fanciful devices: Frans Button Corner

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.

6/6/10

Frans Button Corner

Art is a spark of delight captured in an activity. An artist puts their joy in their work for the sheer pleasure of it. There's not motives, no point, even.
Where there is a new medium there is always a new type of art and artist.
I recently found Fran's Button Corner, where for around $3, you can get a little color collection for your crafts. The buttons are nice but the themes are truly delightful.

Backyard BBQ

In A Fog

Seedless Watermelon Seedless Watermelon Scrapbooking and Craft Buttons

It's Not A Merlot It's Not A Merlot, It's A Burgundy Scrapbooking and Craft Buttons

Then, in the pictures, she treats us to this silliness:

Pitch Black Scrapbooking and Craft Buttons

Chocolate Scrapbooking and Craft Buttons

As well as writing what each specific valuable button is, as you can see above. Her prices range from $2- $4.50, so you know she's just doing this for the heck of it. I find myself returning over and again just b/c these images make me smile.

3 comments:

Anne said...: Thanks so much for your wonderful post! I do do it for the heck of it and because I love buttons so much. Plus being a litte crazy doesnt' hurt either. :D; 6/7/10, 7:11 AM
Lucid Moon Studio said...: Those are such clever listings! They are really enjoyable. Thanks for sharing...I favorited several for when I get paid next :)

Lisa; 6/7/10, 8:58 AM
fanciful devices said...: And I thank you for it. Seeing people do things like this with no possibility of personal gain (other than 2 bucks in the pocket) that's the kind of thing that makes me so happy. Like, nutballz happy.; 6/7/10, 8:59 AM