fanciful devices: Cosmic Candies

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.

9/2/12

Cosmic Candies

Get your eyeballses ready girlies.

Yesterday when it was too overcast to take pictures, I invented a new patina, seen here on the kuchi.

So just imagine how much more amazing stuff I could've made today if I hadn't spent all day messing with pictures and photoshop. Imagine how much stuff I'd make if I never had to take pictures!

Doesn't that totally wanna make you move to Chicago and become my photographer? It would be an unpaid internship, of course. The honor would be payment enough!

Check out molester cherub here all, "You're so tense! Here, let me rub your shoulders for you." Did I just ruined this guy for all of you? Nah, they're sweet. Erase all thoughts of molester cherubs. There's tiny particles of blue glittery eyeshadow in there, yessir.

Lela: alteredarcheology is cracking me up! "What Shat That? I shit you not." hehe. Wombats indeed.

So this was a prayer card with all kinds of gold accents. I didn't seal it because I liked the lettering on the back and wanted it to show through. Turns out, the entire image was printed over the gold. You can see it in the blue background which was just a solid blue before the resin made everything transparent.

So I made this cuff for the wider-wristed ladies based on a piece of metal anvilartifacts sent me.

It's all kinds of sculptural. But as usual I can't figure out one good image that shows it all. Because bracelets are 360^. I couldn't find a degree symbol so I just used a '^' cuz I'm a rule breaker. I think outside the degree symbol, I'm a rebel against symbols and punctuation.

What was I saying? Oooo, looky, color.

Do you see the two different color patina? IT'S FAKE!!! I FAKED IT!!!

Are you all "Oh no she is not gonna just drop that bomb and then not follow up?!?!"

Deeeevious.

OK, OK- lemme tell you about some-a-this. The pyrite above, the pearls, stars, peal-stars and opalescent glass below all came from Fancylinda. She just sent me a huge fuckload of stuff in exchange for an liddle ol' pendant.

More of my fancy new patiiiiiinaaaaa... na-na-na.....

Can someone please try to understand how amazing this coin is?

Fancylinda also sent this opalecent bead and the 2 faceted tubes.

And here's what I did with the strap that didn't fit the hands.

I think a buyer might just decide they prefer the back. I'd have to flip it because the rhinestone thing has a front/back unlike bracelets. The lady at the fair tossed it into the pile of things I was buying as a freebie. I know!

Finally got this one all done. Cuz if at first you don't succeed- quit, you suck. Leaving it a pendant. Love me some pendants. Win-win-- I get to make things quickly, you get to purchase it cheaply and they use your own imaginationativity for the rest.

'Dafuq was that? ... my hard sell?

Cuff set. Again, anvil's metal. It's aluminum. Super fun to play with. And a couple rulers.

So, I had all these things without nowhere to go, made a pile of bracelets.

There's three bracelets here. One has a hook coming right out of that awesome bone oval thing that Sparrow sent me ages ago.

Sure would be nice if I'd captured it in a, you know, photo.

Here's another set of three. And that's all I have to say about that.

So my folks had a big sing-a-long last night with their grandkids. Marcela performed Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and then apparently felt required to explain this big new word 'wonder' to everyone. "Like, 'I wonder what time it is? So, I wonder where my clock is?'" Vocabulary lessons from a three year old. So cute it makes my stomach hurt.

18 comments:

Anastasia said...: pretty devious, you are- we noticed how you didn't explain how to do the bi-colored patina.
WE did. The royal we. The we who are your followers.; 9/2/12, 9:52 PM
PipnMolly said...: Awesome 25 centimos.
Loving the pearl hand hinge. You've been making like a whirling dervish girl. You're a wonder.; 9/2/12, 10:35 PM
Juliette said...: Holy cow, that bracelet with the pearls and the Hamsa?? Is that listed for someone, or is it for sale? Can we tawk? ;)

xoxo Juliette; 9/2/12, 11:21 PM
Julie said...: Incredibly fun to watch your thoughts. Especially love the pearl cuff - wow!; 9/2/12, 11:59 PM
Flotsam Tide said...: Like anvil you post so much good stuff at one go it is hard to comment on it all properly but that first necklace in blue... heart achingly beautiful; and I love the trio of three bracelets. The sculptural bone bracelet with the pearls.. awesome, it reminds me of septum piercings in the best of ways.; 9/3/12, 1:38 AM
alek said...: love everything in this post, truly awesome stuff.
and the moody dark simple slide pendant especially; 9/3/12, 5:16 AM
Lucie Tales said...: Argh...so many gorgeous things... And I'm definitely jealous of your dark patina on aluminum, how did you do this????; 9/3/12, 8:13 AM
Beatnheart said...: ok....i quit....there’s no point in me trying to make stuff cause its pure crap in compares to you....its like a kinny gardener comparing herself to Michealagano...
so I’m like speechless here .; 9/3/12, 12:14 PM
Numinosity said...: These piles of utter lusciousness are making me kind of speechless as well. Thanks so much for your kind comments on my blog too. Made me all abuzz with pride there.
The way you inventingly thought to connect that bracelet is specfabular or would it be specfibula?
While you're busy inventing one million ways to connect one million pieces of stupendous supplies and patina-ing them I'm still on wireitup101. But there is progress and I'm happy for that.
Thanks again for sharing so much of what you do.
...always in admiration....

Oh and a P.S. here. Has the Uruhaul been shelved? Me and the mister have been trying to solidify our winter trip plans. Totally understand if it may have been a daunting proposition especially with your teaching gig next spring. We know how to go by ourselves anyhoo if we need to.; 9/3/12, 1:19 PM
Anastasia said...: Yes, I was wondering the same thing. I think we're still up for it, if it's still on.; 9/3/12, 2:12 PM
Lela said...: Hey you patina cheater, you. I'd suggest you stay on the good side of Fancylinda. Uhhuh. You did some mighty fancystuff with the fancystuff she sent you. FANCYSTUFF!; 9/3/12, 7:34 PM
beadybaby said...: argh...touruguay/uruhaul might be worth it just for this... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivito_%28sandwich%29
(labor day marathon of "no reservations" on the travel channel!); 9/3/12, 10:46 PM
alteredarcheology said...: I'm with Kimberly, "inventing a million ways to connect..." why can't I be that clever?? Actually, you have cleverness on so many levels...just....just...never mind. My fingers still stink of Windex (repeated cleanings of drool off iPad); 9/4/12, 8:15 AM
Sharon Driscoll said...: Stop it - I have to pee and besides the great stuff you always make you crack me up!; 9/4/12, 5:14 PM
Lori Anderson said...: LOVE the necklaces -- particularly the last one. You are amazing.; 9/5/12, 6:23 PM
Unknown said...: You've been hacked! I got mail @ both of my email addresses yesterday; 9/6/12, 7:00 PM
Juliette said...: Finally got those earrings photographed 'hanging up.'

http://artintheredwoods.blogspot.com/2012/09/lots-going-on-around-here.html

And I'm still grinning over Marcela's question. Very nice. xoxo Juliette; 9/12/12, 11:00 PM
Anonymous said...: Oh no! The molestor cherubs are the "little ones" of the weeping angel Pond destroyers!! That really changes the whole sneaking up or the creepy lil giggles.

The cuff is really magnificool! I dig your cuffs, it seems. Like the splash of shadow too. Always so inspiring to step into a triangle and sphere up!

M

Apologies if you're not a Doctor Who fan, as this will have made no sense. But if you are, "Waaaaaaaaaaaaa I don't wants wait!! The MoffMan is becoming so sadistic with his mid-season disappearances. " So cruel. So so cruel.

I think you must be a fan and personal friend of the doc's cause it's the only way you can create, photo, correct, write, and post so much. You hitch rides on the T.A.R.D.I.S.!!!!

M; 10/1/12, 6:25 PM