kristapeel

Now, for our next trick . . .

2012-03-03T09:41:00.000-05:00

The Cups and Balls trick is over 2,000 years old. There are innumerable adaptations, probably one for each magician, but here is a little modern journey through some of them. First, a little old-Vegas flair -

Then a wonderful Indian street version -

The usually silent Teller talks about it in Egypt (BTW - he's from Philly, check out that accent!) -

and here's their version, which includes their own kind of 'reveal' -

and then this slick fellow performs it with all clear cups from the start, nice -

This trick occasionally employs one of my very favorite moves of all, where one hand rubs the 'something' into . . . non-existence.
POOF.

Oooo, fabulous!

xoxo
KP

Let's start with an easy one

2012-03-02T12:11:00.001-05:00

Everyone (not just teenage boys) should learn at least one card trick.

It will make your life better. Really.

xoxo
KP

Sunken treasure

2012-02-29T10:32:00.000-05:00

How about we hang out here today?

I can't decide, does that window face outside to a garden, or underwater? Either way, niiiiice.

xoxo
KP

Tubes

2012-02-28T11:16:00.001-05:00

Perhaps good for a quiet night's sleep, but also another great backyard office idea.

Tube Hotel

And then brilliant coupling of modest materials + dioramas. Toilet paper tube dioramas! Woo-hoo!

by Anastassia Elias

Museum Models

2012-02-27T17:51:00.000-05:00

Ideas in foam and sponges for a contemporary art museum.

xoxo
KP

Metropolis II

2012-02-25T12:23:00.000-05:00

The energy of the cars is the main event, but I really like the buildings.

Tourmalated Green Quartz

2012-02-24T17:26:00.001-05:00

Quartz is one of the most abundant mineralson earth, accounting for as much as 10% of the total crust of the planet. Itcan be found in just about any kind of geographical setting and is found allover the world.

Tourmalated quartz, a.k.a. tourmalinated quartzor tourmaline quartz, is a variety of quartz that has inclusions of tourmaline,typically black schorl, growing through or out of it. Tourmaline is not a singlemineral, but a group of several closely related minerals. The three mostwell-known members are elbaite, schorl, and dravite.

Sometimes the tourmaline inclusions in quartzare thin needles, either sticking out of the quartz or completely encased init, similar in form to those found in rutilated quartz. Rutile formations tendto be more red or orange in color. Tourmalinated quartz is lesscommon than rutilated quartz.

What’s interesting about this stone? Wow, tons! First, let's mention that quartz is well known for it’s many uses, owing to its high thermal andchemical stability and abundance. It's widely used in many applications; abrasives (silicon), foundry materials, wristwatches, electronics, ceramics and cements to name just few. It is also known for it’s powerful resonance of energy and healing powers.

Add that to tourmaline, which has many unusualoptical - and electrical - properties. Most specimens are strongly pleochroic, an opticalphenomenon in which a substance appears to be different colors when observed atdifferent angles with polarized light. In other tourmalines, the color mayactually be different when viewed at different angles. Here's an example of a light tourmalinefrom two angles -

Now for some (more) cool stuff. Tourmaline is also bothpyroelectric and piezoelectric. Pyroelectricity (from the Greek pyr, fire) is the ability of certain materials to generate a temporaryvoltage when they are heated or cooled. The change in temperature modifies thepositions of the atoms slightly within the crystal structure, such that thepolarization of the material changes. This polarization change gives rise to avoltage across the crystal. Thepyroelectric effect is also present in both bone and tendon, whoa. (Enhanced bone regeneration by electrical polarization is currently beingresearched. Regrowth of bones!)

Piezoelectricity (from the Greek piezo or piezein to squeeze or press) means electricityresulting from pressure. The first demonstration of the direct piezoelectriceffect was in 1880 by the brothers Pierre Curie and Jacques Curie. They demonstrated this electrical effect using crystals of tourmaline,quartz, topaz, cane sugar, and Rochelle salt. Thefirst practical application for piezoelectric devices was sonar.

So tourmaline, combined with the strong resonance ofquartz, just amplifies all these energies. Want to attempt to regrow bone? Or speak with dolphins? Try tourmalatad quartz. This is one powerful stone.

You can find some of this energy-enhancing stone in my shop -

Good stuff.

xoxo
KP

In less than twelve parsecs

2012-02-23T12:22:00.001-05:00

Saw that Lego makes a pretty elaborate Millennium Falcon.

And then there's a sweet, little version.

Or you could . . . make it in cake!

But now for what we really needed; the ship's schematics.
Take a look at this fabulous thing.

Even better, a spectacular detailed illustration in cut away.
Now we're talking.

An extra shout out to the best pumpkin carving idea -
The Death Star. BAM.

xoxo

Home Office - Backyard Edition

2012-02-15T14:35:00.001-05:00

Since it's 50 degrees in winter, we're posting from the backyard orb office today. . .

Mexican Boulder Fire Opal

2012-02-11T16:44:00.002-05:00

Oh, the mystique of opal! Chemically, opal ishydrated silica, similar to quartz. And it can contain up to 21% water. Water!Opal, being amorphous, is not truly a mineral but a mineraloid. One of thescientifically accepted standards defining a mineral is that a mineral musthave a crystal structure, which opal lacks.

There are so many types of opal, each one delightful,but I'm focusing on Mexican Boulder Fire Opal. "Boulder Opal" is aterm used for a rough or a cut gemstone that displays opal within itssurrounding rock matrix. "Fire Opal" is so called due to the colorsit can be found in, rather than the fact that there is any "fire"within the stone.

Since opal is known to form near the surface of theearth at relatively low temperatures where there has been volcanic activity,this silica material fills in cracks and seams in matrix rocks. A good exampleof fire opal found in volcanic matrix comes from Mexico, sometimes called"jelly" opal. These stones do not usually show any play of color buta magical clarity and have a watery effect.

I have a few versions of this amazing stone in my shop:

Now for a little side trip. In the 1960's, thereason for opal's color play was discovered with the aid of the electronmicroscope. Opal is composed of tiny silica spheres that can be arranged in anorderly pattern. This diffracts the light entering the stone into the spectralcolors. A light wave diffractedthrough the opal causes a color sheen or scintillation in the stone. Thedensity and pattern of the aligned silica spheres are responsible for thedifferent colors refracted in the opal. Here is common opal under an electron microscope:

Another interesting thing madeof silica is the needle in the mouth of a female mosquito. This lead me tolooking up female mosquito mouths:

Of course, I'm a 'sucker'for tiny things. Even teeny, teeny, TINY things. Have a look at these goodies :

Velcro

Cigarette paper

Household dust

Fabulous! Continue the journey. . . more photos can be found here.

xoxo
KP

Hockney

2012-02-07T18:46:00.000-05:00

I'm a big fan of David Hockney. In his wonderful book, That's How I See It one of his projects was '40 Snaps of my House' where he finds small compositions all over his home. With this in mind, I've been roaming our row house with the camera.

Some very nice moments happen while doing this exercise. Details of the house are fun to discover this way.

xoxo
KP

Pod Motel

2012-02-05T14:54:00.001-05:00

France's Museumotel, another wonderful destination for my mind. Designed by brilliant architect Pascal Häusermann (1936-2011)

And here are some interior shots of the rooms. . . yummy!

Oh boy, these are fabulous spaces. And very inspirational for future building projects.

More details at their website - The Museumotel!

xoxo
KP

Home Office - Underwater Edition

2012-02-02T15:57:00.000-05:00

Calmest place to focus on the year ahead.

I also use the 2012 Underwater Wonders Calendar to plan it all out.
Oooh yes, the WONDERS!!

For more information about this amazing calendar, or to get your own, visit my website. Seriously great people do this craziness with me, and it's awesome to play with them on something silly.

xoxo
KP

Bucky, Charlie and Ray

2012-02-02T15:18:00.000-05:00

Notes for a discussion I'd like to have:

R. Buckminster Fuller

UTOPIAS

Charles and Ray Eames

SUBURBS

R. Buckminster Fuller

LIFE

2012-01-31T20:56:00.002-05:00

Every week, I'm lucky enough to spend a day making jewelry with some lovely ladies.
Who isn't excited about big bags of beads?!

The LIFE Center, Philadelphia, PA

Glow in the dark minerals

2012-01-29T12:49:00.001-05:00

Well, more accurately, fluorescence. Over 3600 mineral species have been identified as fluorescent minerals. Something over 500 of them are known to fluoresce visibly in some specimens. Most minerals do not fluoresce when pure, it takes certain impurities in certain quantities to make the mineral fluoresce. Such impurities are called "activators". Different activators can make the same mineral fluoresce in different colors. These are displayed under blacklight.

Here are some great individual shots of fluorescent minerals by MinerShop

So, Franklin, New Jersey is known as the "fluorescent mineral capital of the world". Together with nearby Ogdensburg, it is the source of at least 260 minerals, of which at least 56 are fluorescent. Many of these minerals are found nowhere else in the world. Many of the fluorescents are uncommonly bright. Only the Franklin mine provided specimens with 5 or more different colors of equally bright fluorescence from as many minerals in one specimen - for a truly unforgettable rainbow fluorescence. Looks like we'll need to take a field trip - and check out this wonderful place!

And then the next experiement is taking out all my beads, gemstones and minerals here at the studio and see what happens under blacklight. . .

xoxo

Jupiter water

2012-01-29T11:42:00.002-05:00

Find more planetary water fun here

Blue Lace Agate

2012-01-27T17:12:00.000-05:00

Blue Lace Agate is a wonderful stone. It hasa soft, cooling and calming, energy that brings peace of mind. It is believedto neutralize anger, reduce infection, inflammation and fever and to easearthritis. It is also said to promote qualities of kindness, patience, wisdomand peace. Add to that druzy quartz, which is believed to energize and stabilize your body as well promoting creativity, and this stone is even more magnificent.

Agate is a form of microcrystaline quartz. It is usuallyformed in nodules and has transparent, or translucent portions. The color varies from a pale aqua blue through the deep blues and into lavender.

Some of the best slices of this stone that I've found have become some amazing earrings.

George Swanson discovered blue lace agate on his farm, Ysterputs Farm, in Namibia. He coined the term "Gem of Ecology" for it because of the swirling blues and whites which resemble clouds above the Earth as seen from space. The best blue lace agate in the world still comes from the narrow seam on George's farm.

BTW - wanna see this stone under blacklight?

Yeeeeeeah!
xoxo
KP

Mesmerizing!

2012-01-24T16:23:00.000-05:00

little waffle

little oranges

Eames

2012-01-24T13:05:00.001-05:00

Watched the Eames documentary which talks about their very enchanting and brilliant piece - Powers of Ten

Grains of sand

2012-01-22T23:47:00.000-05:00

Two of my favorite things - miniature worlds + rocks

Read the article here

COLOR

2012-01-20T09:49:00.006-05:00

Saturation. You know I love it. Here are a few small compositions for paintings.

And here is my palette, some of my favorite colors to work with, whether it's in photos, paintings or interior spaces.

Home Office

2012-01-19T19:41:00.001-05:00

Let's just say I'm posting from here today. . .

Visitors

2009-07-27T15:59:00.003-04:00

Various shots from my mini Sculpture Gardens

Watercolors

2009-07-26T14:53:00.003-04:00

For my Indoor Miniature Golf Course

2009-07-26T14:52:00.002-04:00

Fine dining with . . . flair!