fanciful devices: Boobs.

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.

7/12/11

Boobs.

So I was reading a book to my sister's 2 and 5 year olds, and the 5 year old kept trying to give me a hug and plopping his arm on my boobs which were all PMS sore. So before I could stop myself I go, "Carlos! Stop touching my boob."

Marcela, the 2 year old dressed only in her big brother's Transformers underwear, suddenly sits up and goes, "Today I had boobs like Mommy, not Carlos."

?????

Cosmogyral.

Later, I reported this strange line to my sister. "Oh, she kept pointing to Carlos' nipples and going, 'Boobies!' I was trying to explain that Carlos doesn't have boobs, but Mommy does. And Marcela does, but Daddy doesn't. She got confused."

Sangelous.

"You know the problem with that, right?"

"Yeah. Marcela doesn't have boobs."

Ephydriad.

So the line of the week is "Today I had boobs like Mommy, not Carlos."

Ecstasiate.

Now I have a bunch of packages to wrap.

9 comments:

Jackie said...: Funny boob story! I just love each piece you made. The earrings are to die for and the necklace is so spiritual. Nice work as always.
...Jackie xo; 7/12/11, 4:57 PM
Jackie said...: The bells...they had me at hello! I love everything bellness!
...Jackie xo; 7/12/11, 5:01 PM
~Debi said...: Love, love, LOVE the earrings with the bells and keys!; 7/12/11, 5:54 PM
Regina said...: Great designs, love the necklace. Loved the boobs story too.; 7/12/11, 6:43 PM
Numinosity said...: Hey, cool stuff! I love seeing what you are doing with my lampwork. I really have to tell you that you inspired me on my latest earrings (on my blog) Now I see that you may have on the decoupaged boobies too. I had been meaning to alter my mannequin for awhile now.
Nice work and cute story.
xoxo Kim; 7/12/11, 8:27 PM
steufel said...: Ohhh, love, love, love the necklace!; 7/13/11, 3:12 AM
richelle said...: Love those Indian beaded beads. I think I'm going to try to make some from scratch.
As for the boobs--I guarantee this is just the first of many boob-related discussions with the tots.; 7/13/11, 4:02 PM
Penelope said...: When my best friend's kid discovered the difference between girls and boys he came running into the room completely naked and did a dance singing 'ha ha ha haha..I've got a penis!!!' and then ran out.

You are so good at chunky beads.; 7/14/11, 10:58 AM
betweenreader said...: Those Kashmiri Lak beads are making me nutz! They are marvelous, and are eating away at my brain.; 7/14/11, 5:00 PM