all labeled and ready to make their debut into the world.

Hope to see you Saturday!

All blinged-up

hindamandell — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:45:47 -0400

I recently told you that I would soon debut the next generation of big mouths. And voila. The future is here. (Photos: Matthew White)

These little fellows are significantly more colorful - and decked out with a lot more bling - than Generation One.

Oh, and did I mention that they play piano too? These little babies are genetically programmed to do all sorts of things. But mostly they just look at you with their hungry mouths. Remember, though: They’re friendly.

Wool doesn’t bite.

We're in business

hindamandell — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:01:16 -0400

My new business cards arrived in the mail today from Moo.com, a company known for its MiniCards. These cute little babies are a fraction of the size of a standard business card. Frankly, I was just happy to see a big mouth looking back at me.

For my next post I’m excited to show you a sneak-peak of my new generation of big mouths. Let’s just say they get a little “blingy.”

RIT craft show

hindamandell — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:35:55 -0400

It’s been exactly a week and I haven’t posted until now about the spring RIT craft show - my very first. It was a great day of shmoozing. I learned that my table cloth is too small for my display table. Below’s a photo montage of the show.

(Photos: Matthew White)

When wool becomes felt

hindamandell — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:25:31 -0400

Those oranges! Those purples! The yellows!

(Photos: Hinda Mandell)

I was pumped (pumped, I tell you!) to learn that I will be showing my crafts (i.e. hawking my wares) at the next Mayday Underground show in Rochester on April 28. You’ll be hearing a lot more about this soon.

A craft show requires material and for me that comes in the form of merino wool. These colorful puffs - with lots of water and soap - will become the big mouths.

I began to make six big mouths today. And my fingers are all wilt-y from dealing with too much water. The price I pay to bring big mouths to life.

(The big mouths will eventually look like this:)

Today, too, I decided to make baby big mouths. They will be about half the size of the originals. Their official name? Why baby mouths, of course!