fanciful devices: New newy new.

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.

Just feels like way too long, the amount of time it takes me to photograph and edit pictures.
But anywhoo, here they are.

The Name of God.
This is a plain ol' pinback button found in Uruguay which I've made a bezel for. The red bit on the clasp and the hand, the lisence and the bit of bling connecting it to the bezel are all from Opulent Oddities. Oh, and the clear bead. The bit of bling is actually from a ring I cut.

Messenger.
This was a cheap ol' round piece, I glued in an angel from the antique book of icons I use and filled it with UTEE.

Scapular.
I bought the scapular and gems on etsy. The bling bits are from Opulent Oddities. Again, deconstructed rings. I know, I'm all about them.

Qutn.
Oh these are my favorite of the lot-
remember the cotton pearls I wrote about here? These are them! One of my bestest regulars, ShesSoWeird, bought them for me! I've combined them with tribal-ish bits and bone things, including brui seed and coyote teeth.
Qutn. Cotton Pearls and Bone Bits.

Naranga. Indonesian Glass with Citrine and Carnelian.

Naranga.
Oh and here I was experimenting with the cluster dangly style with gems and wrapping. A touch of tribal with the Indonesian beads, but not rustic enough for me. So they were an experiment, but not a new direction or anything.