fanciful devices: CUFFS cuffs CUFFS cuffs CUFFS cuffs

A Stone Is Nobody's

A man ambushed a stone. Caught it.
Made it a prisoner.
Put it in a dark room and stood guard over it for the rest of his life.

His mother asked why.

He said, because it's held captive, because it is captured.

Look, the stone is asleep, she said, it does not know whether it's in a garden or not. Eternity and the stone
are mother and daughter; it is you who are getting old. The stone is only sleeping.

But I caught it, mother, it is mine by conquest, he said.

A stone is nobody's, not even its own. It is you who are conquered; you are minding the prisoner, which is yourself,
because you are afraid to go out, she said.

Yes yes, I am afraid, because you have never loved me, he said.

Which is true, because you have always been to me as the stone is to you, she said.

Russell Edson

FAQs

1. Are you a Southeast Asian dancing girl from the 1800s?

No, sorry to disappoint. My avatar and banner images are from an ancient book I found in the depths of my grandmother's cabinets. More on that here.

2. How do you make everything look so old?

First, you need a good oxidizer to brush on every bit of metal you can reach. I'll tell you all about it here.

Then there's this wax. I first mentioned it here. You'll have to scroll down a lot.

3. How can you be so productive?

I'm insanely obsessed and I have no offspring. I do nothing else- I don't have a day job, I don't clean my house or cook, I spend all day in pjs, often completely abandoning personal hygiene... I only interact with other humans when I walk my dog. And I like people! But I prefer dogs.

And I'm sloppy- but I make that sloppiness work for me.

4. Any tips you'd like to share?

No! Except for these 16 posts about techniques and this one about how to find your aesthetic.

5. Would you be offended if I took some inspiration from your designs?

Well, I'd be happier if you outright copied them.

No really, imitation is how we learn. I have enough ideas to go around. And even if I don't- please. No one's going to do this obsessively enough to threaten my business. (Probably.) I learned by copying others and I've seen others copy me as a step toward developing their own voice. So feel free. (I'd love if you tossed me a link in my comments, so I can feel like a proud momma.)

6. What do you look like?

Why, what have you heard? Really? Wow.

6/27/10

CUFFS cuffs CUFFS cuffs CUFFS cuffs

Metallic Gold Genuine Stingray Leather Cuff Bracelet

Eye of the Snow Leopard Cub beaded bracelet

Wrist Cuff Hand Embroidered Fiber Bracelet Hydrangeas

Pop Rocks Grape Recycled Glass Beads Embellished Resin Hand Forged Cuff Bracelet

Tory Brown Leather Wrap Cuff with Antique Key ... Tonal

Chocolate Burgundy Basketweave Leather Cuff - Small

Royal bracelet - black beadwoven cuff with bronze and copper pattern - FREE SHIPPING

City Life Bead Embroidered Cuff Bracelet

MonicaI made this treasury all about cuffs. What a great idea.

This guy was wanting some love, too. Cuffs haven't been my best sellers. Or they have but since I don't see the sold ones in my shop, I forget they ever existed. That's probably more likely.

I'm soon to move my studio from my coffee table and all over the living/dining area downstairs to my upstairs bedroom, since we have 4 rooms upstairs and hardly use them. I'm gonna make it all cozy and display all my supplies, so I don't have to feel bad about the space they occupy or what a mess hubs has to live in. I think this will help me not feel as panicky over my supplies or feel in such a rush to finish projects. Plus it's the room I take pictures in, so that part will get done much faster and more organically. I can't wait! I need some good storage/display shelves. I've already bought some bins. Eeeeee!

3 comments:

stregata said...: Sounds like a great idea to get yourself into a space you don't need to feel bad about using. Hope you share some pics when it's ready.; 6/27/10, 1:08 PM
steufel said...: Sounds great. And the cuffs are beautiful - acutally cuffs - besides bangels - are one of my favorites, even though I hardly make them.; 6/27/10, 3:06 PM
fanciful devices said...: They are really fun to make b/c you can bring in sewing and textiles and it's hard to go wrong. Whereas a necklace can hang all wrong or be uncomfortable...; 6/28/10, 1:35 AM