fanciful devices: Peeks

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.

2/2/11

Peeks

New girls for your eye's sweet tooth.

Couldn't sleep last night so I made earrings through out the blizzard.

Though right now it's lovely out. Tonight's supposed to get sub-zero though.

I am a bit hazy from not sleeping, so I kinda sat here in a daze and worked on editing these pictures waaay too long. But they look good to have been taken in awful light.

Used a bunch of the ear wires Jennifer sent me.

Here I glued bits of old money on square brass and put that UTEE stuff with way too much flex in it to turn it that amber color... and there's 4 black diamond rhinestones- can you find them? So, the pix are nice but now I realize you can't see the actual items that well...

Some work in progress...

Look what I got off ebay:

Vintage Indian match box labels.

They're killing me, they're so yummy!

Stay warm girls.

4 comments:

stregata said...: Gorgeous earrings! And those match box labels are so fantastic!; 2/2/11, 11:23 PM
~Debi said...: Awesome finds and lovely jewelry :); 2/3/11, 1:11 AM
Angel Whisperer said...: If You Guys like match box labels vintage I have some real *made in Sweden* actually I got them from the Match factory in my home town Jönköping as a kid :)1950-60; 2/3/11, 5:02 AM
Jennifer Valentine Morford said...: oooooooohhhhhhh....I've been away too long!
LOVE the labels...an the new thangs....; 2/9/11, 7:44 AM