fanciful devices

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.

10/22/11

I added some more dangles and divided all these into 3 stacks. Philo-Sophia. Victorian Tribal Gypsy Assemblage Bangle Stack.

Philo-Sophia.
Then I picked a number at random for the price.

Philo-Sophia. Victorian Tribal Gypsy Assemblage Bangle Stack.

Hubs made chili and it's a fart-o-rama up in here. I know you wanna know this.

The Lining of the World. Victorian Tribal Gypsy Assemblage Bangle Stack.

The Lining of the World.
Now all I can think of is a nap in my warm fluffy bed.

The Lining of the World. Victorian Tribal Gypsy Assemblage Bangle Stack.

Love the comments, folks. Janet- How could I possibly take offense at the 'unshowered state' comment when I was the one blogging about my unshowered state to begin with?

Maidely Lake. Victorian Tribal Gypsy Assemblage Bangle Stack.

Maidely Lake. Victorian Tribal Gypsy Assemblage Bangle Stack.

Maidely Lake.
I think we've all had some experience that have made us tiptoe around each other on line. But fuck that! Fuck all these hyper-sensitive people who take themselves so seriously. I hate them.

Maidely Lake. Victorian Tribal Gypsy Assemblage Bangle Stack.

That's why we all sound like a bunch of old maids around here, stumbling over ourselves to apologize for anything bordering on humorous.

Queen Isabel. Rustic Victorian Tribal Mixed Media Assemblage Necklace.

Queen Isabel. Rustic Victorian Tribal Mixed Media Assemblage Necklace.

Queen Isabel.
Well, this is my blog and I say... I wanna nap! I ran out of steam. I think I was going to make an important declaration or pronouncement.

Queen Isabel. Rustic Victorian Tribal Mixed Media Assemblage Necklace.

Oh, I looked up these queens on line- they're actually quite interesting. None of them seemed to have had a single peaceful year, though. It's always a war over power with those nobles.

Blanca, Queen of France. Rustic Victorian Tribal Mixed Media Assemblage Necklace.

Blanca, Queen of France. Rustic Victorian Tribal Mixed Media Assemblage Necklace.

Blanca, Queen of France.

Now Imma go see if anyone buys these. Or if they were too expensive.

7 comments:

Linda Sinish said...: I am thrilled to have discovered you and your blog. I love your jewelry designs. Your honest writting is so refreshing. You have made me laugh.; 10/23/11, 9:38 AM
Patty said...: dang, now the "queen for day" stuff doesn't sound nearly as fun; 10/23/11, 7:03 PM
Penelope said...: I hate them too! Your jewelry however, I love. I don't think you'd ever bee too expensive. Those royal bitches c/should be 300+; 10/24/11, 6:52 AM
Subconscious Dad said...: Here's my fun factoid: Jagiellon (of Queen Isabel) is the noblest name in Poland's history. You can't get any tonier than that in Poland.
But I don't want the choker, I want chili. Let's change Isabel's motto to "Sic fart volunt", the will to ...; 10/24/11, 9:59 AM
carol said...: hey faNci,

those stacks are really something else..
love em..

caRolS; 10/24/11, 7:00 PM
Spirited Earth said...: oh those star earrings make my heart beat faster..gorgeous..as are the bangles in previous post..; 10/24/11, 9:30 PM
jet1960 said...: Only recently found your work and blog from a link posted on Little Brown Sparrow blog. I love your work and your way with words, as well! It is great when you see people who "get" the mystery and fascination with the bits and pieces, either old or not, like broken shells, bone fragments, rusted metal, etc. The way you combine these elements in your jewelry is amazing.; 10/28/11, 9:29 PM