Prosperity Fish Necklace by Manya Vee

Many of you already know I taught English in Asia for close to 8 years back in the late 80s and early 90s, spending time in China, Taiwan, Japan, and Indonesia, and also traveling to many other Asian countries.  It was there I fell in love with the miniature sculpture of beads - handpainted porcelain, carved stones, antique and contemporary silver, etc.  I taught myself how to put necklaces and earrings together, and voila!  An artist was born.

Naturally I was greatly influenced by the designs I encountered there as well.  I collected a lot of unusual components there.  I part with them slowly over time, creating unusual one-of-a-kind necklaces jam packed with interesting beads with their own history and meaning.  Here's my latest piece, just completed a couple days ago.

 

The pendant is hand-carved stone, and features a prosperity fish (that's why there are always fish tanks at the entrance to Chinese businesses).  There are also several longevity peaches below, and a blossoming lotus flower at the top, which I've embellished with a copper spiral of life.

Hand-carved stone with prosperity fish in center

There are some very old, as well as unusual beads here.  There are 4 brown and ivory patterned beads made of carved water buffalo bone.  The ivory part had wax applied before dying it in a brown dye, then the wax was removed leaving this intriguing design.  There's a pair of Venetian glass beads from the 1800s that were used as African trade beads.  They're yellow with red circles and blue lines.  Also enjoy the hand-carved bone tube at upper left.  I collected a bunch of such beads in Indonesia.  No two are alike, albeit they are similar.  The detail just amazes me.

Detail showing some unique beads

The red spherical glass beads were brought back from Africa by a friend around 1994.  They show signs of having been lovingly worn, but are still in great shape.  They're probably not very old, but they are certainly very pretty.  You can also see 3mm tiger eye spheres on the lower strand, neatly dividing sections.  There are some disk-shaped wood beads, and gold-plated heishi beads highlighting certain beads.

Here's what it looks like on someone (me!)

It's a bit longer to better capture the drama and show off more of the beads.  The two strands are joined in back with a connector and a large lobster clasp.  Simple coordinating earrings are also available.

The earring picks up beads from the necklace without overpowering it.

I have such fun making these unique and pretty pieces from time to time!  If you love it, go up to the first picture to find the "buy now" button, and purchase it with PayPal!

Manya Vee

Ginny Huber's nuno-felted scarves are fiber art

Seattle's Ginny Huber spent many years as a collage artist, honing the unique methods of combining various materials into a compelling whole.  

Huber nuno-felted scarf of terra cotta silk chiffon, with raw merino wool fibers in an enticing abstract pattern in moss greens, deep plum, yellow, and various shades of orange and terra cotta.   70" long and 6-7" wide as it varies
due to the felting process.  $98.

Some years ago, she discovered wet felting, and was smitten. It was an excellent way to use her collage skills with new materials. Nuno-felting
in particular has won her over. This is a technique in which materials like raw wool are felted into a base of silk or cotton.


Calming shades of blue appear in this Huber nuno-felted scarf.  The underlying silk chiffon
is a sapphire/indigo blue, with fine merino wool fibers of yellow, sage, sapphire and deep green.
Note the underside in the lower left quadrant, showing how firmly the wool fibers
have bonded with the silk.  65" long x 9-10" wide.  $125.

Ginny's love of color is evident in the vibrant choices she makes and combines.  Her art background ensures that the color combinations are very pleasing, even while often surprising.


Vibrant raspberry hues make this Huber nuno-felted scarf stand out.  The background silk chiffon
is a sheer raspberry background to which fine merino wool fibers in lime green, evergreen, yellow and red
show themselves to be individual flowers, stems and leaves scattered across the surface.  72" long and 6-8" wide, varying due to the felting process.  $125.

Some of Huber's works are more densely packed with wool, as opposed to the rasperry and blue scarves above, which reveal more of the chiffon.  This other, more densely packed style is thicker and heavier.  It also allows for the reverse side to carry its own design, making for a completely different scarf on the other side.

This densely packed Huber nuno-felted scarf has a silk chiffon core, but you are hard-pressed to see any of it
revealed as there is such a high quantity of wool in this scarf.  Soft pink is the overall background color,
with rich purple and plum weaving trails across the surface, and moss green and amber hues playfully adding
their notes.  A couple pieces of vintage cotton lace, and ivory silk chiffon (note that in the detail photo) are felted
onto the surface, building layer upon layer of soft, flexible fiber art.  60" long x 8-10" wide.  $145.

Other scarves, like the terra cotta and blue examples above, use less wool, and thus reveal more of the background silk.  These styles in particular have excellent drape and weight, and are very flexible.  While quite thin, they are actually quite warm and suitable for cooler temperatures.  Yet because they are natural fibers, they also breathe nicely, so can be worn in more temperate climes.

There's something very enticing about the golden amber tones of ochre. In this Huber nuno-felted scarf, silk chiffon that has been dyed ochre has a lovely yet light array of quality merino wool fibers in a vibrant brick red, celery green, evergreen, yellow and ivory. A splash of burgundy is splashed here and there.
80" long x 8-10" wide, varying due to the felting process.  $125.

Several other scarves are available at Manya Vee Selects at this time.  If you'd like to see more examples, just write it in the comments, or call the gallery for even more information (425-776-3778).

Choosing a Ginny Huber nuno-felted scarf is a way to enhance your unique and distinctive style.  Wearing such beautiful things is a great way to share a moment of beauty with a complete stranger!  What more could one ask in our world today?  We hope you'll find one you love!