OK- 1st: So sorry if you got hacked emails from me.... I changed my password to something actually hard to guess this time. Numbers and symbols and mystical formulas in there now.
Second: Look at some earrings.
Beads here are encased in resin. And there's parts of a fan.And below I was cursing myself for feeling the need to follow this exact Victorian tribal formula. Cuz I'd put together the lampworks with the pearl things and I was thinking if I should pull out a couple religious medals, then all 'but no cuz tribals...' and like I said cursing myself. Then I found the bells.
No, really- there's a point. That one thing I love about pendants is I don't feel like they have to represent all my beliefs and world view in the perfect integration of my aesthetic message.
I can sometimes put all these demands on myself. But with pendants it's all BANG BANG BANG- done!
And then there's blood everywhere.
(?)
Lookit it's a big old resistor. Know what those are? Resistors? Or is it a capacitor? This one's even ceramic. Came from this lot:
Has several layers of resin over the metal wires hanging down cuz, um, they're lead. But with the resin keeping them in check you could swallow the thing whole and be none the wiser. Well, you might need surgery when it clogged up your guts.
Remember I said I was cutting down on my crazy pills? I must not be that crazy because I feel more clear-headed than I have in years. Why didn't my doc do this sooner? Hu?
What else have I to report?
(Heh-heh. It says cock.)
Last night me, hubs 'n' folks went out to dinner and after a glass of wine mom said something like "I need alcohol for my GPS." And each time I thought we were on the cusp of getting an explanation someone would come up with another non-sensical three-letter acronym to insert ("I need alcohol for my CSI!") that would get mom once again laughing so hard she was crying all over herself and an explanation was never had. There is nothing more joyful than getting my mom to laugh at herself til she's crying and sort of choking.
I know what you're thinking. That's not really an acronym. An acronym is pronounced like a word such as AIDS or gif.... whereas GPS is more correctly termed initialism. But our quotidian use of the term embraces both possibilities. 
Wait- that's not what you were thinking? So... what were you thinking?
Yup, all Urufinds. Oh fuck, that's what I was trying to remember! All the questions y'all asked!
YES, I'm still open to the Touruguay. <-Correct terminology. Uruhaul is what you bring back. Uru-tour is my mom's attempt to say Touruguay one time.
However, I'm not sure we have enough people to constitute a group... I don't expect payment but if I'mna go and do this thing that does make me a bit nervous because whenever I led school groups before I'd get all stressed feeling responsible for everyone's good time... so... maybe the reason I'd want a group of, say, 8 crazy ladies is so y'all could pitch in to cover my flight. And that would be my service fee. Even for the workshops and everything. That part's easy!
Look, same exact thing from slightly different angle-->
Speaking of which, beadybaby in a comment linked to one of my husband's all favorite things ever. This is the Chivito (sorta like chee-bee-toe):
And the open-face version just to make your arteries hurt:
The scene that was cut from Anthony Bourdaine's episode in Uruguay where he and his brother gorge themselves on these is on of the things Robert has acquired to carry around in his ipad and regularly re-watches.
Take this piece my commenters (♡) were so fond of:
No diamonds and rubies there, sure. However the reason I was able to create it is 1st because having worked long and hard, I've magically attracted great friends to me like Anvil of the metal length and SacredCake of the pearl pin. She sent that pin to me (as I forgot to mention last time) maybe as far back as 2 years ago. As amazeballs as it is, I couldn't find the right spot for it and even took down a necklace I once had it living in. One awesome thing about it is one pearl unscrews from the pin(!), so I was able to create the links on the aluminum without worrying about scratching off the pearl finish, then put the pin through a length of brass tubing (impossible w/o removable pearl) so that it would be snug in it's new home, then draw that through not just the aluminum links, but also the hand link that was not openable. I also had the bone toggle forever, which I'd made from a bone in a lot a customer sent me as a gift after seeing it in my favorites!
For all that to come together is more rare than the precise conditions needed to create a diamond or ruby. How do you put a price on that?
Hu? How?
And someone asked about the color of the metal. Black guilder's paste. Which brought with it the issue of keeping said paste on without it smearing all over your wrist. So I tried a bunch of different things. Finally, I put a thin layer of resin on it since nothing seemed to work well enough. Then it was a shiny, shiny mess. and I tried all different kinds of things again. In fact, the only thing that seemed to really remove the shine was rubbing it with... black guilder's paste! Ugh. Then I happened to go to Ace for some wire, picked up a tube of Liquid Nails which is sorta like E6000, and it occurred to me to shmear a bit of that all over the now shiny and partially re-guild-pasted fucker. And that worked. PHEW. Oh and multiply by two because of this guy:
To be honest, explaining all that here feels like a ton more effort though.
And then I made these in a mad scramble using the manic energy I seem to be developing from my med reduction. They seemed to take no time- but look at 'em!
Looooooooook!
12 comments:
Gahhhhhhhhh! The HANDS! And the Chivito! My dinner is yet to come but is marinating and is lowfat. Now I want a chivito instead, damnit!
When in doubt, put a fried egg on it.
But back to jewelry - the HANDS! The HANDS! Love.
Frickin' love the hands!
I have to echo what Juliette said- THE HANDS!!!! Those are divinity.
The chivito looks like a double-decker version of a steak sandwich which we have in every chip shop here. Steak fillets with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, beetroot, pineapple, egg and bacon. Pretty much a hamburger with the lot but steak instead of a pattie, and only half the size of a chivito.
Regarding the pricing thing- what you're describing with the mechanics and the thinking and trial and error- that's part of our talent, and sooooo many people forget to price their work with this in mind. We're not just charging for labour and materials, we're charging for the fact that it's taken us constant focus and dedication to come up with these styles. It's common to accept Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh as creative genius, but not ourselves. Which is silly, because given the right amount of time and talent, each one of us could easily be as good as those guys. (Better really, I mean Van Gogh...I never understood the big deal.)
And another thing! When we charge $40 for a pair of earrings because 'that's what they cost in the shops', we're forgetting we are so much more than that. The stuff you find in Target, etc has been designed by someone who has been paid to do so, and then it's sent off to be manufactured; God knows how much profit is seen from that one design. But we make one, it's sold, and then that's it. Go look at what they charge for bespoke jewelry in Anthropologie.
In part I blame Etsy- it madly cultivates the affordable consumerism mentality. Artistic design is encouraged but certainly not accomodated in price.
I was imagining what would happen to me if I give some alchool to my gps, since my sense of direction is horrible...
you mom is great!.....
I'm with Sparrow on this one. A one of a kind piece is just that, one only, never to be repeated and the price should rightly reflect this.
Love those hands and those bracelets too.
It's 2am I cannot sleep and
now upon reading all of this in directions all over the place... I ask my self ....how does she do all this? You is a genius mastermind superstar goddess.
Tour a guay beckons but lately my life has had so many twists and turns that it's hard for me to commit to a lunch date or a cup of tea... Still would give anything to hang out with you ... It's hugely a matter of finances at the mo.
Resin items blow outta the water... New tute for ya?
And yes the hands and sparrow... Yes.. I see stuff On Melrose avenue like mine priced like $ 300.. Compaired
$43 plus having to pack and ship but what can you do?
Until you become a superstar you have to price things to sell cause selling equals more supplies and new stimulation so basically we're screwed... But at least we are all screwed together in our happy little family.
What was I thinking? Hmm? Beads in resin!!! And galaxy effects in resin, and how I dearly love your unique little pendants. I was able to snag one up and it is a great little series of yours. Lastly earrings with the little bells... ugh those lampwork beads are gorgeous. So yah.. that's all the thoughts that were floating by. Thanks to Sparrow for always keeping it real, her ruminations on pricing should be the standard.
Yes, I echo all the sentiments on the hands. And Sparrow is so right about pricing.
Still up for Urotour or whatever we're calling it this week, but we do need as many participants as possible to cover your expenses.
There is just so much on this post that's got me salivating but not the chivito thankfully, I can walk past that bit of grocery assemblage.
I should have remembered Touruguay terminology. We would be fancipickers all. Maybe we need to go over to the FB page and discuss if there are enough of us now.
Your blog page is looking ever awesome with the lining of so many of your previous works.
"That one thing I love about pendants is I don't feel like they have to represent all my beliefs and world view in the perfect integration of my aesthetic message" Love this field of thought from you. Makes me grin out loud.
stunning work, the hands, the bracelet with the double pin, again the kodachrome slide, but thats my penchant for photography
Hold the phone!! (what does that mean anyway?)
There's a pair of earrings up there that's IDENTICAL.
How can that be??! You feeling okay, Marina?
That's a very cool cock tin. Looking forward to the magic that happens to it in your hands. Wait. That didn't sound right. Oh nevermind.
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