fanciful devices: Stuff's Up!

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.

And I'm gonna force you to look at these all over again. Cuz 1st I put up all this stuff I've already showed you.
The Lady Victory. Rustic Gypsy Victorian Tribal Leather Cuff with Coin.

The Lady Victory. Rustic Gypsy Victorian Tribal Leather Cuff with Coin.

The Lady Victory.
Here I was having trouble with the coloring. By making it more uneven, I arrived at a certain evenness.

From Girl to Crone. Pink Trinket Bracelet.

From Girl to Crone. Pink Trinket Bracelet.

From Girl to Crone.
Ooooh check it! I came up with a fancy closure here.

And the crescent piece was just plain white. A cheapo piece from the cheapo Chinese bead store down in the U. BUT! I made it funky using- get this- chunky embossing powders. Do you know about embossing? It's a thing stampers do. On paper. More on this later.

<--This is what I'd showed you. By adding the white chain, I was able to make it much more substantial--> From Girl to Crone. Pink Trinket Bracelet.

Bone Bridge Flesh Valley. Rustic Gypsy Victorian Tribal Bracelet.

Bone Bridge Flesh Valley. Did I ever show you guys the beginnings of this one? I can't find it. Thing is that at 1st it looked super boring. All the weird coloration I did after, so it looks lots less boring. Basically, I just used black alcohol ink, then poured rubbing alcohol all over it. The rubbing alcohol makes the color separate somehow, and this is the result.

Oligodynamic. Dusty Pink Victorian Tribal Rustic Assemblage Bracelet.

Oligodynamic. Dusty Pink Victorian Tribal Rustic Assemblage Bracelet.

Oligodynamic. OK, you totally saw this one.

The Aperture. Colorful Rustic Gypsy Victorian Tribal Bracelet.

The Aperture. And this one.

Princess Things. Dusty Pink Rustic Gypsy Victorian Tribal Assemblage Necklace.

Princess Things. And this one! But it's a new picture, so that's nice...

The Circus. Colorful Rustic Gypsy Victorian Tribal Assemblage Necklace.

The Circus. Saw this...

Elizabeth. Rustic Gypsy Victorian Tribal Choker with Found Objects.

Elizabeth. And this...

Overcast. Victorian Tribal Bronze Knocker Necklace.

Overcast. And this...

The Mother. Madonna and Child Perfume Bottle Choker.

The Mother. And this!

The Mother. Madonna and Child Perfume Bottle Choker.

So next I'll list these:

A little this-n-that to whet the appetite.

9 comments:

Louise said...: Just beautiful Marina! I love love LOVE the pink bracelet, just gorgeous. :); 6/11/12, 3:49 AM
Jackie said...: Such a nice morning treat - EYE CANDY!! I wish I had a tiny fraction of the type of talent you've got. I really love the Overcast, Princess Things and the Bone Bridge Flesh Valley best!; 6/11/12, 8:05 AM
Alice said...: I love them all, especially the first bracelet (clever clasp) and the bone bracelet. I've got a thing for bracelets latey.

Thanks for the morning inspiration!; 6/11/12, 9:07 AM
Tami said...: Loving everything, Marina!!; 6/11/12, 12:44 PM
Vintajia Adornments said...: Yum!
Great inspiration first thing this morning.; 6/11/12, 4:37 PM
Juliette said...: The Mother, Overcast, and Inspiration. LOVE.

xoxo Juliette; 6/11/12, 5:29 PM
beadybaby said...: Very, very cool. I don't think anyone minds looking twice, or more...; 6/11/12, 8:02 PM
Anonymous said...: such a wonderful temptress you are!!! total scrumptious yumminess!; 6/13/12, 7:02 AM
me said...: Love the way you use pink my dear...; 6/15/12, 1:59 AM